weird thread is weird...

I have noticed in several videos now that Matsumoto seems to prefer to sit in sort-of seiza whenever he sits in a chair. In the 500-quiz he sits cross-legged in an arm-chair and in the Spy Batsu talk segments he sits with his feet tucked under him and with his feet sticking out the back of the chair. Does he really have a thing for sitting like that? Why in that case? I have also read somewhere that japanese from today have problems with sitting in seiza for longer periods since it is unusual now-days and that one of the reasons is that there isn´t many tatami-floored rooms in japanese homes today. Does that mean that Matsumoto grew up in a home with tatami-floors or that he has them now?

Here in Sweden it is considered bad manners to sit with your feet tucked under you when you sit in a chair. Both feet down and buttocks firmly on the seat is what is considered good manners. To see an adult sit like I usually do in a chair (I sit cross-legged in my chair in front of the computer or with one foot tucked under me and one foot dangling) is surprising. I have used the seiza-style in chairs at work whenever I need to sit now for a few months, simply because I suffer from lumbago since christmas and sitting normally hurts like hell. So sitting seiza style is perhaps the most gentle towards the back but worst for the knees…

It is intriguing to me to see this and it raises the question; how do people sit it chairs around the world? What is considered good/bad manners in your country?

in Jordan you usually sit on the chair with your legs stretched down like a normal position, but sometimes it is considered extremely rude if you were sitting with your legs up high and the bottom of your feet is directed to the person’s face

[quote="ShadiHD":2fpc3evh]in Jordan you usually sit on the chair with your legs stretched down like a normal position, but sometimes it is considered extremely rude if you were sitting with your legs up high and the bottom of your feet is directed to the person’s face[/quote:2fpc3evh]

Same in Morocco about the feet’s direction.

Another thing, I think it’s universal that guys don’t cross legs like girls. I don’t know how to explain it, here’s a picture :)

[img:2fpc3evh]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sLcsWnpE3ZA/T1vAzoKSvzI/AAAAAAAAAA4/BRNWvgJjAfQ/s640/423844_327259227310878_212771872092948_886691_1509610643_n.jpg[/img:2fpc3evh]

omg I just died watching that picture:D

[quote="Kanzaki":1893rlte]
Same in Morocco about the feet’s direction.

Another thing, I think it’s universal that guys don’t cross legs like a girl. I don’t know how to explain it, here’s a picture :)

[img:1893rlte]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sLcsWnpE3ZA/T1vAzoKSvzI/AAAAAAAAAA4/BRNWvgJjAfQ/s640/423844_327259227310878_212771872092948_886691_1509610643_n.jpg[/img:1893rlte][/quote:1893rlte]

If you tuck your genitalia above your thighs you can totally sit like that. I do. Well, i don’t jsut lay my testies with my hand or something but i just cross my legs and there you go. And i think it’s really comfy if you can fit your foot somewhere, otherwise you’ll get cramps.

The most commonly said thing about sitting in seiza is simply that it hurt your thighs and perhaps your feets if you sit for a long period like 30 minutes or an hour depending the people.
When i practiced Kendo i used to have to sit in seiza to put my gear on, and to do the ritual at the end of the seance. And although it was a short time i sometimes got massive cramps in my feets.

Another thing: You feel MUCH MORE comfortable when you have something to put your feet on while sitting. I did experience both situations and I feel better when there’s something I can put my feet on: a horizontal bar under your desk near the floor for example, or a small elevation.

I wonder if I’m the only one who noticed that…

I do the same thing ;D

Me too!

The, uh, manly leg cross with the right ankle on the left thigh one.

[quote="Sefidum":731f0hel]I have noticed in several videos now that Matsumoto seems to prefer to sit in sort-of seiza whenever he sits in a chair. In the 500-quiz he sits cross-legged in an arm-chair and in the Spy Batsu talk segments he sits with his feet tucked under him and with his feet sticking out the back of the chair. Does he really have a thing for sitting like that? Why in that case? I have also read somewhere that japanese from today have problems with sitting in seiza for longer periods since it is unusual now-days and that one of the reasons is that there isn´t many tatami-floored rooms in japanese homes today. Does that mean that Matsumoto grew up in a home with tatami-floors or that he has them now?[/quote:731f0hel]

It could be to do with the hip issues he’s had.

When I was a kid I could only eat food when sitting on the floor with my legs crossed, for some reason I stopped…no idea why.

In Mexico also, the right way to sit is as you described: "Both feet down and buttocks firmly on the seat", it is considered rude if girls sit with the manly leg cross, but I also find it really confortable to sit like that :P

I like the seiza sit, specially for my back problems, but my feet hardly stand a few minutes before they start to hurt bad.

Also, he’s getting old.

That 500 Questions chair is huge; maybe he doesn’t feel comfortable sitting still in it while he’s being interrogated :V
I suspect the hip problems have a lot to do with it. He seems to sit normally in most episodes I’ve watched and in the green room scenes when they’re sitting at the table.

I’m no authority, but I feel that in Australia, getting someone to sit in a chair at all could sometimes be considered a victory XD

Personally, I dislike chairs and would rather pace back and forth. I find sitting on the floor more comfortable. I tried seiza for the hell of it after reading this thread last night and it didn’t hurt much, but it took me at least half a minute to stand up again. :B

Japanese people don’t sit on chairs in the seiza position or putting feet on it etc. That would be considered rude too, although that would depend on the situation. If you’re just in private place with friends or something it wouldn’t matter, but if you do that while meeting your partners parents or something then…

Seiza on the floor is the polite way of sitting back in the day. Not sure why though.
I think he’s doing on chairs because of fatigue , restlessness etc, especially if its during the batsu games.

Tatami floors are on the decline in Japan. New houses are mainly made in Western style with chairs, beds etc.
During the time Matsumoto was a kid there still would’ve been a lot of tatami floored houses, and since he was poor it’s most likely he just had a simple and bare house with tatami floors.
Families used to sit on the floor around a low table and eat meals together or watch tv etc.

[img:arayt4af]http://informallanguage.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/2.jpg?w=538[/img:arayt4af]

Sitting in the seiza position for a long time is bad for your legs. It cuts off blood circulation and so your legs get paralyzed after a while and you fall over when you try to stand up.
It can also bend your bones and give you bowed legs. You see a lot of old Japanese people (esp in the countryside) with these kind of legs because of it.

Oh, and most Asian people sit in the "girl sitting" position too. I think it’s considered more neat and less vulgar than the "man sitting".

Well that’s about all I know lol

Japanese must have steel-made quadriceps. I find seiza really tough and exhausting. Maybe tatamis or cushions are slightly more comfy.

Ergonomics say that legs must be both on the ground and the hip must make an approximate angle of 90º with the core and the thighs, and the same goes with the knees… although a footrest is also advisable in office works. Funny thing is that nowadays, many ‘trendy & modern’ offices are substituting the classical working wheeled chairs with… gym fitballs :o It is said it’s better for the back.

As of crossing the legs or not, it reminds me of the old folk tales, where the girl main character dresses as a girl and acts as a girl too in order to be part of the king’s army… but she has to go through several secret challenges to prove "his manliness". One of those challenges is to be seated with both feet on the ground. Then, someone throws a ball between her legs. Even though she was wearing trousers, if she opened her legs to let the ball fall on her lap as if she was wearing a skirt, it was a proof of being a girl, so the "correct answer" was to keep the legs closed.

While studying I’m more used to lay down on the bed or on the floor, or to sit on the floor "indian style" (legs crossed). However, it’s bad for the back. Another way of sitting is the lotus one, legs crossed and both soles facing upwards. C’mon, try it out… Can you do it? :)

[quote="atreyu_tiger":2wl1t4yy]Japanese must have steel-made quadriceps. I find seiza really tough and exhausting. Maybe tatamis or cushions are slightly more comfy.

Ergonomics say that legs must be both on the ground and the hip must make an approximate angle of 90º with the core and the thighs, and the same goes with the knees… although a footrest is also advisable in office works. Funny thing is that nowadays, many ‘trendy & modern’ offices are substituting the classical working wheeled chairs with… gym fitballs :o It is said it’s better for the back.

As of crossing the legs or not, it reminds me of the old folk tales, where the girl main character dresses as a girl and acts as a girl too in order to be part of the king’s army… but she has to go through several secret challenges to prove "his manliness". One of those challenges is to be seated with both feet on the ground. Then, someone throws a ball between her legs. Even though she was wearing trousers, if she opened her legs to let the ball fall on her lap as if she was wearing a skirt, it was a proof of being a girl, so the "correct answer" was to keep the legs closed.

While studying I’m more used to lay down on the bed or on the floor, or to sit on the floor "indian style" (legs crossed). However, it’s bad for the back. Another way of sitting is the lotus one, legs crossed and both soles facing upwards. C’mon, try it out… Can you do it? :)[/quote:2wl1t4yy]

Funny thing is that the ergonomics tells you to sit like you described, but think about it. We humans have not evolved that much physically since we left the cave (except becoming taller and that because we eat better food as young) and I promise, the caves did not come fully equipped with chairs that helped us sit with 90 degrees angle. So what is the most "natural" sitting position for humans, regardless of what we are used to? I am temted to say crosslegged or some-such on the floor…

[quote="Sefidum":2bquqh3p]
Funny thing is that the ergonomics tells you to sit like you described, but think about it. We humans have not evolved that much physically since we left the cave (except becoming taller and that because we eat better food as young) and I promise, the caves did not come fully equipped with chairs that helped us sit with 90 degrees angle. So what is the most "natural" sitting position for humans, regardless of what we are used to? I am temted to say crosslegged or some-such on the floor…[/quote:2bquqh3p]

Cross legged on the floor seems the natural original position to me. The Arabs, the Persians, the Asians and the Africans still sit like that on formal occasions.

^pretty much indeed

[quote="Kanzaki":e4bgccoo]Another thing: You feel MUCH MORE comfortable when you have something to put your feet on while sitting. I did experience both situations and I feel better when there’s something I can put my feet on: a horizontal bar under your desk near the floor for example, or a small elevation.

I wonder if I’m the only one who noticed that…[/quote:e4bgccoo]

that’s what i was saying. When there’s nothing, don’t do it.