Originally posted by tasuki

Japanese don't touch or kiss casually, almost don't gesticulate (while conversing in Japanese, mind you, hand movement is kept to a minimum compared to what I'm used to), do not overtly laugh (polite women hide their mouths when they do, though that's changing; but I've never seen a Japanese guffaw and turn red from laughing, which just one evening amongst friends back home will happen at least once), don't make sudden movements, and their faces are masks of expressionlessness that very rarely go beyond a smile or puzzled expression (they don't pout, frown, squint, make disgusted faces, bored faces...).
Alrigt, Japanese don't touch or kiss, but that's not necessary to express raw emotions. What you cite are cultural differences. Japanese are more subtle and careful as not to shock other people, but I can assure you that they do shout and guffaw. Haven't you been to an Izakaya ? Ah yeah, you said if you exclude drunk men, but I have never seen as many drunken people as in Tokyo the evening. But you haven't lived in Tokyo if I remember well. Salarymen need to relieve their day stress by drinking, and though Japanese people's tolerance to alcohol may be lower than that of Westerners, they do drink a lot - but don't assume for their behaviour afterwards...

Some Japanese are very expressionless, but most make bored or disgusted face, exclaim "sugoi" with deep feeling in their voice, women almost feel like crying when they say "kowai" and girls tap their feet when they say "kawaii" for anything (for this they are much more expressive than Western girls).

Japanese sensitivity is different, but I found that the emotion in their voice (in Japanese only and when they are in a relax situation, not at work) exceed that of French, Spanish or American people. It's not because Japanese don't get violent, threaten or insult people that they are not expressive. I often find that it's easier for lots of Westerners or Middle-Eastern people to express their bad feelings, but can't express their positive emotions. Japanese do they opposite ; they keep the bad for themselves (except bullying grandmothers or male children), and exaggerate the positive ones (+ basic emotions like surprise, fear or approvement).

But again, what you say isn't false. Japanese don't turn red from laughing, don't make sudden movement or rarely frown, but I wonder if that isn't for physiological reasons (what about people of Japanese, Korean or Chinese origin raised in Western countries ? Do they turn red or frown ?).

What point was especially that Japanese language lacking nuances to express feelings and emotions (compared to English, which is quite rich, even by European standard), Japanese had to use music and exaggerated facial expressions and tones of voice to keep the audience interested on TV or in mangas. It doesn't mean it's natural, but they have to compensate for their language. Now I realised that t may justly be dued to the restriction of expressions in their culture (especially at work), or because of a natural lack of expressiveness, which ultimately affected the language itself. But they now have to compensate in the entertainment business and need to exaggerate everything to make it powerful enough emotionally (always using basic emotions like anger, fear, love, jealousy or amusement).