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Had a good laugh at this. Japan is firmly stuck in the 80s. The only major change is now most people here have smartphones. Japan does some things very right,

by fiblye 7y ago

Had a good laugh at this. Japan is firmly stuck in the 80s. The only major change is now most people here have smartphones. Japan does some things very right, and some things horribly wrong. Not too different from most other developed countries.

throwaway2048 7y ago
What really matters is that they do things differently, with different successes (and failures). "Genetic diversity" of ideas is an important part of making the world a better place.
mikekchar 7y ago
I honestly believe that Japan is stuck in the 50's if you want to use that kind of imagery. It's like "Leave it to Beaver" here. Of course that's a gross over-simplification and there are a lot of things that contradict it, but it's the way I feel. When people think they want to retreat to a simpler kind of lifestyle where things are more cut and dried -- that's really like Japan. Of course I live in the country side which is very different than living in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto.
Freak_NL 7y ago
As a foreigner to Japan you'll pick up on lots of things, habits, and systems that work really well and could serve as examples for other countries. But study the country more in-depth or live there for a longer period of time, and you'll see the parts that make you wish Japan would adopt some things many of us take for granted. In Europe having five weeks of paid vacation is pretty much standard. Employers are well aware that holidays benefit both employer and employee, because a well-rested and refreshed employee soon has those missing hours made up for in inspiration, efficiency, and a much lower sick-rate. In Japan this is unachievable not because the government doesn't desire it (on the contrary) but because of inertia in the workplace. As a Japanese friend recently explained to me: you can't take off many more days beyond the public holidays like in the golden week, because your senior colleagues didn't get to do that when they were younger either. With the strict hierarchy of seniority in Japanese companies and institutions, that basically means the end of that discussion until the desire for change becomes so great that it happens on a national scale. On the other hand, they have warm 缶コーヒー from vendingmachines, so they are living in the future. At least a bit.
- throw0101a 7y ago
  > In Japan this is unachievable not because the government doesn't desire it (on the contrary) but because of inertia in the workplace. Also: working hours. (From what I've heard.) Spending an ungodly number of hours in the office, even if half of them are unproductive, and where you can actually fall asleep from exhaustion--but that's okay, as long as you're at your desk.

by fiblye 7y ago

throwaway2048 7y ago

What really matters is that they do things differently, with different successes (and failures). "Genetic diversity" of ideas is an important part of making the world a better place.

mikekchar 7y ago

I honestly believe that Japan is stuck in the 50's if you want to use that kind of imagery. It's like "Leave it to Beaver" here. Of course that's a gross over-simplification and there are a lot of things that contradict it, but it's the way I feel. When people think they want to retreat to a simpler kind of lifestyle where things are more cut and dried -- that's really like Japan. Of course I live in the country side which is very different than living in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto.

Freak_NL 7y ago

As a foreigner to Japan you'll pick up on lots of things, habits, and systems that work really well and could serve as examples for other countries. But study the country more in-depth or live there for a longer period of time, and you'll see the parts that make you wish Japan would adopt some things many of us take for granted. In Europe having five weeks of paid vacation is pretty much standard. Employers are well aware that holidays benefit both employer and employee, because a well-rested and refreshed employee soon has those missing hours made up for in inspiration, efficiency, and a much lower sick-rate. In Japan this is unachievable not because the government doesn't desire it (on the contrary) but because of inertia in the workplace. As a Japanese friend recently explained to me: you can't take off many more days beyond the public holidays like in the golden week, because your senior colleagues didn't get to do that when they were younger either. With the strict hierarchy of seniority in Japanese companies and institutions, that basically means the end of that discussion until the desire for change becomes so great that it happens on a national scale. On the other hand, they have warm 缶コーヒー from vendingmachines, so they are living in the future. At least a bit.

throw0101a 7y ago
> In Japan this is unachievable not because the government doesn't desire it (on the contrary) but because of inertia in the workplace. Also: working hours. (From what I've heard.) Spending an ungodly number of hours in the office, even if half of them are unproductive, and where you can actually fall asleep from exhaustion--but that's okay, as long as you're at your desk.