There is a curious symmetry in that the average Westerner is just as ignorant about calligraphy as the average Japanese is ignorant about typography. In Japan

There is a curious symmetry in that the average Westerner is just as ignorant about calligraphy as the average Japanese is ignorant about typography. In Japan this is reflected everywhere in choice and typesetting of Western fonts. Products, websites, newspapers, business cards. It is almost a monoculture in choice of fonts and completely devoid of any microtypography or typesetting rules unless helped by stuff built into software. The enforcememt of rules that essentially lock a student into a narrow and arbitrary ‘standard’ character set for their handwriting reflect the lack of understanding of the important role typography plays in Western communication and how your style of written letters is an expression of personality. This is regrettable as handwriting of Western type is probably the closest ‘intersection’ with the art of calligraphy that has deep roots in Japanese culture. As someone who studied typography and loves to do calligraphy doodles all the time and who helped digitize quite a few handwritings into fonts I’m saddened by this. But having lived & worked in Japan, certainly not surprised.