Sure, sure; an unexamined life is not worth living, yadda yadda I just take issue with this type of analysis for trying to generate that depth - as an etymolog

Sure, sure; an unexamined life is not worth living, yadda yadda I just take issue with this type of analysis for trying to generate that depth - as an etymological lesson, it's minimally interesting, but as far as it tries to "say something" about Japanese culture, it can't.