Well, thought I should do a bit of myth debunking of my own. Japan as a country is a long way from the west . It enjoys a level of living on a par with what we expect. TV's, cars, hot and cold water, etc...
However, the first step in understanding this baffling nation is that they arrived at the same level as the west, but down a completely different path! Once you have managed this 90 degree twist in your brain, then Japan starts to open up to you like a blossoming flower!
1) Japan is a tech driven society
True. They must have the latest thing! There is an inpermanence built into Japanese society. Which I think is in part brought about by a desire to catch up with the west. The west is seen as cool, and better than Japan in many regards. There is a certain amount of envy over the lifestyles we have, the freedoms we enjoy. The Japanese are still somewhat constrained by societal demands. Also, Japan is a land of earthquakes! Meaning your house is lucky to make it to 30 years without some kind of heavy damage! If a house is totalled, then of course, everything in it has to be replaced too! An example of this is my girlfriend, Yuko. She has a wide flatscreen hi def digital TV which she's had for 3 or 4 years. It works well, the picture quality is excellent, but because it is "old" she wants to junk it!
2) Technology is cheap!
False. Look at my answer above. The high demand for the latest thing keeps prices high. I have a Nintendo Wii. And its great! But people wonder if I am wierd because I ONLY have a Wii! People will have a Wii and PS3, or a couple of the hand-helds. This demand keeps prices up at the same levels the west pays. However, whilst the prices are not cheaper, you will buy THE latest, and best that is on offer.
3) Japan is safe.
True. It is quite safe. The murder rate is really low (I think its because the Japanese are too tired!), and all other levels of crime are lower. People will go to the convenience store and leave the engine running whilst they do their shopping. Of course, this does not mean Japan is a utopia, far from it, however, it feels safer. But it is adviseable to take standard precautions, especially in cities. One thing to note. Keep your bike locked... But dont panic, if it does go missing, there is a high chance it will make its way back to you!
4) Discipline.
True. Up to a point. Japanese society puts "society" first, and "individuality" second. This means you cant rock the boat. That does not mean everyone is perfect. Far from it. Kids can be bad. Good students pass entrance exams and get into good schools, and will go to good universities and get good jobs. However, if you do not pass those exams, you go into a lesser school, and the system (which is good at one end) begins to let them down. Japanese education is excellent at the top end, but it is very inflexible, so at the bottom, kids start to get left behind. These kids stand little chance of getting into the good universities, so their motivation drops through the floor. Like the west, there are good students, and bad students. However, there is a stark gap between the two!
5) They are all small
True. Or at least, it was. As Japanese society changes and moves closer to the west, they are introducing more wester nelements into the diet. Such as more dairy goods. A long time a go, diary was not that common. Now, it is. The Japanese average is shorter than the average westerner. However, given the healthy nature of the diet, they are much slimmer, and this helps create an image of a tiny people.
6) It is all futuristic
True/False. Depends on where you live. If you live in the city, then yes, it is. If you go to the country, then it is not. In the country, people hold on to the traditional way of live, roads dont get repaired that often. Thats because they suffer a lot of winter damage and earthquakes! In the city there are so many people, so the city managers have to adapt to cope with massive numbers of people. This means the introduction of technology to help speed things up!
7) Polite
OH so very true! Given "Society is first" people are polite to each other so as not to cause offence. This results in a lot of bowing and apologising. They will still help a dumb foriegner like me! Smiling and being polite, even if they are muttering under their breath about stupid foriegners! However, privacy is really important. Not a surprise in a country with such a high population density. This privacy means that some Japanese choose to almost ignore people they dont know. This is not rudeness, but that they are private and since they dont know you, they wont do anything to interefere. However, this does, in some people, lead to them doing stuff that we would consider 'rude.' There are some Japanese unfortunately, who dont like foriegners and will completely ignore us. They will try to push in in front of you in lines, etc. However, obvious signs of displeasure, outright glaring, or invading their personal space is usually enough to make them swiftly back down!
Well, I hope this helps! Japan is fast paced/slow, high/low tec, polite/rude, old/new country. And, like I said at the start, it arrived at a high, almost western style of living, down a completely different path. My best advice is to twist your brain 90 degrees. This will help you survive here!
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