THE CULTURE

The Japanese people are very respectful and considerate of other people’s feelings. This is reflected in the lack of rubbish and graffiti around the place. The crime rate is very low. Apparently if you accidentally leave your mobile phone on a bench anywhere, you could come back the next day and it would still be there.

The work ethic is extreme. Male workers generally do not leave their desks until the boss has left for the day. This results in the males working till all hours and not getting home until 10 or 11pm. Fathers only tend to eat meals with their families on weekends. This practice takes its toll, as each day there are reports of suicides, with the preferred method being to step out in front of a speeding train. Speaking of trains, we did go for a bullet train ride for about 10 minutes (1 station) just to experience it. Zoom! Zoom! Seems faster from the outside.

Pressure is also put on children to excel. Mothers encourage their children to perform well from an early age and also accompany their children to extra-curricular activities, such as English classes, music lessons, karate classes and 'Cram School'.