Imagine a country where the streets are so clean, you won’t even find a gum wrapper or cigarette butt on them; where gun violence is unheard of; where the people are friendly and obsessed with quality work; where there are no homeless encampments; with an extremely low crime rate; and with some of the most exquisite gardens in the world.
No, I’m not talking about Walt Disney World or the Emerald City. That country is Japan.
My wife, Janet, and I enjoyed a Road Scholar tour, “The Cultural Highlights of Japan”, from May 19 to June 3, 2025. (Highly recommended.)
Here are some of my, admittedly superficial, observations.
Japan has quite a different culture from the United States. It’s a relatively small island country , with a population of 126.5 million, and has the fifth largest economy in the world. 14.6 million of those people live in Tokyo, the world’s largest city. 70% of the country is undeveloped forest and mountains.
In some ways, Japan surpasses the United States.
Japan started building its bullet train transportation system in 1972. There are no bullet trains in the United States. California has tried to build one without much progress.
The restrooms in Japan are plentiful, free (no tip required), and fastidiously clean. You might have to take off your shoes and wear provided slippers when you enter. Most of the toilets feature a bidet to (optionally) wash and dry your bottom when you’re finished. Most of the restrooms provide toilet paper and don’t provide paper towels. Many do have air dryers for your hands.
Japanese products enjoy a reputation for unmatched quality. Japanese cars dominate the lists of the best-selling and longest-lasting cars in the U.S., while American cars are virtually unseen in Japan. This quality is an expression of the Japanese obsession with attention to detail, which you can also see in their exquisite gardens and artistic expressions. This obsession might relate to the Zen tradition of meditation, mindfulness and focus, tempered by yin-yang “perfection with imperfection”, so everything created must have a minor flaw.
Most children wear uniforms to public schools in Japan. They take off their shoes when they arrive at school. Children are taught their role is to contribute to society, or collectivism. “There is one heart that won’t beat properly if one part of the heart doesn’t participate.” (Compare to the U.S. “rugged individualist” culture.) The children take turns serving lunch to their classmates. There are no custodians for Japanese schools. The children clean the classrooms at the end of the day. Conformity is the order of the day. A student who “sticks out” looks like a “nail to be hammered down”. The schools have a problem with bullying of students who don’t “fit in.”
The Japanese are immensely proud of their history and preserve the castles and estates of the Shogun, daimyo (feudal lords), and samurai, who were local administrators in addition to being warriors.
The government of Japan is a constitutional monarchy, with a figurehead Emperor.
The businesses we visited were family businesses that were proud of their tradition of quality and had been passed down from father to son for generations.
The actors in the Kabouki theater were only men portraying both men and women, and sons succeeded their fathers as actors.
Japan practices rigid gun control. Applying for a license for a gun for target practice or hunting is a rigorous process, with annual follow-up inspections. Hence, no gun violence. (In the U.S. the NRA and other gun enthusiasts adamantly resist gun control as a violation of their Second Amendment rights, leading to high rates of gun violence in the U.S.)
Being homeless is considered to be extremely embarrassing and dishonorable. Japan has built sufficient housing for its population. One way Japan has kept poor people off the street is providing inexpensive places to sleep overnight in internet cafes. Public parks are locked at night and sleeping on street benches isn’t permitted. Japan has mental institutions to care for the insane. (Most government-subsidized mental institutions have been closed in the U.S.)
A dark spot for Japan is its high suicide rate — three times higher than in the U.S. There are about 30,000 suicides annually. Suicide is not considered sinful or shameful, like in the U.S. Christianity is a minority religion. (A blend of the native Shinto (nature) religion and Buddhism is practiced by most Japanese.) Japan has a long tradition of ritual suicide, called seppuku or harakiri. Bullying at school and on social media have contributed to suicides. Instead of being a burden on society, an honorable escape from poverty is suicide. A member of our tour group experienced a delay when a commuter train hit a person on the railroad track. Evidently, that is common. The Japanese government has done little to provide suicide prevention counseling.
Public protests against government policies are considered to be extremely rude and are not accepted in Japan. (In contrast, the American Revolution started with public protests. They are a proud American tradition.)
Japan has been suffering from a declining population. Young people aren’t getting married and having children. A reason might be Japan’s patriarchal culture. Wives are supposed to be subservient to their husbands and take care of the home and children. Many women work and earn enough that they don’t need to be dependent on a husband. The traditional role isn’t acceptable for modern women, and women are struggling to penetrate the “glass ceiling.” Men mostly socialize with other men, and don’t appear to know how to or want to have an equal relationship with women. In the past, marriages were arranged. It appears that practice has been abandoned.
(I recently read an article that suggested the cause for declining marriages in Japan as children not learning romantic skills. Japanese parents discourage their children from dating. That may be a contributing factor. I suspect children don’t have role models for romantic relationships at home, since their parents probably had their marriages arranged. The abandonment of matchmaking is a big cultural shift.)
In the past, the Japanese didn’t welcome immigrants. With the declining population, the government is encouraging more immigration to Japan and the people seem to becoming more accepting of them.
Japan has an excellent and affordable health care system.
We found most of the people didn’t speak very good English (like we don’t speak the languages well that we studied in school.) Some restaurants provided menus with pictures and descriptions in English that you can point to for ordering.
When we were confused navigating the subway system, people helped us buy our tickets and get on the right train. Stops were announced in Japanese and English.
Some Americans have emigrated to Japan and found the cost of living affordable, including great health care and finding housing and employment, and they enjoy the security of a safe, clean environment. They can send their children to school knowing their children are safe from gun violence.
The trade-off is adopting a conformist, collectivist lifestyle. Japan doesn’t seem to be the place for those with non-conformist, individualistic, creative, entrepreneurial personalities.
We had a wonderful experience and invite your to visit Japan to see it for yourself.
