| Japan is very interesting for a lot of reasons. 1. An incredibly stable society which is at the same time fantastically, amazingly creative. And not just in the traditional arts, which have been wowing Europeans since they first saw Japanese woodcuts in the 19th Century, but in literature, video games, film, fashion, and modern arts as well. Just explosions of creativity with Japan represented as among the best in each area. 2. A society that very strongly values quality, responsibility, safety, nature, and beautiful spaces. I very much wish we were able to build livable cities that were as clean, human-scaled, walkable, and safe as in Japan. 3. Fascinating economy in which massive government deficit spending shows no signs of raising interest rates or inflation. Basically the opposite of what most modern economists expect, as well as the opposite of how most western nations behave. This could be in part due to the strong cultural premium on safety and security by individual households. 4. Historically, the first non-Western nation to industrialize, and to have done so relatively early along its own unique development path. 5. The best restaurants in the world, and Japanese cuisine is wildly popular. 6. Zen Buddhism is popular in the West. 7. A lot of people are fans of Japanese manufacturing and design. |
- high suicide and depression rates - excessive work culture - irrational fear of foreigners - widespread addictions: gambling, alcohol, anime, games - "best restaurants in the world" and being "creative" are just your opinions