[manxman]

So there’s clearly stuff being done to train a younger generation to speak English better than was the case previously.

The problem is that even with that, the mindset still appears to preserve the notion of Japanese supremacy over everything irrespective of data to the contrary. So improvement isn’t happening.

Take the Shinkansen as anotherq example. Impressive if you look at the train specs and reliability/punctuality. What isn’t seen so readily is the manual process of booking seats at stations with limited options for booking online. That manual process is often so inefficient that you might as well travel by a slower train given the loss of time involved.

Similar inefficiencies are observable throughout Japan. The people are typically oblivious because they are indoctrinated into following the process without questioning things. True of the younger English speakers as well from what I’ve seen. Not entirely sure if that’s blind deference, fear of conflict/group judgement or the result of brainwashing into a collaboration over competition mindset. Maybe it’s a mix of all of the above.

So I see very narrow examples of personal excellences where that obsession and perseverance doesn’t involve getting others on board. But innovation or improvement involving groups is more dysfunctional than anything I’ve seen elsewhere by a wide margin.

[throwaway2037]

You can book Tokyo-Osaka Shinkansen tickets online now. The lines owned by JR Central all have online booking now. You can also connect your IC card to your ticket, so no paper ticket is required.

    The people are typically oblivious because they are indoctrinated into following the process without questioning things.

If you speak with Japanese people in a private, psychologically safe setting, they will open up about all sorts of things, including continuing to use fax machines!