[pdonis]

> people's opinions are usually a product of their upbringing and experiences

So this would include you, right? So what gives your opinions any more weight than anyone else's?

> Americans really do favor cars and the car-based society they live in, because it's what they know and are familiar with.

And you favor other arrangements because it's what you know and are familiar with. So what's your point?

> your characterization of Japan

Japan was not the society I was referring to. The one I was referring to begins with a "C", and the city within it begins with an "S".