[l0stb0y]

One thing that it's difficult for foreigners to acknowledge is that Japan is so completely different to the western world that it's almost impossible to comprehend. Articles like this, and the musings of western visitors/workers, read more to me as people misinterpreting their surroundings and misunderstanding Japanese culture. I'm convinced that a lot of Japanese have difficulty understanding the current state of their own culture too. The best way I can describe it is that western culture (capitalism/consumerism/democracy) does not mix well with traditional Japanese culture and has resulted in a bizarre chaos. My first-hand experience has shown me that a lot of Japanese prefer the traditional culture to what they currently have and I do not blame them one bit.

[greggman]

What makes you say that it's impossible to comprehend?

I've been here on and off ~8 of the last 16 years. Several non Japanese friends that have been here 10, 15, 20, 25 years. I don't get the impression any of them have a hard time comprehending any of it.

As for some Japanese (not all by a long shot) preferring traditional, first off, those are not all or even most. Many of those that do are similar to people in the west that prefer "organic" or "natural" or "traditional" for arguably no rational reason.

I don't personally know any Japanese that want to go back to any kind of "traditional culture". Heck, I'm writing this from "The Terminal", a shared workspace in Harajuku surrounded by Japanese on notebooks. Hardly "traditional" in any sense.

[celebril]

I see you're still perceiving Japanese culture through your native Western lenses.

Well done on wasting those 16 years understanding nothing but the superficial.