On the other hand, this concept of honne and tatemae that I grew up with, has stood me in good stead under difficult situations whilst living in both the USA and in Europe. Depending on the country, but overall (very generally speaking), I find the European way to be the most palatable. Many Europeans from varying countries culturally have seemingly found a happy balance, IMO.

Also, did you know that the red-faced genetics in Japan predominate in N.Kyushu, through the Inland Sea to Kansai? It’s a Yamato-people thing, but don’t tell those Japanese they flush like Koreans…

Many Japanese people seem to have an astonishingly low tolerance of alcohol. I’ve heard that there’s a genetic tendency to lack a key enzyme for metabolising the stuff. Could be true, but sounds like more nihonjinron garbage, to be honest. More likely is that those pissed-up salarymen know they’re ‘supposed’ to be drunk and having fun and are playing up to the expectations. Of course, this happens elsewhere (there’s research on the social expectations of drink. People act drunk if it’s expected despite not consuming alcohol. You can look it up, I’m sure), but as ever it’s taken to extremes over here.

Perhaps it’s a measure of how long I’ve been here, but a lot of the stuff on TV strikes me as just stupid, not mind-warpingly insane. Like that ‘Yatta’ vid that did the rounds years ago. I saw the original transmission and just thought it was daft. Take it out of context though and you appreciate how truly odd it really is. Mind you, take a lot of stuff out of context and that’ll be the case…

Ah, a kindred soul. I think we do a lot of what Japan does in N.America, too (I am Canadian); however, we spend a require more effort pretending our ‘optimism’ is sincere. Whereas the Japanese don’t deign to challenge each other’s sincerity, each clique or workplace in N.America is looking out to hang the skeptic. Imagine Tom Cruise’s clenched-smile mania, and you have the public face of N.America.