Some things have changed in Japan - at least that I noticed on my last business trip back there.
- It's no longer OK to characterize people by their Blood Type. It's becoming Taboo.
- At last - free coffee and tea refills are starting to become the norm.
- In Tokyo, things are more bilingual than ever before. Menus in English at more places than not.. they're (intentionally) getting "tourist-friendly".
- More women are remaining unmarried -- just like all big cities around the world. However, in Japan, this is really defying the social norm.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3694230.stm
In the article above, the author referred to the Japanese saying 'deru kugi wa utareru' - the 'nail that sticks out will get hammered'. It is used to denote the person who upsets the social norm.
["Now, women are becoming 'deru kugi' - are sticking out. There's very few males who would say 'that's right, we have to support you.' Instead they (the women) are being hammered," said Dr Ishikawa. ] - excerpted from above (linked) article
Some things remain the same:
- They still overpackage everything. I had some pajamas washed in the hotel - they were wrapped in 2 layers of plastic and had sheets of crinkly paper between their neatly folded layers. C'mon folks- these are PAJAMAS.. not a silk suit.
My purchase from the department store -- much the same. Two different bags (bag within a bag) sealed closed with tape.. But gotta love the pretty papers and bags.. much nicer than anything at home.
- People still smoke everywhere. It's rather annoying actually..when what you're used to is the opposite.
