A whole pile of new concepts and products have entered Japan since its days after WWII. A few I noticed:
Dieting: Lots of junk food is sold to make you fat, then dieting products and gyms are sold back to you.
Weddings: White weddings are all the rage and are expensive so keep the economy humming. There is a saying that in Japan you marry Christian but die Buddhist.
Sunglasses: I think I saw one person wearing sunglasses my whole time in Japan. People just don’t wear sunglasses. Why do you need sunglasses? I don’t know. I haven’t worn them in years. Maybe if I go skiing.
Orthodontists and braces: I love that Japanese people view their crooked teeth as a sign of individuality. Unless you’ve got some serious crowded teeth, overbite or underbite, side-bite, etc crooked teeth are cool in Japan. In the USA, orthodontics is a sign of class warfare.
Furniture: We saw an ad in Cambodia for furniture and a loan to pay for it. Crazy to go into debt for a pile of heavy junk. Japan’s futons fold up and rooms are always multipurpose. Owning few things makes them easy to carry and move. You don’t need much furniture. We’ve been getting rid of ours for more than a decade!
What other artificial necessities have you noticed in Japan? Do tell in the comments section. Arigato!
More Articles on Japan
- Things I Miss About Living in Japan #No. 1 – Subways and Trains
- Bringing Mindful Japanese Culture to Our American Home Part I – Food Presentation
- Itadakimasu いただきます— Japanese Mindful Way of Saying Gratitude for Receiving Food
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