Japanese reflections

We have been in Kyoto for two days now and are leaving to go to a Buddhist temple/hotel on mount koya tomorrow . Kyoto is famous for its many temples and shrines...we also visited a nearby city called Nara with similar attractions.

As I was going through the motions that virtually every tourist that comes to japan goes through (I.e. shrines in Kyoto and Nara), I started to think through the concept of traveling. Why force yourself to go to large museums and historic shrines if all you want at the end of the day is to be somewhere else? Just cuz someone said they're important ? I reject that idea. I think the more important objective is to get a feel for the culture. That is what you can really take away and remember, not which shrine had the most stunning sculpture.

To that end, I have been trying to really understand the Japanese mind set a little bit better. This society is so incredible in regards to so many things. As my dad said, instead of growing out, the culture grew in. This is visible though the impressive level of nuance and efficiency with which the country operates. The Japanese have created a world where people work for the same company their entire lives, they work all day (much longer than the average American), and their emotions are very bottled in so they let loose at night...that might be why karaoke is so popular here (I mean...listening to urself sing very loudly into a microphone can seem strange until you add in unlimited drinks and a dive into fantasy land). Another notable thing about japan is the amazing service industry. Everything is run smoothly and everything is SO clean. People go completely out of their way to make sure that you have what you need and nothing less than perfection is tolerated. Customer service actually works and people do what they're supposed to do and don't complain. No one looks down on anyone's job and everyone is always happy...really happy...to help. Here's the real quesion...have the Japanese reached a higher level of society than the US?

The answer is yes but it all comes at a price, and that price is the inability of a person to stray from the group...it just won't happen. it looks like japan his figured the version of the prisoner's dilemma where everyone wins because they help each other. This might be why I read somewhere that japan has one of the lowest crime rates and the highest suicide rates in the world. Would you rather people take it out on others or on themselves ? Where is life actually better?

In any case...I am still loving and enjoying Japan. I cannot wait to learn more about it.
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