I know that that is not quite exactly a word, but I couldn't think of the word that I wanted to use. It is pretty bad when I can't think of words to express myself in Japanese OR English. Anyway, I have been busy lately, so I have trouble concentrating on anything deeper than a fish bowl. I have joined a couple new clubs lately (namely the Mountain Bike Club and the Accounting Club), so I haven't really had much free time to play on the net. I have managed to squeeze some shopping into schedule, though, and that is the topic today.
We were talking in Japanese class the other day about whether life in Japan is comfortable or not. Most of my classmates (the majority being from the US) said that life in Japan was too constricting. Not only is Tokyo a physically crowded city, but the amount of freedom that the average person is allowed is just not enough. Roles are predetermined here more than they are in Europe or the States. Students generally going to school and then go to work and then die. Women quit work and have kids. These life plans are still true in other countries too, but Japan seems to be especially lacking in career choices somehow. Anyway...
The few people who said that one could live a fulfilling life in Japan, based their opinions mostly on the wealth here. Personally, I had just returned from Nepal and was quite amazed at the overabundance of stuff in this country. It is said that Japan has more stores per person than any other country in the world. This translates into the biggest consumer market in the world (outside of the States which has twice the population).
In my experience, most Americans carry US$20 bills with them for shopping and daily activities. In Japan, the ATMs won't give out anything smaller than Y10,000 bills (with the low yen rate now, about US$80). It makes it very easy to spend a lot of money when you are carrying a lot of money.
And so Japan has some of the greatest gadgets and toys in the world. I recently made a pilgrimage to one of my favorite electronics stores to replace my electronic Japanese dictionary that was stolen. However, I was soon taken in by one of the great new toys of Japan: the electronic planner. Are you tired of carrying around that address book, dictionary, calculator, watch, memo pad, fax machine, etc? Well try out the new Sharp PI-6000 (notice the note at the bottom of the page that says "This product and information are available only in Japan.") It really is a great toy. Also compared to my old dictionary that worked with a regular keyboard, this one allows the user to write directly on the LCD screen. This is particularly useful for those Japanese words that take 50 strokes to write.
Anyway, this is just one example of the many great extras that one can afford if he or she lives in Japan. Aside from the wide screen TVs, MD players, and heated toilet seats, I can think of one more good example of the hyperconsumerism here in Japan. Tamagochi. I am not sure if they sell the little keychain size tetris games in other countries, but this new hand-held game beats them all. Unlike some games, this one can go on for months on end. The object is to raise a little chick from egg to adult by feeding it and playing with it when it is bored. The little bugger beeps at you when it is hungry and if you don't feed it, it dies. I don't exactly see where the fun is here, but it is one of the biggest fads ever in Japan (a country famous for fads). They went on sale early this year for about US$20 and quickly sold out. I recently saw one at a flea market for about US$100. Crazy.
So, my conclusion was that Tokyo may be a little polluted and crowded, but in general, Japan is not such a harsh place to live. People here have more "stuff" (and throw away more "junk") than anywhere else in the world. According to some rather simple equations of happiness, this should lead to a very fulfilling life. However, as many people have realized, my friends in Nepal work the same amount of hours just to keep food on their tables. Yet, they seem to be just as happy at the end of the week as your average Japanese "salaryman." The question then becomes, why do we all strive for more stuff when we are no happier than our ancestors who lived in the hills? Or anyway...