[steven]

That's an interesting perspective! You pointed out that you live in the city and I just want to make it clear that it is totally different in the inaka.

The whole thing about not taking chances is interesting. I do see a lot of that in younger people around here too... but people in their 40's and 50's (which is the age of most my friends) seem to have their own businesses. It could just be by chance, though. I've also seen a lot of people opening up their own cafes and barber shops and stuff like that in the area. I get the feeling that motivation to have your own business (or shop or whatever you wanna call it) is in direct correlation with land value (and land availability).

"People in Japan are polite, but they are not especially friendly. It's not as easy to have a conversation with a complete stranger in Japan as it is in America. People of Japan have peculiar networks of friends who are generally coworkers or former classmates; they have few friends outside these circles."
No offense to all the Tokyo-ans out there, but that is the image of Tokyo (from the perspective of the people from where I'm living). I'm sure that's not how everyone in Tokyo is... but it just seems harder to approach people there than here. The thing about networks of friends is pretty spot on though. Sometimes those networks seem to collide and intertwine though if you meet enough people. I think that as an American (or foreigner) it is decidedly easier to make friends in Japan than it is for a Japanese person to.