[JuanOne]

Originally Posted by GoNative

You should know that Japan is little, if anything, like you seem to think it is. It is not overly strong anymore. The economy of Japan has been contracting for around 20 years now. Japan has the highest debt to GDP ratio of pretty much any developed nation on the planet. Few companies are really making all that much money. It has the worst outlook of an aging population of any nation on the planet. Basically the country is currently going broke. They can only keep borrowing and printing more money for so long before everything will come crashing down. Some pretty big changes are required to really get this country competitive again. There is a lot of resistance to change though

Maybe I was not clear enough, I answered to "What do you think you will find in Japan ?" as if I were unaware of what you're talking about. I replied as a french "wanna-leave-my-country-for-Japan" dude, not as I was asked the question

I know how does work the japanese economy, I made several studies when I was working in a french Chamber of Commerce, it's a fragile balance, your post could not be more accurate

Originally Posted by GoNative

Benefit from the best technology on earth? Well maybe in the big cities there is a fair amount of technology. For those of us who live in more rural Japan to be honest some places seem to me to have advanced little from what it was like in the west in about the 1950's. I have worked with many Japanese people over the years who had no idea of how to use an internet search engine like google!! Hardly anywhere takes credit cards. ATM's close on public holidays!! I mean really why do ATM's require to have days off as well??Maybe it's just because I'm up on inaka island but seriously Japan may make a lot of technology but it doesn't seem to me that many here use it all that much. Unless you think keitais are what technology is all about!

LOL

Honestly, I rolled under my desk when I read "ATM's close on public holidays!! I mean really why do ATM's require to have days off as well??"

Once again, I was trying to figure out the japanese "phantasm" based on what media provide

Originally Posted by GoNative

Happy? Not sure about that one. I think there's just as many unhappy people in Japan as anywhere else. A large portion of the male population work in jobs where they work around 80 hours a week. It is expected they put the company ahead of family. This wouldn't make me overly happy I can tell you!!

Ok, look, how do you consider french people ? Maybe I'm wrong, but we are pompous/mood swinging/romantic according to you. Let's say you'd be 66% right

These are clichés but they are so spread that they may become truth for uninformed people

Originally Posted by GoNative

Where do you get your ideas about this country from? Anime and manga??

I get ideas from liable sources, people willing to live in Japan may get theirs from anime and mangas, yes indeed !