Japan is a high-tech country, a low-tech country, a first-world country, and a third-world country, all rolled into one.

It makes it out as if iPhones are a tech step upwards, and shit grows on trees. Apart from that nice read.

iPhones ARE a huge step up from normal Japanese cellphones, but that doesn't mean that they are better in every respect (ex: oneseg, NFC, waterproofing). Japanese keitai are better than western feature phones, but that doesn't mean they're better than smartphones. Keitai being good for so long is one cause of the internet not being huge in Japan though.

The problem with the Toyotas is pretty much just user error followed by the usual fear-based American reporting which caused mass hysteria and people wanting to make a quick buck from fraudulent lawsuits. In any case it's a silly example for the article because western cars have had far more major incidents and are still more unreliable, less safe, and less efficient. Most Toyota/Lexus cars top their classes for safety/reliability (they aren't terribly interesting cars though).

Japanese homes use localized heating/cooling because heating a whole home (even a small one) is cost prohibitive due to the cost of gas/electricity here, especially when you consider that houses have no insulation so the heat disappears as soon as the heater is switched off. There are also protected construction guilds & laws which prevent any real competition, which make Japanese houses very poorly built (ex:no insulation), which is why you basically need to tear down or remodel it every couple decades. Many people no longer use kerosene heaters though, since almost all air conditioners can heat the room, and many people use kotatsu instead. It's mainly just older people and young people who live with their parents that still use kerosene in my experience. Using heating oil is just too 面倒くさい even though it's cheaper than electric heat.

Not all banks have ridiculous atm hours (both of my banks have 24hr or nearly 24hr machines all over the place), but the normal banking hours are ridiculous (weekdays 9am-3pm) so it's hard to talk to a teller when you need one.

Credit cards are not as common here because Japan isn't a debt based society like much of the west. It's a lot harder to get one and the credit limits are usually low. There are usually yearly fees. Japanese people rarely use them and almost never on the internet (it's too scary). Having a cash based society instead of a cash-card based society (like Canada) makes things a lot less convenient I'll agree.

I don't know why you had trouble using your foreign atm card though. Any post office (some 24hr machines) and any 7-11 atm machine will accept all of the major international banking network cards like PLUS.

So in short, the cause for Japan's backwardsness is because of having too many old people and too many laws meant to protect Japan from foreign competition.

Last edited by Jarvik7 (2010 July 14, 6:08 am)

Visa debit cards you mean? Maybe they are on some visa subnetwork (they seem to have a lot).

PLUS seems more supported internationally (not just in Japan).

I'm guessing a lot of people are using almost-debit cards (cash advance credit cards, prepaid debit, etc)..

I've never met anyone with problems using a real debit card as issued by their bank.

Last edited by Jarvik7 (2010 July 14, 6:20 am)

And that 9pm cutoff on convenience store ATMs on Saturday nights is a real bitch too.

If you ask me, the best kind of mobile phone is one that can make and receive calls, has an alarm clock and doesn't take 5 minutes to start up its gimmick overloaded operating system. Any other applications are too fiddly for me anyway.

I'll be in awe of Japan until the UK stops being in the internet slow lane and at least upgrades its pathetic upload speeds. 500kbps upload is not acceptable in 2010, but the general public only seems to care about download, even with the new trend of people uploading masses of video to youtube and whatnot.

Last edited by dizmox (2010 July 14, 8:34 am)

I'm in the capital city, and 8 down 0.5 up is the best non-business offer one can get here. There's one fibre-optic provider which started rolling out years ago but the coverage still seems very minimal, so I'm not holding my breath.

I'd be happy with just 8/8 at home, as it was in the apartment I was in in Kyoto.

Last edited by dizmox (2010 July 14, 9:20 am)

JimmySeal wrote:

thurd wrote:

You'd probably have the same problem in Japan, I seriously doubt you can get a good service in some rural area there. Their average is boosted by 1/3rd of their population living near one city and thats easy to cover with good broadband.

I live in one of the most rural areas Japan has to offer and I get 9.5 down, .75 up.  My town also started offering fiber a few months ago.

Ok so its very similar, except dizmox lives in a city

Jarvik7 wrote:

So in short, the cause for Japan's backwardsness is because of having too many old people and too many laws meant to protect Japan from foreign competition.

Excellent post that really explains every one of Japan's problems.

With that being said, I still think living in central Tokyo is a lot more convenient than most other places in the world.

This is an unimaginably one-sided, poorly thought-out piece. Reminds me of people with "Buy American" stickers on their GM cars, with their "American-made" Suzuki engine, Korean/Taiwanese electronics, and Chinese parts, all assembled in Mexico. Meanwhile, a Toyota might have been made and assembled almost entirely within the States.

Random:

-iPhones were kind of a joke in Japan, although ithey've been helped with Apple's marketing. People who want a real phone get a real phone, like a high-dollar Nokia that can run a Linux command shell that you can do real work with. People who want a phone to talk with, get a phone that's good to talk with- the iPhone's reception and clarity are only average.

-Japan is cash-based, and in a larger sense they don't run up debt like we do. This makes their economy much healthier, actually. Many stores run higher profit margins because they're not paying ATM transaction fees.

-Compare to tech in America. There are pieces of U.S. land that are the size of Japan, that don't have proper land-line telephone access. Our internet coverage, and the price we pay for it, is a joke heard round the world.

So basically, a lot of these aren't really "problems" at all. They're just differences in our societies. This article is imperialism at its finest- we consider these things the newest and the best, so if you don't have them, you're a godless savage and you should accept our ways if you want to be saved.

Womacks23 wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10543126.stm

Two quotes from above article:

"The second much larger, and often subsidised economy, comprises overstaffed family-run firms that are decidedly low-tech and high-priced."

"Some blame its focus on the domestic market, a low-quality, inefficient workforce and poor working conditions."

Article quote "...and poor working conditions."
This is certainly a valid point: long hours, unpaid overtime, little paid leave allowance. In particular, there is this 2-tier system of regular 社員 and an underclass of アルバイト workers.

However, although the BBC article has some valid points I must take issue with the above suggestions of "low quality, inefficiency" and high-pricing". Having come from the UK, I'm familiar with the endless search for efficiency in order to be more competitive. This includes cost cutting plus fewer and fewer staff to do more and more work.

Japan seems to have a different work ethic. The Japanese have a pride in their work and dedication to quality and delivering high levels of service - possibly at the expense of efficiency. A high level of customer service often means more staff. In the UK, I recall wandering around large stores vainly looking for a member of staff. Or occasions I've been on the receiving end of rude or sloppy service. Another occasion I decided to be patriotic and buy British so I bought a British made Hotpoint washing machine. It didn't work  and it turned out the drive belt was missing - so presumably quality control hadn't even bothered to run the machine before it left the factory!

Another example is the delivery of goods or visits by tradesman. In the UK, if you're waiting for, let's say, a gas engineer, you might be given an AM slot and then wait at home all day only for him to arrive at 6pm! In Japan, I get given an actual time, say around 11 AM and they actually arrive when they say they will - and they may even phone just before to check you're ready to receive them.

As for things being high-priced, well that depends on what you're comparing. I've heard people use the term "rip-off Britain". And if you compare, for example, the cost of eating out or public transport, Japan provides better and cheaper service.

I could quote many other examples. I haven't lived in other countries so I'm only comparing Japan with the UK. Sure, Japan is backward in some respects, but when a reporter from the "high-tech, superior" UK prints such an article, I had to counter some of the points.