I know this place

"....everything was so special, so unique... It was like a mystical mythology that nobody could understand.” NYT

Why even body odor is magically nonexistent.

Sorry, the out-of-context, edited quote above has nothing to do with Japan, but has to do with what seems to be more and more common in the US with individuals as well as companies. "I'm a victim of a bad economy. The government (other taxpayers) should make me whole."

Back in 1991 0r 92 when I was on my first adventure living in Japan, I remember reading in the newspaper or hearing on TV some old guy complain about how the value of his home had plummeted and that the Japanese government should reimburse him for it. What a different way of thinking, I thought. It seems that as usual, I was a bit off on that.

Maybe it's due to the my USA pompous universality, but the longer I live (and especially live here) I find less and less that is truly different.