Lately something remarkable in Tokyo is that there is less traffic. The traffic jam in Tokyo used to be known throughout the world. When it was mentioned abroad some thirty five years ago, it
was embarrassing, but at the same time I felt proud, looking at it as a sign of development.

But why has the traffic become less? Since about a year or two ago, parking prohibitions have
become even more enforcing, and many tunnels and bridges have been built over intersections and crossings, which has lessened traffic jams. However, when traffic becomes this unnoticeable, it
seems like a sign of an economic decline, which is again embarrassing.

Crowding on trains has gotten a little better, and forming queues to ride trains is a major
change from the past. I commuted on crowded trains in junior high school, and when I happened to
see my despicable math teacher get mobbed on a train, I shouted in my heart with delight.

Also, on escalators, since about 10 years ago, people have been leaving the right side open (left
side in Osaka, the second largest city, which is fond of doing opposite things to Tokyo) for those
who are in a hurry. It is probably an imitation of London subways, but a friend of mine from Russia
was very impressed. Of course, Japanese people love “etiquette,” and once they start something,
they really become thorough and meticulous, like making automated doors on train plat-
forms (probably to prevent passengers from falling and committing suicide), and closing the doors after all the passengers have gotten off at the last station before the new passengers get on. Preventing accidents is important, but it ends up overprotecting the people.

And there is also the appearance of the “plural form” in the Japanese
language. It is probably an influence from the English language, but while it is rare to have plural
forms in Japanese, people have started to pluralize a lot of words. The worst one was an advertise-
ment for a vibrating fat-removal device that said: “Onikutachi ga minna yureteiru. (The flabs are all
swaying.)” They probably added the “tachi” for fun, to add a friendly tone (because “tachi” is usu
ally used for living subjects).

Saying “Abe-san is cute” is the same thing. Subjects that should essentially be discussed with more seriousness (Mr. Abe is our prime minister, at least as of August 4) are written off based on
one’s likes and dislikes. I see a kind of carelessness that is found in times of material prosperity.

Japanese people have become more rational, making decisions on their own. For example, at
crosswalks, even when the traffic light is red, more people are now crossing if they do not see any
cars coming. Is this because more people have traveled to the United States and seen Americans
making their own judgments even at a traffic lights?

And Japanese people used to open up their umbrellas as soon as it started to rain. But now,
about a third of the people walk around without umbrellas if it is just sprinkling. Is this a result of
experiencing this abroad, or is this an indication of a rational society, or one third of the popula-
tion cannot afford umbrellas?

One similarity to the American culture can yet be seen in stores, where services are becoming more “manualized” (systematic, by-the-book). When a product is purchased,
for some reason the receipt and change are always given with both hands, silently pressurizing me
to receive it also by two hands (Anyway, we are the most polite people in the world). I do not need
the receipt, so I must return it, and then put the change in my wallet—this is already an onerous,
unnecessary motion. Then they put the things I bought in a plastic bag, and after twisting the
handle to make it easier to hold, they hold out the bag with both hands, waiting for me to take it in
the air. They are so concerned about passing the bag from their hands to the hands of the custo-
mer, that they are not thinking about the fact that the customer is busy with placing the change
in his wallet. There are some clerks who even swing the bag to indicate that “You need to take
this bag quickly because the next customer is waiting…”

People are becoming more and more manualized…not using their head, not seeing or hearing
anything. While they feel so obliged to say “I would like to thank you today for buying…” in a single
breath, they do not try to see what we are saying or asking for, as if we do not exist. They are not
sales people, but more like vending machines, who refuse to have human-to-human interaction.
This is especially common in young part-time workers, probably because they have only had limited
experience talking to strangers.

A sign that society is becoming drier and drier is the fact that fish does not taste as
good as it used to. In the United States and Europe, and among Russians who have been
influenced by these regions, Japanese food is very popular right now. Since it is healthy and above
all a status symbol, the good fish is mostly snatched up overseas. Thus in Japan, a historically
fish-eating country, the only fish we get is the kind of salmon that falls apart when broiled. If
things keep going like this, we will soon start opposing the globalization.