Get this: they speak Japanese.

This article will be seriously unorganized for a while.

Japan’s society is often thought of as being collectivist, though really it’s communitarian. This means that the society perceives itself as one big community or family. Communitarian societies (at least how I understand the term) tend to suppress individuality only if it seriously disrupts social harmony. In collectivist societies, individuality tends to be suppressed period.

I actually visited Japan recently (as of writing this paragraph in 2026-08-05), and I’ve gotta say that…I’ve only come to love Japan far more deeply. And, in the process, I’ve come to strongly dislike people who superficially like Japan…but clearly dislike Japan. That being a huge chunk of the expat community in Japan. It’s embarrassing when most of them can’t even speak Japanese, in Japan.

I also have more positive things to note about Japan. Hopefully I’ll write this stuff gradually, as I gather my thoughts on these things.