I know this's silly, but how is HIV situation in Japan?

[steven]

Originally Posted by RickOShay

I am sorry what exactly do you mean by "cutting edge people"? Like Japan is some sort of technological utopia? This is a common stereotype people who have never lived here (Japan) tend to have, you should give this article a read: BBC News - Revealing Japan's low-tech belly

I agree with what the article is saying, but they picked a couple of lame points and eleborated on some good points in misleading ways.

As far as I can tell the iphone is like a Japanese phone from 10 years ago. The touch-panel feature (at least I think that's what it has) is what's important.

With that said, the internet is accessed by most Japanese that I know with their phones. I'd say that WAY more Japanese people use the internet. Japanese text messages are based off e-mail addresses. The only thing is, it's hard to use things like wikipedia or youtube or even google as you can on a computer, so it's not the "internet" as I see it. That is where the problem is. I'm surprised at how many people over 25 don't seem to have a decent handle on computers.

On the contrary though, the Nintendo DS came out like 5 years ago and that seemed to be the precurser to the itouch, in my opinion. I think that Japan is still innovating, but like the article says some areas are slow to implement certain new technology.

Something that surprised me was learning that a lot of houses didn't have plumbing until the mid-late 80's around here! I don't know if that is all of Japan or just country-side areas... but still. People used to have to discard of their "stuff" on their own. I guess people would use it as fertilizer. Look at things now, they have some of the best toilets I've ever laid my... on .

Edit: I see there were many posts made about this while I typed mine up. I like and agree with the idea that if there is no clear and immediate need for something by the people, then it probably won't be made and promoted by a Japanese company (which in a sense could be the "conservative"ness that the poster was talking about a while back.)
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Getting back on topic, I think a love hotel is in a weird way a conservative approach to that. I think so because it provides people an opportunity to do it completely anonymously. What's more, it provides a clean place with plenty of protection available. To borrow a term that I seem to hear a lot lately, I think this could be considered damage reduction. That's the way I see it anyways.

On the flip side, though... I'm surprised nobody has brought up onsens or bath houses yet. Bathing with complete strangers seems like a potential hazard to me, yet nobody seems to worry about that. If there were to be a big hike of cases in Japan I wonder what would happen to the bathing culture here.

With all things considered, I think theres a couple of reasons (which people have covered). It is an island country, so it's hard for people to sneak in and out of. More important than that is what MMM was talking about. To live here as a foreigner, you basically have to work. To work you have to get tested for many different things. There are many competant people who are willing to work here, so I think it's in Japans best interest to filter through people who have certain diseases (as cold as that may seem... that's my opinion). After all, if it affects ones ability to work, then it is a problem. With that said, the biggest worry for Japan, I'd think, would be Japanese people living abroad for periods of time. Although I'm saying that without any idea of the tests they have to go through when coming to and leaving the country.

[GoNative]

Originally Posted by MMM

The abacus has been in use for over 4000 years. If it ain't broke, why fix it? Just because it isn't used in the West doesn't mean it is bad.

Didn't say anything about it being bad but it does illustrate rather pointedly the tendency to hold onto low tech in this country. It does keep lots of people in jobs which certainly isn't a bad thing but does get to the heart of why many Japanese companies are terribly inefficient.

[GoNative]

Originally Posted by steven

On the flip side, though... I'm surprised nobody has brought up onsens or bath houses yet. Bathing with complete strangers seems like a potential hazard to me, yet nobody seems to worry about that. If there were to be a big hike of cases in Japan I wonder what would happen to the bathing culture here.

HIV can't be transmitted in a bath. Other things maybe but HIV really doesn't do well outside of the body.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by GoNative

Didn't say anything about it being bad but it does illustrate rather pointedly the tendency to hold onto low tech in this country. It does keep lots of people in jobs which certainly isn't a bad thing but does get to the heart of why many Japanese companies are terribly inefficient.

I completely disagree. If an abacus is more efficient than a calculator in the hands of someone who knows how to use it, how is that inefficient?

[MMM]

Originally Posted by steven

Getting back on topic, I think a love hotel is in a weird way a conservative approach to that. I think so because it provides people an opportunity to do it completely anonymously. What's more, it provides a clean place with plenty of protection available. To borrow a term that I seem to hear a lot lately, I think this could be considered damage reduction. That's the way I see it anyways.

It is anonymous in that the hotel doesn't have to know who YOU are for you to stay there. Love hotels exist because many young people live at home and have much less privacy than we are accustomed to in the West, so instead of crashing at your girlfriend's apartment (she doesn't have one) or her dorm room (boys not allowed) the love hotel industry finds its niche.

Naturally these aren't the only customers, though.

[GoNative]

Originally Posted by MMM

I completely disagree. If an abacus is more efficient than a calculator in the hands of someone who knows how to use it, how is that inefficient?

My comment was more about the low tech nature of many Japanese workplaces necessitating many more people being employed on average than what you would find in similar sized companies in the west. More people for the same amount of work is not efficient. It does keep a hell of a lot more people employed which is good for society but it doesn't make for overly efficient businesses. Maybe your few years down in Osaka gave you a different view on this but it's what I've found up this way.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by GoNative

My comment was more about the low tech nature of many Japanese workplaces necessitating many more people being employed on average than what you would find in similar sized companies in the west. More people for the same amount of work is not efficient. It does keep a hell of a lot more people employed which is good for society but it doesn't make for overly efficient businesses. Maybe your few years down in Osaka gave you a different view on this but it's what I've found up this way.

If that is your point, then the abacus is a poor example of low efficiency. It is 100% green, emits not CO2, and has no effect on the environment.

Living right now in a society (in the US) where it takes three guys to watch one guy dig a hole, it is hard to say Japan is so drastically inefficient.

[Qayin]

In my opinion, efficiency is not about what method you use or how many people do it. It's all about result divided by time (result:time). If old method give you more better result, why should we change the method anyway, and hiring more people is not quite a problem as long as the company still make profit. It also reduces the unemployment rate too!

The way I mean "cutting edge with discipline" I means that they have relatively modern society compare to the other countrys, yet they still follow traditional norms, value and culture.

But you know sometimes even when you have new tech, you may want to revert back to old method sometime if you feel comfortable with it. It's not about something nostalgic but it's about what you familiar with.

My mom she's still can't send e-mail, but you know, she still happy with her paper work and handwriting. She always say that her old working system that use paper and handwriting is better than the computer, because it's difficult for her to use it.

One more thing, "I HATE CENTRAL HEATING!". When I travel to some country I stay in some hotel that has central heating, I feel so hot, yet I still unable to turn on the A/C, I got no other choice: I just open the window and turn the room's A/C off.

[RickOShay]

Originally Posted by Qayin

In my opinion, efficiency is not about what method you use or how many people do it. It's all about result divided by time (result:time). If old method give you more better result, why should we change the method anyway, and hiring more people is not quite a problem as long as the company still make profit. It also reduces the unemployment rate too!

The way I mean "cutting edge with discipline" I means that they have relatively modern society compare to the other countrys, yet they still follow traditional norms, value and culture.

But you know sometimes even when you have new tech, you may want to revert back to old method sometime if you feel comfortable with it. It's not about something nostalgic but it's about what you familiar with.

My mom she's still can't send e-mail, but you know, she still happy with her paper work and handwriting. She always say that her old working system that use paper and handwriting is better than the computer, because it's difficult for her to use it.

One more thing, "I HATE CENTRAL HEATING!". When I travel to some country I stay in some hotel that has central heating, I feel so hot, yet I still unable to turn on the A/C, I got no other choice: I just open the window and turn the room's A/C off.

Ok, I understand what you meant by cutting edge with discipline now.

and what the hell kind of central heating did not allow you to change it to a temperature that you were comfortable with? That is a type of central heating i have never experienced. I think I would just open a window too.

[GoNative]

Originally Posted by MMM

If that is your point, then the abacus is a poor example of low efficiency. It is 100% green, emits not CO2, and has no effect on the environment.

Living right now in a society (in the US) where it takes three guys to watch one guy dig a hole, it is hard to say Japan is so drastically inefficient.

Not sure how my comment had anything to do with the environment. Thought we were talking about economic and workplace efficiency not environmental.