Each packet resembles a little Japanese eyeball-bursting webpage. I have to say, just looking at them makes me feel kind of happy – anyone else?
A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
101–110 of 136 posts
Re: A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
#102Earlier quoted context omitted.
I lived in Tokyo and it was years ago, so I don't know if I'm describing the current situation. It was very common to see largish buildings in residential areas which would have some barely functioning retail shop on the ground floor. Some elderly relative of the building owner would maintain the shop, and would have practically nothing to do since the shop got almost no business. I heard the whole motivation for thi…
Also gives Grandma or Grandpa something to do. Keeps multi-generational families together. Seems economically inefficient though that’s not really the goal.
Japanese families are largely not multigenerational in the same house.
Coresidence of parents and children have fallen in half over two decades from 50% to 24%: https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article/62/5/S3...
Here's the wikipedia article about elderly dying in Japan and being undiscovered due to being lonely and forgotten: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodokushi
Re: A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
#103Earlier quoted context omitted.
yeah, I like the vibe of these shops too but maybe there’s a bit of japan fetishization for a kind of commerce that anywhere else wouldn’t make sense to have. One of the reasons for the Japanese economy’s stagnation over the last 20+ years is a lot of government spending on things that are not contributing to a healthy economy. I’m thinking about huge infrastructure projects but I’m sure this extends too many other a…
Like extending the Shinkansen to Hokkaido? That comes to mind anyways as "Big Infrastructure".
That at least has some economic justification; Tokyo-Sapporo is one of the busiest air routes in the world, and more trains means free slots at chronically congested Haneda.
Wasteful Big Infrastructure would more be doubling down on the seawalls that did not work in 2011 in Tohoku; in some cases those seawalls actively made things worse.
Re: A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
#104For those who understand Kanji or Chinese, do you feel that the Romanji like "Dagashi" gives you quite different feeling than the Kanji 駄菓子? I feel that Kanji somehow conveys more meaning and more emotion, to the point that I'd avoid using English-version of Google Maps when traveling in Japan, even though logically it does not make sense.
I feel the same as you, particularly because 駄 (da) and 菓子 (kashi) can each be associated with a different set of puns that don't come through quite as well in the transliteration.
I also just find Japanese easier to read compared to English, but maps are definitely easier for me when the labels use whatever language is local.
Re: A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
#105“ He believes businesses exist to serve society and contribute back to people in the community. That they make profits are merely a side effect and that somewhere along the line the side effect became the main goal.” That change came about in 1970 with Milton Friedman’s ideas about the purpose of a corporation being solely to maximize shareholder value and we’ve all been paying the price ever since: https://www.forbe…
Probably not invented by him but it was when it became an almost religious precept of capitalism and he became one of the most vocal preachers of that idea.
Re: A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
#106Anyone able to find this store on a map?
I found this but on satellite view it doesn't look like it has the same solar panels as were shown in the photo in the article: https://goo.gl/maps/V1oAYvUpFcDbaken6
Re: A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
#107Anyone able to find this store on a map? I found this but on satellite view it doesn't look like it has the same solar panels as were shown in the photo in the article: https://goo.gl/maps/V1oAYvUpFcDbaken6
Stick this into Google maps: 〒701-4262 岡山県瀬戸内市長船町東須恵1373-5
Their access page has a map too: https://ohmachi-site.co.jp/access/
Re: A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
#108Earlier quoted context omitted.
You and many economists should probably go to a community centre, or join a hobby group then. Some things don't exist not because they aren't needed, but because the community that needs them can't afford it. As a general rule obviously I agree, but there are clear exceptions all around us.
I think focusing on money misses the point a bit. You can think about "fuzzies" instead, for example if you start a hobby group and people attend, you're bringing value. But if nobody attends, or you run a shop and nobody even walks in, wouldn't you start to suspect that you aren't bringing much value? Also, people get set in their ways. You should be wary of thinking that you bring value, when you're just following…
I don't see anything wrong with someone enjoying running a store continuing to do so, even if for few people. We can't value optimize everything, and some things have negative economic value but positive societal value.
I agree we should all re-evaluate from time to time, but if it's all you know and you just want to run out the clock before retiring so be it.
Re: A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
#109“ He believes businesses exist to serve society and contribute back to people in the community. That they make profits are merely a side effect and that somewhere along the line the side effect became the main goal.” That change came about in 1970 with Milton Friedman’s ideas about the purpose of a corporation being solely to maximize shareholder value and we’ve all been paying the price ever since: https://www.forbe…
There is a general mythology that business greed is a new thing, and that it is an American invention. This is not the case. I'd specifically like to call out the ancient slave trade as an example of business existing for profit at the great determent of communities. I'd also like to call out that the Europeans explores immediately starting exporting tobacco around the world when introduced to it, even though it clea…
I don't think the europeans of the 1500's had any clue tobacco was in any way dangerous to peoples health, in fact I'm pretty sure they thought it was a medicinal plant.
Re: A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
#110“ He believes businesses exist to serve society and contribute back to people in the community. That they make profits are merely a side effect and that somewhere along the line the side effect became the main goal.” That change came about in 1970 with Milton Friedman’s ideas about the purpose of a corporation being solely to maximize shareholder value and we’ve all been paying the price ever since: https://www.forbe…
The East India Company, notoriously a servant of society and so effective in its service that the Crown actually assimilated its possessions so that the good it could do would be amplified by the Empire.
*servant to the British society.