Earlier quoted context omitted.
We Dutch have a similar proverb: "Whoever sticks his head above ground level, his head is cut off. "
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_mentality
Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
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Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#112Earlier quoted context omitted.
We Dutch have a similar proverb: "Whoever sticks his head above ground level, his head is cut off. "
Tall poppy syndrome, which can be oppressive in Northern Europe. Germany seems more relaxed than the Netherlands, and France seems to be worse. I've had friends telling me their Mercedes got frequently keyed for no reason, and the old Mercedes star on their classic even got ripped off.
That's very true in Germany. They do have a lot of freedoms, but they aren't very creative as a society. They fall back on strong adherence to rules and their culture re-enforces it.
See this:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatlife/10599631/Why-the...
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#113Earlier quoted context omitted.
The article hits on this, suggesting that they are viewed as communal property since they're so abundant, cheap and frequently forgotten. Umbrellas are also an on demand item, so can see how this could evolve as a sort of community solution to the rain problem.
I visited Japan and was caught in the rain with no umbrella. I hid next to an awning near a school. A person came out from inside and offered me to take an umbrella from the numerous ones that were left by the people inside. I suspect "communal property" is a better way to think of what happens with umbrellas than "umbrella thieves".
I was in Japan last week and I can confirm that I forgot every umbrella I used -- I hope you got one of mine.
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#114i lost a phone in shinjuku station and located with the help of the station employees within 30 minutes. somehow they did this location act in the busiest subway junction in the world, with just a few phone calls.
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#115its funny that this article is part of a japan 2020 olympics feature, when there will surely be an increase in crime and bad behavior due to all the 2020 visitors.
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#116I experienced this while visiting Japan. While doing a transfer on the Shinkansen in Hiroshima, I left my camera bag at a noodle kiosk on the platform (around $3k worth of equipment). Didn't realize it until 2 hours after getting on the next train. When we arrived at our destination, I told my friend we were meeting (a Japanese native) what happened, and she reassured me that it would be right where I left it (said s…
I lost my passport (didn't know at the time) at NRT. I had left it on a counter at a coffee shop. About 15 minutes later while sitting at the gate an airport employee ran up to me and handed it back. Just amazing.
I got lost when going out to hike Mt. Nokogiri. I was walking wrong-way down some road when the employee at the visitor center some 1.5km away comes running after me to inform me that I am going the wrong way. I don't know how he deduced this after I walked out of that center. He escorted me to the correct trailhead which I missed by about 500m. Welcome to Japan.
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#117Earlier quoted context omitted.
Homogenous, nationalistic, small country with high IQ, good education system, high GDP, low levels of immigration, and a culture that emphasizes community. Oh, and lower levels of inequality, relatively, and a more aligned politics/media system that doesn’t foment distrust.
> a more aligned politics/media system that doesn’t foment distrust. Japan is essentially a right-wing, one-party “democracy” put in place by US intelligence services, postwar. The current prime minister is literally the grandson of a CIA-backed war criminal, who was famously known as the “Devil of the Showa Period”: https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/09/world/cia-spent-millions-... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobus…
I didn’t express admiration, I just pointed out the reasons the people have such high trust and cooperation.
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#118My first day in Japan I fell asleep on the train. I woke up to a train employee telling me to leave the train. I grabbed my bag and left in a daze, only to realize too late that I left my duffle bag on the top shelf. I reported it and was assured that it would be found. 2 weeks later they still hadn't found my bag but kindly told me that it must have been a Korean.
Um. Well, that was 20 years ago. I'm sure things are different now.
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#119Earlier quoted context omitted.
Homogenous, nationalistic, small country with high IQ, good education system, high GDP, low levels of immigration, and a culture that emphasizes community. Oh, and lower levels of inequality, relatively, and a more aligned politics/media system that doesn’t foment distrust.
Immigration has been steadily increasing in Japan.[1] That homogeneity presupposes trust is a right-wing stereotype used to devalue immigrants in a society and justify harsh enforcement. You can find people of every ethnicity in Tokyo, including many half and full Brazilian people that you could mistake for latinos here in the US[2]. 1. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/03/11/national/japan-... 2. https://en.wik…
> That homogeneity presupposes trust is a right-wing stereotype used to devalue immigrants in a society and justify harsh enforcement.
The fact it's a right wing idea doesn't mean it's wrong. A nation's laws is written by its people. The fact is different peoples have different cultures and follow different sets of rules. The ideal immigrant is the one who naturalizes and fully integrates into the existing society. What usually happens is they stick together in foreigner groups for mutual support. They maintain their culture and continue living by the same rules they are used to.
It is extremely demoralizing to see people not only break the rules we follow but come out ahead for doing so while escaping any retribution. It's even worse when foreigners do it because it simply isn't part of their culture. If a group of people doesn't litter the streets and foreigners who think nothing of it suddenly arrive, they will be looked down upon.
> You can find people of every ethnicity in Tokyo, including many half and full Brazilian people that you could mistake for latinos here in the US
A relative minority. Many more japanese live in Brazil than the other way around.
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#120"What’s in it for the finder to be honest enough to hand in the item?" By asking this question, you deny yourself access to its answer.
Why? That's the kind of question that makes up the entire field of game theory. In every situation, the most natural strategy is to maximize personal gains. That's how natural selection works. But when people don't act like that, it means there must be some opposing force, normally one that benefits society. There is a lot to learn here, in fields as diverse as biology, economics, computing, and of course, games.
I don't know what it means to say "that's how natural selection works" in this context. At times, evolutionary pressure favors cooperation and altruism.