Some quick comparisons..
Space : The first thing that strikes someone who lands in US is the vast amount of space available. Huge parking lots for small restaurants, and miles and miles of nothing. In sharp contrast to Japan, where space is highly valued and optimised. Japan has half the population of America, crammed in a country the size of California.
Food: The portions are large and rich, with cheese and meat. In contrast to the small portions of lean Japanese food. People here drink coke instead of water, the Japanese drink ochya(green tea). Guess that explains why the Japanese live longer and also why US is grappling with obesity.
Public Transport: Is almost non-existent here. The photo above is that of a station in the place I live, just a track with nothing around it, no humans waiting to board the train and the trains consistently late. In Japan, life revolves around the trains and stations. Real estate value is determined by the distance from the station. The farther the cheaper.
Work: My customers in Japan say they are busy and work 16 hrs a day, my customers here too say they are busy but work only 8 hrs a day. The office is empty by 5PM.
Customer Service: Even in extremely cheap places in Japan, customer service is excellent. They truly consider customers as God, fall at your feet and do all it takes to satisfy you. Guess you need to pay in America for good customer service.
People: Japan is homogeneous, one race throughout. America is extremely multicultural. But the Japanese tend to be more polite, humble, helpful and great team players. The Americans seem a little more assertive, brag a lot and very individual.
So my choice ?, I like US for the space and seemingly laid back life. But the people in Japan make you forget the space crunch and hard life style.
