The Japanese

Joe Joseph looks at how the Japanese spend their time, the way they live, what they worry about, how they view their lives and why they act the way they do.

---

We can all reel of the names of Japanese companies. But who in the West can identify even a few of Japan's top politicians or celebrities? Japanese industry may have invaded our living rooms, but the Japanese themselves remain a far-away enigma. Fuelling this mystery are the baffling contrasts that give Japan its tang: tradition, diligence and quiet conformity collide with an inventive, consumer-mad culture, jangling with neon. Japan may be rich, but cheek-to-cheek overcrowding and a weakness for overwork mean that few Western rivals envy the quality of Tokyo life. Materialism has become an escape-valve: yet while we can imagine coveting a Picasso, would you yearn for a massage with gold foil, or for mink door-knob covers? What do the Japanese make of themselves? What do they make of us? Joe Joseph, ex-Tokyo correspondent for "The Times", finds the answers in this study, in which he reveals a society that has moved so fast that it's not too sure where it's going, or why.