Finally, a Western commentator that gets it about Japan

[bikkuri bahn]

As longtime Japan watchers like Ivan P. Hall and Clyde V. Prestowitz Jr. point out, the fallacy of the “lost decades” story is apparent to American visitors the moment they set foot in the country. Typically starting their journeys at such potent symbols of American infrastructural decay as Kennedy or Dulles airports, they land at Japanese airports that have been extensively expanded and modernized in recent years.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/opinion/sunday/the-true-story-of-japans-economic-success.html?ref=opinion

[CaptOblivious]

I hadn't heard this in the news before, that Islands economy sucked. I would have surely laughed if I had. The quantity of luxury goods demanded by Japanese is really overwhelmingly disgusting, in many cases. I have never see so many Louis Vuitton bags before; I have also never seen a Lotus auto being driven in public, outside of the one time in Kyoto. Japan is an extraordinarily wealthy country, and to deny that is to admit a total loss of touch with reality, I think.

[Nick_Burman]

I hadn't heard this in the news before, that Islands economy sucked. I would have surely laughed if I had. The quantity of luxury goods demanded by Japanese is really overwhelmingly disgusting, in many cases. I have never see so many Louis Vuitton bags before; I have also never seen a Lotus auto being driven in public, outside of the one time in Kyoto. Japan is an extraordinarily wealthy country, and to deny that is to admit a total loss of touch with reality, I think.

I have yet to see a Ferrari highway pile-up (like the one which happened in Japan a few months ago) in a Western country!!! It wasn't just one Ferrari...it was several of 'em!

Cheers NB

[The_Ghan]

I hadn't heard this in the news before, that Islands economy sucked. I would have surely laughed if I had. The quantity of luxury goods demanded by Japanese is really overwhelmingly disgusting, in many cases. I have never see so many Louis Vuitton bags before; I have also never seen a Lotus auto being driven in public, outside of the one time in Kyoto. Japan is an extraordinarily wealthy country, and to deny that is to admit a total loss of touch with reality, I think.

I have yet to see a Ferrari highway pile-up (like the one which happened in Japan a few months ago) in a Western country!!! It wasn't just one Ferrari...it was several of 'em!

Cheers NB

Yeah ... and it wasn't even just "several" ... it was 8 Ferraris, 3 Mercedes, a Lamborghini, a Skyline and a Toyota Prius ... apparently, totalling the Prius rounded off the damage bill to whole thousands ...     

Cheers

The_Ghan

[westfalen]

I hadn't heard this in the news before, that Islands economy sucked. I would have surely laughed if I had. The quantity of luxury goods demanded by Japanese is really overwhelmingly disgusting, in many cases. I have never see so many Louis Vuitton bags before; I have also never seen a Lotus auto being driven in public, outside of the one time in Kyoto. Japan is an extraordinarily wealthy country, and to deny that is to admit a total loss of touch with reality, I think.

The first six floors of most department stores seem to be devoted to handbags.