Cobalt says: "... my understanding of Japan is that no one can afford a house of their own, and most women are not allowed into the work force. "
I wonder where you discovered such views. I have never even seen any periodicals articles making such claims. As a happy chap in Japan for the last 2.5 decades, I assure you that Japanese companies are packed with women. True, their career efforts towards top positions mostly fail when they hit the male-chauvinists' glass ceiling but that is very much true also for Australia and Germany, for example. (I do not know the U.S. through ground-level experience.) Virtually all women work until they bear children, and a great number (about 50%, I believe; will try to look it up) return to work once their children can fend for themselves. It's true though, maternity leave, company-based child-minding facilities etc are badly underdeveloped.
Real estate & houses? Yes, expensive (though, sadly for many mortgage holders, cheaper than a few years ago) -- but this has not prevented millions to set up house in the suburbs. Almost all houses in the suburbs are occupier-owned.
Yes, Japan's economy is in deep trouble.
And yes, Japan has an amazing quality of everyday life. Having lived on 3 continents and travelled in 30 countries, I am as glad as ever to be here: in this planet's most refined service culture, among people who value sincere effort and professionalism, in safety (at night, a woman can walk through the darkest alleys of downtown Tokyo without qualms). In a culinary heaven, too.
(Next week I'll rave about the bad side.) |
