Britain can be a civilised country once more – we just need to follow this example
I would encourage anyone who can afford it to visit Japan as soon as possible. The pound is at a roughly fifteen year high against the yen, and the country is an absolute bargain for many foreign visitors. But the reason to travel to the country of the rising sun is not just for the great value restaurants and fascinating history.
Japan offers an experience of a society that is in many ways dramatically more civilized than the West. Even in cities as large and busy as Tokyo, citizens are hugely better behaved in public than in places like London.
I fear that Gresham’s Law (”bad drives out good”) has applied with a vengeance when it comes to general manners in giant centres like London, Paris or New York in recent years – especially post lockdowns. It is as if, during the two years people were shut in their homes, they forgot how to interact with others outside in public.
Japan is clearly a country with high levels of mutual trust among its citizens. Levels of crime there are remarkably low relative to the UK: recorded offences in England and Wales are roughly fifteen times higher than in Japan, after adjusting for population sizes.
The huge price we pay for such awful levels of theft, assault, burglary and so forth is not just economic – the social and psychological toll on victims of crime is enormous.
There are critics of the Japanese justice system, but despite its tough reputation, the number of prison inmates in Japan is a quarter of the British prison population on a comparable population basis. They are at heart a much more law abiding nation.
Travelling by public transport in Japan is a joy compared to this country. It isn’t simply that the trains run on time, and are often much faster than British trains. There is essentially none of the anti-social behaviour now so prevalent here: no one is broadcasting their inane phone conversations or playing YouTube videos to the irritation of the whole carriage.
One might argue that such minor incivilities don’t really matter – that it is stuffy and old fashioned to worry about everyday etiquette, for want of a better word. But consideration for others is a fundamental building block of a properly functioning society. The relentless coarsening of minor human connections in cities like London materially lowers our quality of life, I believe.
Public spaces like parks across London nowadays frequently feel boorish and unsafe: thugs parade with their snarling dogs; litter is everywhere; gangs sit around smoking cannabis or getting drunk; there is loud music and swearing, many park users oblivious to others around them. The dominant behavioural trait appears to be unashamed selfishness.
Major cities like Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto in Japan have essentially no visible homeless people or beggars. Drug abuse is rare compared to the West and Japanese drug laws treat users and dealers harshly by our standards. Consequently the crime associated with the illegal drug trade is almost absent, and drug addicts relatively few in number.
A comparison of public toilets reveals the glaring differences between the Japanese and us. In Japanese cities there are a plethora of public toilets in shopping centres and railway stations. They are spotless and are furnished with classy, high tech facilities. By contrast in British cities, many public conveniences have been closed – graffiti and vandalism have forced the authorities to give up. Destructive elements among us have been indulged – and so everyone loses.
Similarly, Japan has almost no rubbish on the streets. Littering is simply not tolerated. This is enforced via social pressure rather than laws: it is considered unacceptable there to make a mess on public property. It seems the Japanese have a shared stake and pride in their country – whereas I fear we British have lost much of that spirit. Japan feels orderly and organised in a way Britain no longer does.
Japan has lots of rules, and plenty of bossy people in uniforms making sure you follow them. No one crosses a city street until the green signal; in lifts and taxis there can be signs telling you not to talk – especially on your mobile phone. These sorts of protocols are a system of social conduct which governs much of their working and personal lives.
Believers in multiculturalism would find the lack of diversity in Japan very concerning. No doubt they would see its apparent homogeneity as a defect. But it is essentially a middle class society, and suffers nothing like the extremes of wealth and poverty which so shock visitors to the USA. Japanese culture places much emphasis on harmony, and the avoidance of confrontation or aggression. I suspect most Japanese visitors to Britain and America find our behaviour chaotic and too casual.
Of course Japan is not a perfect society. Critics argue that there is misogyny and prejudice. The Japanese suffer from a lot of loneliness, widespread workaholism, a low birth rate and a declining population – it is falling at the rate of 100 people per hour. They have enormous public debts.
Yet it is also a much safer, more cordial place than the West, despite its huge cities. We could learn a great deal from the way they respect other people, their politeness and cohesive, communal way of life. For a land of earthquakes, Japan feels a much more stable place than Britain.
