I lived in japan for about two years and from what I experienced I would have to concur. Service in Japan is first rate. Nothing else even comes close as far as I am concerned. There very best customer service companies in America are what I would consider typical in Japan. Of course thats my own one man experience and that was about 20 years ago. (I have been back to Japan a few times since I moved back to the states and it appears about the same to me) Another poster asked if you are Asian and that Japan has a bias against China. I would like to say that its my understanding from spending a lot of time in Asia, especially China and Japan that Japanese don't have so much a bias towards China as they just simply think they are better than anyone else. Much the same as many Americans think they are better than any other country. On the other hand Chinese (especially as you go up the age levels) get negative towards the Japanese like many other Asian countries do. This is most profound in places that were occupied by Japanese soldiers during the 1930s and 40s. As a whole the Japanese where every bit as bad as the NAZIs including mass killings and medical 'research' on people. So its not a big surprise that the rest of Asia is a bit 'sore' about that. Best RW
Great posts Asiaprop and Robert Weinstein I was the guy with the China/Japan bias comment. The American superiority was a great example. I also guess that the history of war has a profound effect on both parties. Lastly, about efficiency... have you guys ever eaten at a conveyor belt sushi place? I think it was called kaitensushi. It's cheap and amazingly efficient.
about Kaitensushi (conveyor belt sushi place), it is considered of the lowest quality to eat sushi in terms of ambiente and quality for fish. However, some kaitensushi are actually of amazing quality, food wise. I safely claim the quality of the better places easily rivals even good sushi restaurants in the U.S. or Europe. I dont even attempt to find equals for the top sushi restaurants Tokyo has to offer, which, however, set you back by about 150-200 dollars per person (Nobu or the like really are cheapish in comparison, food quality wise). It is just hard to beat the quality of fish that is freshly unloaded and auctioned off at Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market at night, delivered early morning to all restaurants in the greater Tokyo region and freshly served in day time. Many sushi restaurants do not sell certain fish types for take-out during the hot summer months for health reasons.