Having been to Asia a little, Malaysia, Singapore and HongKong, I had some exposure, but the truth is, I knew little. Travelling to Japan and China was an enlightment and amazing experience.
Here are some of my insights
Retirement in China is at 50 for jobs involving labour eg production line
Chinese food is very light, fruity and has lots of vegetables in it
Grandparents look after their grandchildren, parents work long hours
Women are present at all levels in the workforce
The policy of one child only has been lifted
Shuttle buses and food are provided by many companies
Private cars have only been in existence in the last 20 years (the quality of driving reflects this)
Execution of work is at an extremely high standard
In Japan, toilets are at a whole new level. 3 things of note. Toilet seats are warm (I learned to love this!), there is a button to make noise in public toilets, I presume to hide any embarassing body noises and finally there are lots of buttons for variations of bum wash (and as a consequence, toilet paper is horribly thin and barely used)
Taxi's are prisitine. Our driver even had white gloves on!
Suitcases come off the conveyor belt in an airport, all lined up with the handles facing out!
I have no clue how to pick rice
Japanese quality is very much about the aesthetics and visual of a product. Beauty is critical.
Biscuits are individually wrapped
Slippers are worn in the office
and the list goes on..................
It was fascinating and I can't wait to go back. The people, the food, the culture and their aspirations are just mind blowing. Also the respect they show to each other, specifically in Japan, is just art and beauty combined.
What an education. Anyone else want to share their insights?
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