Hard and difficult Japan

 I received a very nice comment the other day.

Receiving compliments from people outside of Japan made me keenly aware of the great influence that English has.

It seems that many foreigners come to Japan on vacation.

I was also surprised when I saw sumo in Osaka, which seemed like a foreign country.

They say it is cheap and good quality is available.

I have always thought that this is like a reversal of the Japanese people's flamboyant and pompous behavior overseas a few years ago.

I believe that Japan does not have the courage to accept its declining country head-on.

No matter which direction you look, it is obvious that the situation is in all directions. Even an ordinary commoner like me can understand this.

Or, to put it another way, it is precisely because I am an ordinary citizen that I understand.

Even in developed countries, we are still a conservative country, and many things have remained unchanged from the past until today.

They talk about women's activities, but I don't feel them at all.

Fixed salaries for women are lower than men's, and very few places reflect their abilities.

Overwhelmingly, when women express their opinions to men, they are met with disapproval.

If a man expresses his opinion, he is appreciated, but if a woman does, she is considered brash.

It is a dream come true for women to live as equals in a society created by men.

Single mothers are barely making ends meet, working multiple jobs for low hourly wages.

Children grow up watching their parents, neglecting their studies, and enter society without dreams or a future.

Prices of commodities and taxes are rising rapidly, while basic salaries have not increased for years.

Such poverty is widespread among the general public.

Even if they go to college, they are saddled with debt in the form of scholarships, which they are required to repay every month out of their meager monthly salary.

And only a few powerful people are lining their pockets.

However, Japanese people do not shield themselves from power.

Under the name of "pressure to conform," they are the kind of people who will follow the lead of others if everyone else is doing the same.

In other words, they are harmonious and do not disturb harmony.

However, I have felt that the situation has not changed at all since the coronavirus emerged during the war.

The virus has fragmented people's thinking into various categories, and there have been many cases where friends, married couples, and even family members could not understand each other.

I think everyone should be respected, but from the perspective of coexistence, certain rules are necessary, but it is sad to think of the many cases of harassment.

As a result of the lack of change and innovation, and the continued neglect of the self-praised Cool Japan, Japan has become a backward country, which is not an exaggeration.

There are many areas that can be corrected, but those who have the power to change them see it as a fire on the other side of the river and do not see it as a major problem.

If poverty is widespread, public safety will deteriorate, and robberies are becoming more common in Japan.

Even if people work hard and diligently, they are not rewarded.

The days of being bound by the virtues of the Japanese people may be long over.

Perhaps we have become so accustomed to the lack of a sense of crisis due to our island status and the comfort of our hot springs that we don't know what to do.

I have nothing but anxiety about how this country, which is in nothing but crisis, will turn out.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)