Re: [Pen-l] JP (was "Democrats to placate Republicans on recovery plan")

[Max Sawicky <maxbsawicky@xxxxxxxxx>]

I was in Tokyo for a week or so around 2000.  I didn't get any
impressions of decay or stagnation, with one exception.  When I went
over bridges, along the river you could see long rows of blue traps
put up, like tents.  Looked very neat from a distance.  My
recollection is being told they sheltered homeless people.



On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 3:17 PM, John Gulick <john_gulick@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> My comments on this will be equally or more impressionistic than Marty's.
>
>
>
> To the casual observer (especially the first-time visitor from the US) there
> are no obvious signs
>
> that Japan suffered through a decade (or more) of stagnation (and now may be
> headed toward
>
> worse). IMO this has something to do with cultural tendencies which if
> not uniquely Japanese
>
> are distinctively so (yes, I know about the pitfalls of cultural
> essentialism). There is a strong emphasis
>
> on public hygiene and sartorial splendor (especially WRT young women) so the
> slovenly tourist
>
> from Peoria cannot help but be blown away by what seems to be a
> hyper-affluent society. (Unless
>
> said Peorian is non-plussed by un-American modest houses and tiny vehicles.)
>
>
>
> These perceptions will wane once one gets away from the beaten track of the
> Tokyo-Kansai corridor
>
> and heads for towns and villages of the provinces. In many a town and
> village center you will see
>
> evidence of economic disinvestment (i.e. physical decay) which if not on a
> par with Flint is on a par, with,
>
> say, typical struggling Main Street U.S.A. How much this has to do with
> long-term demographic trends,
>
> how much it has to do with socio-spatial restructuring, and how much it
> has to do with the 1990's slump
>
> is not known to me, but at least the latter two "factors" are deeply
> interconnected. For example, during the
>
> 1990's, struggling small-to-medium size industry in the sticks, accustomed
> to being sub-contractors to
>
> the Tokyo-Kansai conglomerates, either went under altogether (more often) or
> relocated to China (less so).
>
> Backwoods localities got by on public works pork from the LDP and the
> Ministry of Construction. Then the
>
> Koizumi "neo-liberal" (of a sort) faction of the LDP became influential (if
> not hegemonic) and this type of
>
> patronage was significantly curtailed.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync. See how it works.
> _______________________________________________
> pen-l mailing list
> pen-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
>
>
_______________________________________________
pen-l mailing list
pen-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l