I find that people outside Asia are extremely ignorant about Japan. This kind of pop journalism fills the void, but doesn't actually shed any light. Visiting Japan is like visiting the home of someone who keeps everything in its place – not exactly a comfortable place, until you understand the system behind it.

Try visiting the countryside in Japan: you will not see a single stone out of place. No litter. No discarded auto bodies. No trash piles. Literally everything has a place, and is kept there.