TOKYO SUBWAY SCENE - Men in Grey Suits

TOKYO SUBWAY SCENE - Men in Grey Suits

At first sight, the Japanese appears to fit the familiar folklore stereotype of a rich but unhappy man. Having leapfrogged to its present position among the affluent industrial heavy weights, Japan is said to be suffering from a serious setback at home - the plight of its people in coping with the inter-related problems of escalating consumer prices and the deteriorating quality of life.

On further reflections, this economics-sociopsychological equation, even if proved to be of critical importance, must have been resolved in their minds. Inspite of the sighs and grumbles in both the local media and the official briefing sessions, the general mood seems resolutely unanimous. The tempo must be maintained, there is no turning back!.

One is tempted to wonder whether the men in the typically grey business suits packed on the subway trains during rush hours have emotions, feelings, or at least the ability to smile. Perhaps behind the sleepy oriental eyes, the Yen electronics are actively clicking magic numbers, sapping away their concentrations and in the process rendering them oblivious to everything else except hopefully their intended destinations. Or, maybe the grins had long since vanished in the smokes and ashes of the previous war and what remain are the solemn vows to regain the Yokozuna belt.

Vigor returned at the work place where mass production and standardization methods acquired from the west are religiously adhered to. Every man has a task to perform and mission to accomplish, their individual contributions converging synchronously into a sophisticated product designed to excel at the international market place. If quality of life is to include job satisfaction, then the workaholic Japanese need confine their grievances to the non-working hours of their lives.

As Kimono clad ladies reluctantly loyal to their inherited traditions scurried to the increasingly rare evening functions, to give way in the morning to the throngs of enlightened working women in their brief trendy dresses, the Samurai warriors and Kamikaze pilots of the historical pasts are being conscripted into the hordes of innovative technologists and corporate strategists. Such was the vision of the elders.

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