The future is upon us, or so it seems. Every day, we are besieged by new technologies and forces of distortion that claim to improve our lives. We willingly trade our habits and quirks for streamlined convenience, placing our faith in artificial intelligence and machine learning, hoping that we will become smarter in the process. As we consider this next chapter in the evolution of the human race, or at least the next step in our ongoing technological revolution, we need to ask ourselves just how much difference and divergence we are willing to sacrifice in the name of progress.
Life in Japan is certainly not a constant whirl of sushi, sumo, and tea ceremonies, as many foreigners expect it to be. Everyday life is very different for the Japanese people and their overseas guests. How to define that life is the common problem faced by most cultural experts, with some coming close and others missing the mark completely.