I never thought about it before, it’s so obvious now, but the convenience store is a symptom of the Japanese work lifestyle (should probably call it workstyle, it’s not much of a life).

Such demanding hours that leave little room for anything but work is a system that basically cannot survive without convenience.

In other words, such convenience is thanks to the sacrifice of thousands and thousands of people putting in hours at the office.

I despise the concept of the convenience store, I think a watered-down version would be much better for the well-being of the people. Convenience stores don’t need to be 24 hours, at least not out here in the countryside, and the type of food they serve is horrendous, not to mention the waste they produce (plastic, food).

If you think that these convenience stores are only adding to the problem of overwork, it really makes you think of their necessity. But of course taking them away won’t really do much to change the culture.

What other aspects of Japanese culture evolved directly from the Japanese workstyle?

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