My anthro-linguistics professor spent time in Japan. She said it was unnerving to be standing in the aisle of a bullet train looking back at the faces of the other passengers. Not a one of them had any sort of expression on their face. The custom of maintaining personal isolation led to the impression of a sea of robots.
“Not a one of them had any sort of expression on their face. The custom of maintaining personal isolation led to the impression of a sea of robots.”
The Japanese culture really is an exceptional one - some good, some bad. They tend to have a very high psychic stress level, about how others view them - how they are seen as measuring up to the cultural standards.
On the good side, they are very considerate of others, and are arguably the cleanest people on Earth - you can’t get into bed before bathing, and you can’t get into the bath before taking a soapy shower with a scrub.