One of the questions that I’ve been asked a lot since I arrived in Japan is whether it’s very different from England.

In many ways the answer is yes. Every day things that you take for granted, like food, present whole new challenges. For example, I was prepared for the raw fish, but on the evening when a bowl of live, wriggling fish was put in front of me and I was expected to swallow them whole I all but ran screaming from the table.

You just wouldn’t come across a situation like that in England.

Respect plays a huge part in Japanese society, far more so than in Britain I think.

Everyone has respect for each other and their surroundings. The streets are incredibly clean, even in big cities and there is no graffiti anywhere.

The police are held in very high regard and the stations that I have visited all report that in an area around the size of the Avon and Somerset Force area, a tenth of the number of crimes. And the most prevalent problem is bicycle theft.

There is little to no violent crime and because the Japanese culture is one where injecting yourself is completely alien, heroin is not a problem at all.

One difference that I have found it difficult to come to terms with is the role of women in society. Although the Japanese would argue that their women are very strong, from a western perspective they definitely have a more subservient role.

Domestic chores are the sole domain of women. It is almost unheard of for men to cook and it’s not uncommon for women to eat at different times and spend meal times ensuring that their husband’s every need is met. It may not be the case among younger generations, but it certainly was in the older families with which I have stayed.

And there seems to be a different attitude to work. I visited the Panasonic factory and discovered that before beginning work every day all employees recited the company’s mantra. On the production lines every employee was completely focused on their work. There was no-one chatting, no-one standing around drinking coffee, none of the banter you might expect in a similar situation in Britain.

A large display counted the number of products assembled so far, the day’s target, how much production time had been lost and how many lost products that represented.

But as I walked down the streets in Osaka, Japan’s second largest city, aside from the Japanese script emblazoned on the signs, I was disappointed to feel that I could have been in any city anywhere in the world.

In many ways Japan may seem like an alien culture, full of mystery and with an astounding history.

But it certainly is not immune from many of the big western brands. Starbucks, McDonalds, the Body Shop, HMV, and countless other international chains had all stamped down their identity.

It seems that the loss of the independent trader is a problem faced the world over.

ED