Is this true about Japan?
A friend of mine in the USA asked me whether the following list of "facts" about Japan was true or not. My comments are following ">>".
Japan: some interesting facts.
* Hiroshima has recovered economically to what it was before the atomic bomb was dropped.
>> I guess the underlining state of mind is that once an atomic bomb is dropped, the area would be isolated and inhabitant for a very long time. In the case of Hiroshima though, the fire from the atomic bomb was serious and cruel: the area's remaining radiation was not as serious and lasting as the one in Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, or Fukushima. Luckily, the city recovered very fast and maybe in the span of 10 years, had economically got back to where it was.
* Japan prevents the use of mobile phones in trains, restaurants and indoors.
>> Yes, talking in those areas (trains, buses, restaurants, and indoor public spaces) is considered bad etiquette; most people speak loudly when they talk on mobile phones and it bothers others.
* From the first to the sixth year of primary school, Japanese students learn ethics and the treatment of others.
>> Yes, there is a class called "Doutoku (道徳)" that means "ways (do 道)" and "goodwill (toku 徳)." They have a dedicated textbook for that and the students discuss ethical cases in classes; what they think and what the surrounding and counterparts might think.
* Even as one of the richest countries in the world, the Japanese do not have servants. The parents are responsible for the home and children.
>> That is very uncommon. Servants are rarely heard of. There is also a mentality that most people do not want to have their home cleaned by others due to privacy.
* There is no examination from the first to the third year of primary because the goal of education is to instill social concepts and character building.
>> I don't think so. There are small tests to check progress of learning.
* If you go to a buffet restaurant in Japan you will notice people only eat as much as they can and don't waste because food must not be wasted.
>> Yes, that is true. If you take more than you can eat and leave food, it is against goodwill. In Singapore, you would be fined for doing so.
* The rate of delayed trains in Japan is about 7 seconds per year!! The Japanese value time and are very punctual to the minute and second.
>> I didn't know about the statistics so I checked on the internet and got this: the annual average of the bullet-train delay is 50 seconds. Exceeding that, JR would apologize because it is so close to a minute. Still a surprise!
* Children in schools brush their teeth (sterilize) and clean their teeth after a meal at school, teaching them to maintain their health from an early age.
>>Yes, some schools do so. Even adults at work do so.
* Japanese students take half an hour to finish their meals to ensure proper digestion because these students are the future of Japan.
>> Meals at school are served in each class by groups of students that are preassigned in sequential order. The assigned students go to the school's central cafeteria area to retrieve meals and tableware prepared in trolleys. They carry those into the designated classes, then serve the meals. When everyone's meal is ready, they say "Itadakimasu! (bon appetite)" together and start to eat along with the class teacher. When they finish eating, each student is supposed to return the used tableware back to the trolley. The assigned students turn out the trolley to the central cafeteria.
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Stating above comments, I'd conclude that "Japanese culture wasn't built in a day!"