anonymous Japanese comments

I totally agree with Johnny and Freddie. The point of the article is, as they already mentiond, the changing society, not a scholastic article. I can sense the author's deep love toward good and old days when Japan economically developped. Extravagantly decorated love hotels might still hold those days' atomosphere... Boys became effeminate, amd they rarelly do nampa. Instead of that, some enjoy online dating. People claim that they don't have enough chance to get BF/GF. By the way I haven't heard "ensyuku" and even I couldn't find the word in my Japanese dictionary. It's really interesting to know that there're many "love-hotel" experts!!

I'm Japanese and I think this article is one of the best written article about the Japanese and their way of thinking. It's always fun to know how Westerners think Japan and it's people. Even Japanese, it's really difficult to get along well within a group. We're often required to "Kuki wo yomu / 空気を読む," which literally means "To read the atomosphere." As a Japanese, I sometimes feel a bit suffocated to find other Japanese people are trying to be harmonious. Differentiating "honne / 本音" (one's true feelings) and "tatemae / 建前"　(public face, or opinion)is challenging and tiring. Mr.Landsberg is not only a dispassionate thinker but also a person who has considerable experience in Japanese society, which makes his article quite interesting. Thank you, and keep up the good work!!