Conveyor Sushi & Japanese Social Pragmatism

Japan, and Tokyo in particular, has developed a unique, and by American standards, odd, tremendously advanced social and technological culture of enabling millions of tightly packed humans to live and interact with the least amount of potentially embarrassing, stress-inducing, or confusing human interaction possible. While American society traditionally appreciates and values warm, personal service, Japanese culture has evolved to elevate polite and formal pragmatism that excludes as much interpersonal interaction among strangers as humanly possible. Patrons can dine in a crowded restaurant and be surrounded by evidence of social life yet can enter the restaurant, order and consume a complete meal, pay, and depart without ever having to interact with a single human being or even speak a single word out loud. The restaurant’s design even allows employees to work efficiently without having to extensively interact with their co-workers. It’s a carefully and precisely designed and manufactured routine daily experience that allows for maximum urban efficiency with zero stress caused by having to communicate with or interact with other people.