After having read on people's adventures travelling and provoking thinking on development, I wanted to share my experience of a country who may have almost developed too far, for those who had also visited or wanted to know what a typical day might be like to a stranger in Japan. 11 million people in one city observing strict social codes and wearing face masks against colds... Is over-development possible?

A strange sensation sticks with you from the moment you set foot in Japan to when you are sitting numbed from the 10 hour flight through the time zones on the way back; that is, how can a place so Western to an extreme still appear so alien to you, a Westerner?

The Japanese are so hard working and lead such consumerist lifestyles that the delay of a train by 10 seconds merits an overhead announcement whilst whole avenues in the city's centre are dedicated to selling highly-coveted European brands at over-inflated prices in a sort of microcosm of capitalism. The notoriously-hip Shibuya district of Tokyo has even been the vanguard for setting fashion trends which are then followed in the rest of the West, such as the wearing of denim jeans for example; the next thing to look out for are frilly but sleek hangbags for guys and an oldskool uniform look on girls.

In fact, although Japanese society may appear to symptom the same characteristics of other Western societies, their origins stem from completely different explanations. You start to see this when you realise you still have no idea what you have been eating and the way skyscrapers surround peaceful tea gardens everywhere you go.

Instead of, say, going on facebook whilst at work and then clicking off it when the boss approaches or starting to clear your desk up at about twenty-to-five, a Japanese person will actually work overtime for free and then not admit it to his friends; its all about honour.

This is one of the most important concepts of their society, whether it be that of the driver of the train above whose colleague is known to have committed suicide for being responsible for a similar delay, or that of the street cleaners who have no rubbish to pick up (people dont drop it, everything is recycled and there are no bins to be seen), and yet are pro-active in scuttling around looking for something to clean instead of just taking it easy.

This is the concept of Hanne v Tatemae, of personal opposed to public ways of behaviour which are more socially tuned and keep everything ticking over like our social 'lubricant' of always talking about the weather. After all, how would 11m people be able to live in one city if everyone did as they pleased? Ironically, everyone adapts to make it one of the most organised and hygenic there is. A few ways of coping with the space constraints that you can see:

-'pushers' are employed on the metro to gently coax as many people as possible into trains (Shinjuku station sees 3m people everyday..)

-taxi doors open automatically so as not to waste time with getting driver out.

-sticks are used instead of gravestones in order to mark the dead

Also, people act extremely considerately with one-another, with many expressions existing in order to greet someone, people always being prepared to wait in line and even wear slightly-alarming looking facemasks in order not to spread germs when they have a cold. These overt displays of social conscientiousness are even more so reflected in conversation, where smoothness and respect for one's honour are far more important values than being right or even in having an interesting one, so that many go round in circles to avoid saying anything which could be deemed as controversial.

Aimai is this idea of appearing ambiguous when speaking so that if someone was to ask how you were for example, you would be inclined to answer 'maa maa' ('so so') so as not to risk offending the other person just in case they were not having as good a day as you were. In the same way, if you are asked to stay for dinner at someone's house (where you should always take off your shoes and bow, but not too deep, so as not to suggest arrogance), it may well be a gentle hint that it is time for you to leave. Consideration for other people's feelings, therefore, is a very important skill here and I quite like that, although the way it works we could perceive it as being less frank or honest than in the West.

This all goes out of the window, however, when alcohol is involved.

Maybe as a reaction to having to work so hard, the Japanese certainly know how to party (although a lot of free time seems to be spent playing on slot machines), and we had a brilliant high-tech proper club experience in the Yellow nightclub after hearing of it on Radio 1, with lots of light shows, excellent djs and people actually smiling and enjoying themselves and wearing clothes. Because Japan never usd to consume much alcohol, since the barbarian/european invaders arrived and introduced it they have been getting drunk very easily without having the genetic tolerance for it, explaining all the drunk businessmen comically stumbling not home but to a 'capsule hotel' for the night. Here, as if in a spaceship, tiny beds are packed together in layers complete with tvs and toiletries; we gave it a go one night but woke everyone up in the morning with our alarm.

Later feeling very hungry (the portions are very small), we thought we'd eat like the locals and announced our entrance into a dainty-looking restaurant with a bell ringing as if to warn of approaching 'Guiris' (same as the Spanish word) and our attempted bow met with giggles by the waitress. I was quite happy to see my Japanese had got us a table and the prices for food clarified but when i went to order she looked struck and embarassed- 'That meal is for women' she said. so i couldnt have it.. (Despite leading the world with technology and inventing all sorts of things to make life easier, such as toilets spouting lukewarm wateras we saw in one shop; some fairly archaic ideas about the role of women, such as that they can only order the small portions in restaurants it seems.

Arranged marriages are still common and women would walk a few steps behind their husbands until recently. They also seem particularily keen to live up to the Western way of life which seems sad; caking their cheeks with so much white makeup in order to appear more western that paper bags are provided for them when trying on clothes in shops to not get them dirty).

Anyway, it didnt matter so much to me what i ordered as i wouldnt have known what ingredients i was missing out on. You invariably find something pink and very chewy in your bowl, accompanied by a type of bean sprout and usually vegetables all floating on a spicy but very tasty soup- which you eat with chopsticks!

Eventually we were brought our second choice; it was Greg's birthday and judging from the price it was going to be a big sushi fish dish suitable to share. A small saucer was put down in front of hungry eyes with three carefully-presented baby mackerel wrapped up in leaves. Itadakimasu! she said. Kampai!