Moreover, the Japanese generally like to stand on ceremony and indulge in expressions of curious condescension. Japanese, for instance, will say: "Please come to the dining room now, although there is nothing to eat." This is a very common Japanese expression, meaning that the food being offered is of no great value, though in actual fact the food is often very plentiful and sumptuous. Japanese humility and understatement is such that a Westerner may be taken aback, if invited to eat, when there is nothing to eat!
Coming back to the why and wherefore of the infantile conversation subjects, the Japanese, as a race, are a proud and dogmatic people. They are innocent enough to think, for instance, that Mt. Fuji is the most sublime peak in the world. I have, however, seen similar symmetrically shaped volcanoes in other parts of the world, some perhaps much higher, some even more grandiose and awe inspiring. The Japanese logic is that since Mt. Fuji is the most beautiful in the world, no foreigner should fail to see it and, indeed, many foreign visitors to Japan try to see the sacred mountain.
Geisha—woman entertainer-cum-hostess in a teahouse—is a unique Japanese institution. In the Japanese thinking, it would indeed be a pity if any Westerner coming to Japan should miss the opportunity of meeting a geisha; however even if they did, they certainly would not care to spend the fantastic amount of money needed to hire one.
I myself, after having visited a number of foreign capitals, know for a fact that Tokyo is one of the ugliest and most disorderly capitals of the world, though I admit that the city is rapidly being renovated and provided with modern amenities. Yet most Japanese honestly and truly believe that Tokyo is a most wonderful city and that any foreigner visiting there must be impressed by it. Similarly, most Japanese think that a Westerner is prejudiced against Japan mainly because he does not know Japan and that if he sees the country for himself, he will surely become "pro-Japanese." While ignorance is partly responsible for much of the Western bias against Japan and the Japanese, it does not necessarily follow that all foreigners who visit Japan will automatically come to understand the country. However, this rather naïve and, at the same time, dogmatic belief of the average Japanese is so widespread that a large number of foreigners each year are invited to visit Japan, in many cases, with all expenses defrayed by Japanese government agencies, business firms, and even by private individuals.
Childishness of the Japanese people is most glaringly manifested in the blatant announcements often made over loudspeakers in public conveyances and other places in Japan. For example, on a long-distance train a loudspeaker announces to the passengers: "Next stop is Nagoya. The passengers leaving the train are kindly requested to make sure that none of their belongings are left behind," or "We apologize for the overcrowding of the train. Please beware of pickpockets while the train is in motion," etc. At a subway station in Tokyo a platform attendant will announce by means of a loudspeaker something like this : "This is Shibuya. Those bound for Shinjuku will please change trains by mounting the stairway right in front. Also may we remind you that there is a gap between the platform and the train coaches, so please be careful when alighting."
Such announcements sometimes can be helpful but more often than not quite uncalled for, and they often grate on one's nerves. The reasons for making such matter-of-fact announcements are many. The Japanese are courteous even to the point of being officious. Also, unbelievable congestion in public places makes it necessary to give such obvious reminders and warnings. At the same time, lack of individual initiative on the part of most Japanese and their tendency to act in mass psychology may, in part, be responsible for constantly telling others to do this and that.
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