Old article, but there is something to learn from Japan!

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2004/10/...

Living And Dying In Tokyo
VIEW FROM THE RIGHT

Adam Sparks, Special to SF Gate

Monday, October 4, 2004

My mother-in-law passed away last week, and I attended the funeral in
Tokyo. The five-day wake was a mind-blower in so many ways. It made me
think of just how different Japan is than the United States and how, in
so many ways, it is so far superior, both culturally and
technologically. We have much to learn.