A little Friday musing... I recently had the good fortune to be able to spend a couple of months in Tokyo (a place where I'd previously lived for 15 years). People talk about Japan's stagnating economy. What few acknowledge (or maybe even realise?) is that it has stagnated at a very high level, one which the UK is nowhere near reaching, and probably never will now. Japan's naysayers point to its stagnation as a sign of failure, of weakness. But that's like mocking Usain Bolt for not being able to run any faster than he can. Everything just works. The place is spotless. Food is cheap, and almost universally excellent. Public toilets are abundant and clean. Transport is punctual and cheap (albeit with a spectacular crush during rush hour). Bullet trains are FAST! There's mobile reception even in the deepest tunnels. Gigabit ethernet is commonplace. Tradespeople are available at the drop of a hat. Convenience stores offer an almost magical range and breadth of products and services. Healthcare is superb. And so on, and so on. It's not all roses. Japan has its problems too, and plenty of them. But it also offers a quality of life for the average person (as opposed to the wealthy) that we couldn't even dare to dream of in Britain.