This screen shot is emblematic of Japanese society and
culture. It is from the 2015 Japanese
movie “Pieta in the Toilet.” Notice the
guy on the left. He is smoking and
holding the can in his hand as a receptacle for the cigarette’s ashes. Many Japanese who smoke carry a small
portable ash try to capture the ashes.
Discarding something as innocuous as ashes is an affront to the
community. Such good behavior is promoted
throughout their popular culture.
Contrast that with the USA, where popular culture’s goal is to degrade
the culture.
