Unit seven of L161 has raised a couple of questions.
Firstly, I have been to Japan. It was interesting, because Tokyo seemed to be quite similar to Manchester: lots of lights, lots of people, and lots of quiet places to go. It was apparent, however, that many people were interested in us - they wanted photographs and they like a good look. I could only assume it was because we were British, and it was obvious from the way we were dressed, our obviously different physical features and the tone of our skin.
These ideas all lend themselves to the notion that Japan is a monocultural society. It's true: we didn't see any unicultural traits. No churches, no mosques, but lots of shinto temples. It did seem like other cultures would struggle to live their lives there. The fact that this is the case, along with over 40% of Japanese people having never met a foreigner leads to quite a worrying outlook. The world is changing and cultures are mixing together, yet Japan doesn't seem to want to go ahead with the arrangement.
On the other hand, it could be argued that Japan, as a result of its non-commitment to other cultures, is managing to avoid conflict by doing so. Keeping its borders closed to refugees and having very strict policies for those who do wish to integrate means that those who are there appreciate the protection and know the value they bring. In other countries, this can be problematic.
Overall, I do think it is great that Japan is keeping its heritage and remaining a society rich with historical culture, but a more uniculturist attitude needs to be adopted in order to not shut Japan off from the rest of the world.