“Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Ok, why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?”
“You believe in surprise, much more so than us.”
“Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Ok, why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?”
“You believe in surprise, much more so than us.”
… that actually happens. Cashiers at Konbini do bow. Not every cashiers, not every Konbini, but more than you’d expect. Plus, they verbally welcome you to the store and say good bye when you exit. It’s reflexive over there.
You usually get the welcoming phrases, but that’s not unique to Japan. The goodbye phrase is less common I think, to the point where I’m not sure which one you’re talking about–maybe “mata yoroshiku onegaishimasu”? Bows aren’t super common either, or it could be because I live in the countryside. Maybe they’re more polite in Tokyo or something.
On an overall average I’d agree that society operates on a more considerate level, like you’d never have someone playing music on their phone on the train or something like that. So maybe it’s just the phrasing that bothered me. “Respect (how much?) in ALL aspects of daily (down to the most mundane) life” just makes it sound like “honorable citizens would never dream of showing an ounce of dishonor!”