Japan is Not as Tech Savvy as You Might Think

For a very long time, Japanese companies have led the way in numerous technological advancements. Japan has long been at the forefront of technological advancements, as seen by the presence of companies like Sony, Toyota, Fuji, and countless more. So it comes as a bit of a surprise to learn just how technologically illiterate the populace actually is.

While North Americans are busy watching new episodes on Netflix, HBOMax, Amazon Prime, and Disney+, streaming is still a relatively new source of entertainment for the people of Japan. Stores that rent movies are still very popular. There are still astonishingly high levels of DVD rentals and purchases, as well as CD sales. The music industry is quite lucrative. They were responsible for roughly $2.5 billion in physical music sales in 2016. In terms of overall sales in 2018, streaming services have just about caught up to hard media.

Japan is a sluggish adopter of technology, even when it comes to how goods are paid for. With electronic payments like debit and credit lagging behind many other countries, cash is still king. Japan is not nearly as advanced in e-commerce as other countries are. It's astonishingly far away from the US and China given the size of the nation and its economy.

Despite all the innovation in business, tradition seems to be significant in Japan, and despite this, people tend to remain with what they are familiar with in social situations. In truth, many people in Japan still ink official documents, such as legal documents, timesheets for the workplace, and financial documents, with wooden stamps.