&gt;You can&#x27;t put a price on peace of mind<p>The peace of mind may not last too long.<p>The Japanese public debt exceeded one quadrillion yen (US$10.46 trillion) in 2013, more than <i>twice</i> the annual gross domestic product of Japan [1].<p>&gt;general atmosphere of civility and willingness to come together for a common cause.<p>Yes, the US could use a bit more civility.
But in Japan, the &quot;willingness to come together&quot; comes at a price - of culturally suppressed individual expression.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Japan_public_debt" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Japan_public_debt</a>