post isn't finished yet, i didn't mean to leave it on such a cliffhanger but got unexpectedly interrupted in the middle of writing
thank you, i'm surprised i've pretty much never seen anyone else talk about this topic. i guess it's been so long that the japan covered in concrete is simply the only japan most people know, and nobody ever questions it.
I've always looked at Japan from afar with admiration and I didn't know their society had this issue. Thank you for writing that, and letting me learn about it. I'll follow your site for a long time.
thanks, although you should've seen the rambling, caffeine-fueled mess it started as in my notes