Japan Defined.

Overheard in New York | Just Use Your New York Instincts and You'll Do Fine:

"Student: Um, would we really use the extremely polite form with random strangers on the street?
Japanese teacher, exuberantly: Oh yes, definitely.
Class: [Laughter.]
Japanese teacher: I'm not kidding, you don't want to make them think you like them or want to get close to them... they're a stranger! You want to keep as much emotional distance from them as possible.

--Japanese Class, Columbia University

Overheard by: Vicksburg"