I too would have wondered, had I not been there last year. Travelling around Japan on a Yamaha 1300 with some friends. The degree of genuine respect for us was humbling.
There are so many aspects to that. Can you imagine on a Sydney surburban train, this happening? When the guard walks though a carriage, at the end he turns around and bows to the assembled passengers. People do not use mobile phones where they can be heard by others.
I love Australia, but felt like it was Bogansville upon arriving back in Sydney.
