Chapter 939: A Day in the Life of Ordinary People

[Chapter 939: A Day in the Life of Ordinary People]

"Daddy, we're going to the mall today, can you come with us?"

"You three go ahead. Here's my card, buy whatever you want."

"Yes! Awesome! Mommy, I'm going shopping, shopping, shopping!"

Suzuki Meiko was speechless dealing with this guy who spoiled his daughter without any principles.

"Honey, are you still going to work today? I arranged for breakfast to be sent over."

"No, I want to check out 7-Eleven breakfast. Although it probably isn't great, I just want to see why they've grown so fast lately. You guys eat at the hotel. Fujita already arranged someone to keep you company."

What's a submissive woman's advantage? Maybe many things, but high compliance is the key. Once a man makes a decision, they usually just go along with it.

Of course, there's a condition: you better be able to support your wife. A good provider supports everyone in the household. If you want your wife to go out and earn money, well... your status and allowance around the house will bottom out.

Life here is far safer than in the U.S.

Marunouchi, the heart of Chiyoda district and the Mitsubishi zaibatsu's stronghold. Saying you want to experience 'ordinary people's life' here is kind of a joke--anyone working here isn't really 'ordinary.'

"Tanner, 7-Eleven stores in the U.S. are bigger, but I feel like their selection here is better."

"It's not really different, similar to Hong Kong. It's mostly the packaging. Look at that coffee--they serve tiny portions. Unless it's espresso, you probably wouldn't tell the difference."

"Haha, true. Not sure if the packaging costs more than the coffee."

Not wanting to be too flashy, William White wore professional business attire. It wasn't a day off, and a group of grown men shopping looked pretty odd.

Submissive wives mean even if you're rich, you can't be lazy bums. If you loaf around all day, you'll get labeled as a spoiled trust fund kid.

"Fujita, it doesn't seem crowded. Look, my sneaky hand didn't even get a chance to work."

Fujita laughed bitterly. "Sir, people walk in from outside, you're walking out from inside--of course no one crosses paths with you."

"Ahem, boss, not many people live here. Marunouchi is a business area, and nearby apartments are expensive."

"What? Bubble economy burst, shouldn't prices be rock bottom?"

"Nope. Just like Beverly Hills, the outside economy doesn't impact much."

"Got it."

After aimlessly wandering half the day, Fujita was dizzy. He knew the boss wasn't really interested in game consoles. Judging by his behavior, he acted like a market researcher.

He guessed right; even if the data from consultancies was reliable, he didn't understand what it really meant.

William White observed that if 7-Eleven business was good but sushi restaurants weren't, that wasn't really a sign of an economic rebound. These were just very basic services.

So what if premium sushi spots still needed reservations?

That didn't count. Like they say, the rich waste food and drink. A meal is negligible to the ultra-rich.

"Sir, only company employees regularly eat out, no one else."

"What do you mean?"

"Typically, the average man here has a 30,000 yen monthly allowance including lunch, cigarettes, and a drink after work."

"Daily? Wait, weekly?"

"No, monthly. A 300,000 yen salary is very good here. Such a person won't have over 50,000 yen for discretionary spending. Smoking and occasional drinking are common.

During economic downturns, some quit smoking. Others bring packed lunches."

William White shook his head bitterly. Life here was tough. No one dated, no one married, no one had kids.

If low-income folks stop having babies, does the government expect to raise the population alone? The current population boom happened after the war's baby boom. These simple jobs still needed workers. Without change, this country was toast.

"So this is the poor's revenge?"

"What? Immigrants?"

Sorry, this country isn't an immigration nation. To naturalize, you either marry in or out--for anything else, at best a resident visa, no citizenship.

Yoshino Beef Bowl wasn't exactly tasty, just filling. Why was street food in Taipei so flavorful? Cheap prices don't mean they skimped on quality.

Actually, William White was biased--someone who eats Kobe beef daily shouldn't judge. If he thought it was good, Yoshino would be losing money.

Otherwise, you'd have to fight over seats.

"Young sir, there's a reporter. We should leave."

"Alright, let's go straight to Disneyland next, see how business is doing."

William White went to Disneyland not on inspection and needed no escort.

From the service attitude, it was flawless. From security guards to ticket checkers, smiles were genuine.

These small details, American Disney couldn't match. How come, with higher pay and shorter hours, U.S. employees always looked grumpy? Were the tourists or the boss to blame?

White decided to overhaul things when he returned. Fire all the old hands.

Looking at the Mickey Mouse pastries made him want to bang his head. The U.S. version looked like a disaster scene. Top executives needed replacing if they lacked Tokyo Disneyland experience.

Disneyland in L.A. didn't interest his kids much, but they were totally the opposite here. They felt like small kids had to check in or they'd feel something missing.

That was the difference. William White saw that in service industries, Japanese companies always had higher standards. If it was standardized, they excelled.

No hope for the U.S., but perhaps Taipei could learn a lot.

Though his think tank hadn't concluded, he wasn't ready to give up this aspect of Japan.

Michael Eisner sighed heavily after hanging up. He had been to Japan's mouse park and knew the U.S. service lagged.

Layoffs?

Okay, layoffs while profitable. Whatever, let HR handle it. Might as well hire fresh graduates for these positions.

Wait, maybe some Asian-Americans--these folks had much better work attitudes and wouldn't keep asking for raises. But that was a touchy subject.

Better he handle it personally.

Michael Eisner kept mumbling--he wasn't paranoid or unusual. The Disney CEO job paid well and was secure.

But there was one thing: if he didn't deliver what the boss wanted, he'd be out.

As U.S. Disneyland underwent so many changes, progress was evident, but the boss demanded even more.

*****

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