Whats especially interesting is that Japan is a culture of honor and conformity, and the US is a culture of generally individualism. Someone living out deep in the suburbs that doesn't have kids really doesn't have many options outside of work to meet people or make friends. The only community centers we have are Schools and Churches, but a huge segment of the population doesn't go to either - they stay at home and watch TV, or maybe go to a bar and don't speak to anyone.<p>My parents both retired recently - they found after "work" there was really nothing to do, and 90% of their social lives went away after they left their job. I'm quite worried about the time they are spending at home - one can spend weekends landscaping the yard only so long. Maybe my trouble is I haven't had very good examples of good social lives, but it seems like its a problem overall in American society - once out of school or college there's no default place to go.