人気No.1!!!

人気No.1!!!

So the title above reads 'Ninki No.1'. It means 'Number 1 Favourite Item!' You see it everywhere in Japan - in shops, in restaurants, on TV ads. It's usually stuck on the top-selling item in bright, garish letters.
I came across it as usual today, and wanted to put it out there: 'Do we in the West rely so much on letting customers know what the most popular item is?' (ed. note: My first Sarah Jessica Parker moment...I thank you)
I honestly think it's just a Japanese thing. There is a huge act-like-sheep sydrome over here. People really do fit the stereotype of trying to always find concensus. I think each person thinks, 'Well if lots of other people have it, it must be good.' Safety in numbers.
You especially notice this with restaurants and shopping centres. A new restaurant or shop will be profiled in a magazine or on TV and will be filled to capactiy the next day. This will last about a month until the next 'in' place is found, and then everyone will move on en masse.
I work in a very quiet, residential area. Certainly not a gastronomic hub. The other day a new steakhouse opened and there were people queueing up in the rain to get a table. What realy makes me laugh is it's a chain - the menu is exactly the same as at any other outlet. Perhaps Japanese people just love to queue.
A little aside about new resuartants and shops. When a new place opens, well wishers get these massive bouquets of flowers delivered. They stand outside the place of business until they start to wilt and die. The funny thing is, at night local people will come and steal flowers from the seriously metre-tall arrangements and bring home little bouqets to their homes. I was kind of outraged when I first saw it happeneing,but then I thought that at least the flowers aren't going to waste.