ABSTRACT
Building upon the discussion in Chapter 1 about symbols and signs, this chapter looks at the development of emoji and some issues related to them. The chapter then discusses a range of issues relating to the concentration of the population in large cities and how the country appears to be Tōkyō-centric. In the next section, the chapter discusses issues relating to the aging population and how the population as a whole is falling. This allows for a discussion on the role and use of robots and AI. While the population of Japan as a whole may be dropping, there continue to be increases in many major cities, and some of the consequences of this are discussed. This discussion leads on to considering issues relating to the cost of living in Japan and how international comparisons are difficult. The chapter concludes with a ‘Reflection’ section that asks you to consider some additional issues that relate to the topics that have been covered in the chapter.
