As an economic power, Japan is the ideal that the rest of Asia aspires to, but it isn't merely Japan's vast material wealth that everybody envies. There's a social aspect to Japan's success that many see as even more desirable.
Several years ago, a high-ranking Chinese leader was asked by a Japanese reporter if China wasn't abandoning socialism with its new business-oriented policies. He said that socialism was still China's goal, but now it was the socialism practiced in Japan.
There is no better active illustration of this idea than the excitement that accompanied the opening of the new Louis Vuitton store on Omotesando in Tokyo on Sept. 1. Waiting in line for the store to open were 1,400 people. Most had waited overnight, but there were many who'd been there for three days. To commemorate the opening, Louis Vuitton Japan put on sale 1,000 handbags with labels saying "Omotesando 2002." They sold out immediately, as did a limited edition of 50 watches, each of which cost 350,000 yen.