Won't Miss #381 - reluctance to confront (the bad)

While not being confronted over niggling infractions like taking a photo in a no camera zone is a bonus when living in Japan, the fact that the Japanese are so reluctant to confront people who break rules can be inconvenient and troubling as well. In particular, when someone breaks a rule which affects others strongly and no one with authority calls them on it, it can be very irritating. One case in point which I experience on an almost daily basis are people smoking in no smoking areas or riding bicycles in no cycling areas. Superficially, it appears at times that the police also have a reluctance to confront as I've seen them stand outside their police boxes and watch cars run red lights without blinking an eye. It could be that they're just lazy, but it does seem that they'd rather not get involved if they can possibly avoid it.

I won't miss the way the Japanese won't confront people who flagrantly break rules which endanger or trouble other people.

Will Miss #380 - reluctance to confront (the good)

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One of the things you learn pretty quickly in Japan is that Japanese people are quite reluctant to confront people who break the rules (either willfully or unwittingly). If you enter a space which says "no photos", there's a pretty good chance that people won't tell you to put away your camera if they see you taking pictures. This applies not only to foreigners, but also to Japanese people. However, foreigners are far less likely to be confronted because of language concerns and perceived differences in temperament. Frankly speaking, sometimes they can get away with a whole heck of a lot because they know the Japanese won't call them on it. 

In the U.S., people are rarely reluctant to get in your face about anything, so I will miss the reluctance to confront people that I experience in Japan.