“Vending machines in Tokyo [that] constitute a secret city of solitude. Limiting oneself to purchases from vending machines, it’s possible to spend entire days in Tokyo without having to make eye contact with another sentient being.” Gibson admits to having been asked “Why Japan?” and in possibly the best piece in the book “Modern Boys and Mobile Girls”, Gibson explains why Japan has fascinated him for as long as it has: “Because Japan is the global imagination’s default setting for the future.”
zer0crash wrote
Reminds me of this:
“Vending machines in Tokyo [that] constitute a secret city of solitude. Limiting oneself to purchases from vending machines, it’s possible to spend entire days in Tokyo without having to make eye contact with another sentient being.” Gibson admits to having been asked “Why Japan?” and in possibly the best piece in the book “Modern Boys and Mobile Girls”, Gibson explains why Japan has fascinated him for as long as it has: “Because Japan is the global imagination’s default setting for the future.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distrust_That_Particular_Flavor