I always wondered why the Japanese put up with the ridiculous hours and bizarre company work habits that they have. Why do that? With their insane high savings rates and still jaw droppingly expensive real estate, why not just cash out and move somewhere cheaper like the US or Canada?

Then, I guy in my dorm from Germany who had worked on engineering Japanese bridges said something. "Cooperation is everything in Japan. In Japan if you don't understand something, a teammate will sit down with you for 14 hours until you understand." Are the Japanese really that commited to the team? For all the team "takes" from a Western perspective, does it really give back in Japan?