zlacker

Besides what ehnto has said, I also believe you're only partly correct about the manual process intensive jobs. What you're correct about are the jobs linked to culture and tradition. For example manga, soba noodles, bonsai trees, ink making or woodworking. But they are absolutely replacing whole sectors of manual jobs with machines, ones they don't seem to value to protect. Like retail, they're the absolute leaders in vending machines and attendless brick&mortar shops. Or automaking and electronics.

>>Sponge+(OP)
I live in Japan and have never seen a attendless brick&mortar shop?

Vending machines are everywhere, but usually only for drinks and there is plenty, and I mean plenty of retail shops.

So I don't know what you mean really. Automaking electronics, again not sure, there is a fujitsu factory nearby where I live, there's hundreds maybe thousands of people going in and out of there each day.

Do you have a romantic view of Japan that doesn't exist maybe?