JAPAN: Culture Cab

"After studying the world's cab-riding habits at some length," announced Tomo-michi Tanaka, a bristling, bossy little ex-lieutenant general of the Japanese army air force, "I find that Americans and Europeans like to ride up front. This is a sign of higher culture. They don't like to see the rear view of the sweating driver. In the East, due to low culture, passengers ride in back. In Siam, for example, so low is the culture that the law forbids push-type cabs for fear the passengers will be assaulted by the drivers."

After Japan's surrender, General Tanaka decided to do something...

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