Why do Japanese people like strong light?

Question

I live in Tokyo for 3 weeks now. Japanese people working with me or visiting me noticed that my lights are too dimmed (and they are not). Than I looked arround a little closer and saw that every japanese apartment or every office, and all lights around me are always blasing strong. Also, we know that the entire Asia has always very bright street lights and panels...
Why is that?

Can it have anything to do with Japanese/Asian genetic setting? Namely, we know that their ancestors came down from far north, and there the lights (with snow and reflections) are much stronger, so it can be that the eyes evolved towards being slightly less light sensitive.

Can somebody elaborate on this, or recommend an internet source?

Answer 1

Because the structure (anatomy) between Asian and White are different.
See, the baseball players and American football players paint black under their eyes. but Asian seldom does it.

Answer 2

Hmmmm - well I've been living in Japan for almost 3 years now, and I've never noticed the lights being bright!!

Maybe that's because when I lived in England I arranged the lighting in my house so that it suited our way of life, rather than for dramatic or soothing effect, and I ended up with quite bright lights most of the time too - for reading, so that computer screens didn't damage someone's eyes, for preparing food, for writing...

Anyway, we don't have all our lights on full-blast here in Japan anyway - and I'm sure we're not the only ones! The hall, bathroom and toilet lights are low wattage. And most of our living area lights have 3 settings - bright, medium, or night-light. We use bright in the kitchen area, and medium in the living and dining areas.

Japanese street lights are not ALL bright either..! You're talking about big cities, but in suburban areas like ours there's a lot less street lighting than in an equivalent UK street!!

"we know that the entire Asia has always very bright street lights and panels."
Do we?? I do NOT!! YOU might 'know' or 'think you know' that, but that doesn't make it a fact!!
; )

Answer 3

I have noticed very bright lights in some stores.
Maybe it attracts customers.
I do however know that Japanese people tend to have poor vision.

Answer 4

This is completely not racist, but that's mostly true of all Asians, because the shape of their eyelids restricts the amount of light that reaches on their pupil, thus more light is needed for the eyes of Asians.

Answer 5

My friend is a Japanese-American goth, and she loves the dark...maybe its just a culture thing? Once you are adapted to a particular lighting then your used to it, anything brighter or duller seems unusual

Answer 6

I am Japanese, but I don't have my lights fully-blasted over the clock. I think it depends on each individual and their situation (ex. their office only has two settings: OFF and FULL BLAST)

Answer 7

I know japanese people that have round eyes and I don't think that there is a correlation between squinty eyes and brightness!

Answer 8

I think it has something to do with eye colors. Black absorbs more light than any other colors do. Then, black eyes can admit more light.

Answer 9

what? genetics? are u kidding me? :P Its got to be cultural. WTF are we aliens to the rest of the world, why do i always come across weird questions a/b my people? I mean say your itallian-american or something does that mean you have a perference for tomato and starch in your diet b/c of genetics? geeze