"Boss, one copy of today's newspaper, please." At the newsstand outside the entrance of the Shinkansen, a middle-aged man in a suit placed some change into the cash box with one hand and received the freshly printed daily paper from the silver-haired vendor with the other, before turning around to rejoin the rush hour crowd.
For the office workers of Japan, reading the day's news during the Shinkansen commute has almost become a habit ingrained in their bones; if a person in society doesn't know what major events happened the previous day, even chatting with colleagues could lead to confusion, and over time, they might find themselves isolated.
After roughly skimming through the economy and politics sections, Yamamoto, who managed to find a vacant seat when other passengers disembarked, quickly seized the opportunity to sit down, then turned the newspaper to his favorite sports section.
