Alright then, back to your main point.
The wisest and most concise comment on the politeness situation I have ever heard in all the time I have been here came from a Canadian fellow who had been in Japan six months. His astuteness and perspicacity are a large part of the reason I think time in Japan is such a poor indicator of anything other than how long a person has been in Japan.
He said, "The Japanese are polite in their sock feet."
If anyone needs that explained to them, I will be happy to elucidate at a later time.