Service at Japanese post offices

[Maciamo]

They will do things such as translating papers (which is allready done as per a mandatory international postal union convention ). and they will take an extreme care of the customers too.

But this translation business is a question of habit. Switzerland is a tiny nation and they speak 4 different languages. The are surrounded by 4 different countries and, if you take a city like Geneva and it's great surroundings, the population is : 52 % of swiss and 48% of foreigners ! this 48 % is split into more than 150 different nations ! It's the largest concentration of foreigners in one city in th whole world. Translation here takes all its meaning, no ?

That's funny you should take the case of Switzerland. I don't know about the Swiss postal system, but I have lived a long time in Belgium, which is even smaller (and more populated), has 3 official languages + English being widely spoken in Brussels. I believe it is more cosmopolitan than Switzerland (Brussels is the EU's and NATO's capital), with 10% of the country's population (i.e. 1 million people, as many as in Japan, which is 13x bigger) being foreigners. Then one could argue that everybody really is a foreigner as Belgium only came to exist in 1830 and was not made of people from the same etnicity and language but a European melting pot. But eventhough, Belgium is the example par exellence of lazy and bureaucratic postal service, which doesn't care much about customers and where clerks would never take the care to translate documents, even in one of the country's official languages.

Postmans will know their area so well and most time remember the names of each and everyone the deserve.

That's quite natural in rural areas, but it' just impossible in big cities, especially if there are lot's of apartment buildings, rather than individual houses.

A letter posted just before 6PM will be distributed the next moring befor 7am regardless of its destination within the country.

That's understandable, because Switzerland isn't so big (the size of Kyushu) and, after all, delivering mail on time is part of their job (while translating isn't).

[yimija]

Hi, yes, but no ! Belgium is definitively not a good exemple. anyway, I've lived in a number of countries, and geneva is not the worst. quality of postal service is superior to any other country i have been in (and so is the pollution control as they are extremely severe and tough on this point in switzerland, which is very good to your lungs and nose...). but that is not the question. I think you shold come and have look for yourself, if i'm still here (working as an independant consultant for UNO's different offices I move a lot around) i'll show you what I mean. And with above 150 different nationality reunited in a small place, it's hard to beat, and brussel is far behind, even with e.e. and nato. come and have a look-see. i have excellent contacts with many of my compatriots from japan and korea who visit switzerland. i meet them at breakfast in the hilton hotel several days a week. and they all love the place (not only the hilton....) !
you are married with a japanese woman ? you lucky guy ! we are the best !