Imagine that, a world with impeccable manners

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Forgive me if I'm a little subdued this morning. I returned from another world on Saturday and am still readjusting to life back in this noisy one.

In that other world, I grew accustomed to walking in tranquil parks without the intrusions of loud phone conversations and the constant huffing and pat-pat-pat-pat footfall of approaching joggers. In that other world, in its capital city of 37 million people, there was rarely the roar of traffic, in its place the cawing of crows and the regular but somehow muted clatter of trains.

And there was something else: good manners. They were displayed from the moment I arrived. Smiling attendants at immigration, who helped everyone through the process of scanning passports. Smiling white-gloved officers in immaculate uniforms who handed back those passports with a bow. "You are welcome to stay for 90 days."

In that other world were shop assistants who greeted you without being intrusive but were on hand when you needed them. Railway attendants who happily (and slowly) directed you to the platform you needed and station announcements in English so much more comprehensible than the garbled mash-up we're too often served in this world.

Thoughtfulness in that other world was everywhere. In the spotless hotel rooms, where pyjamas awaited weary guests, along with slippers, hair brushes and heated toilet seats. On the footpaths, where pedestrians and cyclists mingled without mishap and everyone kept to the left (even the busiest pedestrian crossing in this world was somehow stress-free).

Signs in restaurants and on buses politely asked customers and passengers not to speak loudly and to refrain from making phone calls. After a few days of this, it was jarring to hear English spoken at volume by fellow tourists who'd not yet calibrated their vocal chords to suit local sensibilities.

But the shock was most intense returning to this world. The directions barked at bewildered, weary visitors by grumpy airport staff. The loud complaining at the baggage carousel. The downright rude herding of arrivals through customs and quarantine. And that was just the start of it.

To escape the thunderous rumble of Sydney traffic, I thought a walk in the park would soothe the nerves. But no. It seemed every other person was on the phone, snarking loudly about an acquaintance or colleague: "I mean she was, like, it was like she had 15 different personalities. I was, like, I can't deal with this, like she was so, like..."

And there were the joggers. A constant stream of them, some considerate, many not, but all making enjoyment of the play of sunlight on the trees - what they call komorebi in that other world - impossible. Universally headphoned, they were detached from the beauty through which they stomped.

A visit to the shop was also a thump back to the reality of this world. No smile and bow when paths crossed, just a surly glare and shove past from other shoppers. A curt "You right, mate?" from the cashier.

There's much to love about our world. Its rugged beauty and wide open spaces. Its kaleidoscope of cultures and cuisines. And its unique sense of humour. But there's also much to learn from that other world, especially its civility and order.

With many of us embracing that other world as a favoured destination, there's a remote chance we will bring back with us some of the manners the Japanese do so well.

HAVE YOUR SAY: How important are good manners? Are they something we've neglected in Australia? Is Japan on your list of countries you'd like to visit? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

- Scientists have unearthed the "incredible" fossil of an extinct kangaroo that walked, rather than hopped around southern Australia 50,000 years ago. In a precarious operation, the nearly complete skeleton of a short-faced kangaroo, simosthenurus occidentalis, took about two years to recover from deep within Nightshade Cave near Buchan in eastern Victoria.

- Mr Squiggle, the marionette from the moon who entertained generations of Australian children, has a new home at the National Museum. The beloved children's television show, which first aired in July 1959, featured Mr Squiggle arriving in his spacecraft and making impromptu drawings using his pencil nose - with Blackboard telling him to "Hurry up!" every so often.

- The Prime Minister says he's "focused on the issue" of gender-based violence, after the organiser of a rally calling for action accused him of lying about plans to speak. Speaking to breakfast media on Monday, Mr Albanese did not weigh in on claims he had lied to crowds gathered outside Parliament House, but instead said, "It was an emotional day for people and I get that."

THEY SAID IT: "The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any." - Fred Astaire

YOU SAID IT: Jenna lamented Toyota's lack of a fully electric vehicle and her own last-minute need for a new vehicle.

Ian, who owns and loves a Tesla but is galled his purchase of it made Elon Musk a little richer, writes: "You can love Tesla or hate it, but the company has led the way in EV innovation and development. The more quality EVs that are developed by all car makers (including a seemingly reluctant Toyota), the better as competition will drive down prices and increase choice and capability. In Australia, more than nine out 10 new cars sold are petroleum powered and each one of them will continue to spew out carbon dioxide into our beleaguered atmosphere for the next 10 years or so."

Warwick, who lives in the regions, admits to range anxiety: "When it becomes necessary to give up my petrol only vehicle, I will choose a hybrid over a pure EV. But hopefully, hydrogen cars will be available when that time comes."

"I have been driving electric since 2009 and exclusively electric since 2019," writes Peter. "Nothing 'bugs me' about my current electric car, a 2023 model. It is the best car I have ever owned. I don't anticipate changing it for many years but if I do, it will be replaced with another electric. I would never go back to fossil fuel."

Phil is an EV sceptic: "Not buying electric until we see the long term cost. Expensive up front, replacement battery cost is huge and if you charge at night, when electricity is still coal based, there's no environmental benefit."

John, on the other hand, is a fan: "Just drove my Polestar 2 from Sydney to Melbourne and then to Geelong and then all around Tasmania. Charged twice on the way down, Tesla superchargers at Yass and Albury did the job while we had breakfast then lunch. Tasmania has plenty of charging points. Don't wait for Toyota, there are plenty of other brands to choose from."

Murray, who has twice driven past idle wind farms, writes: "I will consider an EV when they stop being a symbol of rampant virtue signalling, and state and federal governments start investing in base load electricity again. In the meantime I will drive past the motionless windmills in my old V6 Commodore."

Jane writes: "I can't wait to get an EV and rid myself of my diesel-guzzling, +200,000km hatchback. However, I'm waiting for a couple of years when we should get access to bidirectional EVs and legislation around EVs should have caught up with the times. Meaning (especially if you have good rooftop solar), your car becomes the home battery from which you can charge home devices when the sun isn't shining - and vice versa. That's worth waiting for..."