Why Don't Japanese People Wear Bicycle Helmets?

I don't F***ing know. It drives me crazy. Let's talk about it.

Ask any Japanese person. Japan is a very "safety" country. It's true. Besides the occasional earthquake or typhoon there is not a lot of danger in Japan. Everything works, everything is clean, there is very little crime.

Also the culture is very safety conscious. The average person is very careful about everything. Two of the most common words you will hear are "yabai" (Its risky!) and "Kiotsukete" (Be careful!). But...

No one wears a bicycle helmet. NO ONE!

Before we go farther I better be clear about two things.

One, I live in Japan and I love Japan. It's great. The people are great. I have few complaints. I'm very grateful for all Japan has given me. I'm not trying to bash Japan in general.

Two, I was a social worker in the 90s. For about 5 of those years I worked at a residential head injury rehabilitation center. I saw first hand what even minor head injuries wreak on a life. Short term memory loss almost as bad as the movie Memento, inability to control emotions and impulses, and simple cognitive functions severely impaired that make if very hard to live a meaningful and happy life.

Wear your GOD DAMN helmet!

I love my Japanese family. I've only had two real disagreements in ten years. One, babies and…