Originally Posted by wideman
Is comparing bananas and onions the same as comparing apples and oranges?
Bingo! Very different places. As for rudeness/politeness/chaos, I don't know, but having lived in both, Tokyo has more than its share of rude and crass people. But you have to peel the onion to get there.
Try the following: get on a subway, find an empty seat between two sararimen, and sit there. Watch one or both of them get up and stand rather than sit next to you.