Daddy Tanuki
Solar Wizard
But if you really want to look at signs of excess, look at the gazillion self storage units in this country. Half the new construction around here seems to be more and more mini storage units. I've never been guilty of paying rent on a place just to store more junk. I get it when you're in the middle of a move or some other valid reason but I've known countless people who have one or more units they rent for years and years. Just to store their stuff. The rent often costs more than the stuff is worth. Is this an American phenomenon or do y'all see it elsewhere too?
I see a lot of it starting in Japan as well... I think it is one of the visual cues of a country on the decline. japanese used to throw away perfectly good appliances on a 2 to 3 years cycle.. that was back when the economy was booming... now they hold on to stuff if they can...into the storage wars level.