Individualism in a collectivist society - from Wired

Momus at Wired shares some thoughts on the individual within a collectivist culture like Japan, and comes to some interesting conclusions.
I'm still not quite sure why collectivist cultures should cater better to the needs of individuals than individualistic societies do. Perhaps it's something to do with the fact that in a collectivist culture like Japan, you're never truly alone, even when you're alone. Or perhaps it's because Japan is such a group society that you need a break now and again, a place out in public where you can be alone for a few minutes between the group at the office and the group at home.