Some people online have started telling Japan to "go drink tap water." As an insult. It took Japanese people a while to even understand why. In much of the world, drinking from the tap means you can't afford bottled water. Or that you're about to get sick. In Japan, you can drink straight from the tap almost anywhere. It has to pass 51 national quality standards. Tokyo loses only about 3% of its water to leaks. London and Paris lose around 20%. A 1970 bestseller famously said the Japanese believe "Mizu to anzen wa tada." Water and safety are free. It was meant as a warning. Neither one is free. People work every day, out of sight, to keep them that way. When I first saw the insult, my honest reaction was: "I already do. What's the insult?"