I am currently living in Japan after living my whole life in the United States. I have noticed Japanese Starbucks are much more generous with the space and seating, and generally are wonderful places to socialize/study/work. Additionally, I wonder if it is related to the prevalence of malls and their popularity. In the US, malls are almost universally graveyards, whereas in Japan every Aeon Mall I've ever visited has been full even on weekdays.