Photographs of 19th Century Japan

I just don't think that's true. This seems like a really pessimistic take. Is it truly "globalist world domination" — implying that our corporate overlords want us to live like this? Or is it purely function and aesthetic? Capitalism puts power in the hands of consumers—sure, marketing has an influence—but also, we as consumers are the ultimate deciders. Cost, labor, and wealth. All are influences in the deciding of what we choose to buy. If what we have today is lifeless, I think it's of our own collective choosing.

To be fair though, these photos are breathtaking. Pre-industrial era Japan is a place I'd love to visit and the history of this transformation is steeped in fear, modernizing in response to Western powers (look up Matthew Perry—naval officer, not the actor lol).

You can't be serious, right? As a consumer, where can I choose to buy a printer with no planned obsolescence? Or a food item with no plastic packaging? In capitalism we do not, in fact, have the power you describe, because only the most profitable products are sold at scale, not the most desirable.