Japan 

Japanese Culture Report 1 

1. Ways of Greetings

When we meet the businessperson, we have to bow (This is very polite) and give business card. We have to be very polite.

2. Appearance and style of dress

We have to wear the formal suit and have a tie to see businessperson and business meeting. Also, we have to wear a suit and tie at dinner.

3. Food and How We Eat

Usually before customer eats, we are not going to eat. This meaning is we should wait. Our dinnertime is 6:30PM to 7:30PM. During dinner, we eat so slowly because we have to think about customers.

4. Commitment to time schedules

If we have meeting, we have to be there before the time that start meeting. If we are late at meeting, customers think that we aren’t vary polite and lazy, and they dint want to have business.

5. How Much Space We Like Around Us

Usually we need a space which 1 meter because we have to do bow, and the space make us comfortable because we don’t used to have very close between each other.

6. Our Relationships With Others and Authority

We have distance with people who don’t know a lot. We are very negative, also polite. We think about partner too much.

7. Our Outlook and Attitude Toward Life

We think about future even if we are young, people think about it. We want to get a good job more than things we want to do. Our parents suggest that what should we do before we think.

8. Our Sense of Self and Attitude Toward Life

We depend on company. We are not independent. Usually we think teamwork is more important than individual, and we don’t like fail, so we depend on other people.

9. How We Perceive the World Around Us

We think Japanese company is good such as car industry. We think technology of Japan is good from TV and newspaper.

10. How We Learn and What We Study

We have to study at school from 6 years old to 15 years old. After that if we want to study, we can go to high school and university. Usually people go to university. We study Japanese. From junior high school, we study English, so we can read English. But we don’t study speaking and listening, so we can’t speak and listen English.

Japanese Culture Report 2 

1. Dress

In Japanese business culture, men who work in a medium sized or large company usually wear formal suit with white or pastel shirt and tie. The suit is usually a dark color like gray or dark blue. Women also wear formal suits with light colored shirt. Most of the women generally prefer a skirt suit to pantsuit. However, some companies such as foreign firms or apparel industries approve self-assertion, so personnel wear more casual clothes in these companies.

2. Entertainment of Client for Business Connection

In Japanese business culture, businessmen usually invite their client to dinner for strengthening their business connections. Also, they invite their clients to play golf on weekend, so if you can play golf. It may be an advantage for your business. If you invite your client to dinner in a single room restaurant, you have to let your client have a seat first, even if you are women. Also, you have to let you client have a seat that is the farthest from the entrance of the single room. On the other hand, if your clients invite you to something like golf, dinner or fishing, you shouldn’t refuse unless you have a very important appointment or you get ill.     

3. Other Japanese Culture

Japanese people don’t have the “lady first” custom. We think a person’s age is more important so we give older people precedence. Also, Japanese businessmen always give their customers or clients precedence. Some companies let their personnel think that their customers are God. In addition, it is sometimes considered polite to say,” I’m sorry.” For example, if you are standing in a long line at the cash desk, a cashier says, “ I’m sorry about the long line” to you.

Japanese Culture Report 3 

1. General

You will be surprised when you arrive at Narita International Airport because there are no high buildings around it. Narita is located in Chiba prefecture, which is next to downtown Tokyo, about 1.5 hours away. Tokyo, the capital of Japan is the most crowded city in Japan. Use the subway or train for your transportation. When you get on an escalator, if you want to stand, stay on the left side because the right side is for people who are walking. You must stand in a line to get on a subway or a train. You can buy tickets and passes at vending machines of every station.

2. Clothing

Basically, men’s business style in Japan is formal shirts, neckties and suits. Female salespersons also wear suits. Some companies are allowing casual clothes on Friday, but it would be better to wear suits. Japanese summer is humid and hot with the temperatures of around 35 C, so you should bring s suit made of thin material. In winter, the temperature ranges is from 0 to 15 C. therefore, warmer attire is better.

3. Business Greetings

Don’t be late for appointments with your clients. If you are late, you will give a negative impression because Japanese are always punctual. Japanese businessmen in their forties and fifties may have difficult dealing with female salespersons. Personal introductions require first a bow and then exchange of business cards. Your card should be given with both hands, in the direction that your customers can correctly read it. You need to take a minute to read the card and check their title because Japanese respect this. Then you may shake hands. At the end of the meeting, give a gift that represents your culture to the senior company person and freebies to people who attend the meeting. As a token of gratitude, you will receive a Japanese gift. For your close customer or person in charge of their company, you can prepare a special present personally to make a heart felt impression.

4. Business Meetings

If you are a guest, you can’t choose your seat at the meeting because it is already decided beforehand. Guests are shown where they can sit. Usually the superior speaks first and the others must keep quiet to him carefully. During the meeting, you need to put the business card that you received on the table so that you can identify the person. The Japanese have an indirect communication culture. Being quite means they are thinking and paying attention. Quick and/or straight answers to questions are rude. They tend to be vague. It is very difficult to ask business people to give their opinions immediately. You can’t give individual praise or criticize because the Japanese have a strong group consciousness.  

5. Contracts

Contracts may not be always irrevocable. In some cases, a few clauses in a contract will be subject to final confirmation by both parties. Even though they signed a contract, they sometimes request a revision and we have to comply to keep good business relationship. 

6. Business Dinner

Having dinner together is also considered a part of business in Japan. We usually eat dinner around 7:00PM. After the meeting, we always invite foreign customers to dinner. We also expect the guests to come. We ask their preference and make arrangements at a Japanese restaurant in advance. You can’t choose your seat in the restaurant either because it is already pre-decided. You will probably sit in the center. The senior company person proposes a toast at dinner. Make sure that you start to drink and eat first. You don’t have to worry about using chopsticks because most restaurants have forks and knives for foreign guests but using them is preferable. Don’t stick your chopsticks into rice because this is considered rude. Instead, you can use the chopstick rest. If you like to drink alcohol, you can enjoy various types of Japanese liquor such as Sake and Shochu (Japanese distilled liquor made from sweet potatoes, rise, wheat). Drinking is welcomed in Japanese culture.  

7. After Dinner

After dinner, you can’t go back to your hotel room directly. Japanese like to go to Karaoke and you can’t miss it. We have two types of Karaoke, one is singing in a room with your friends and another is singing on a stage or in front of everybody. I recommend that you master a couple English songs before coming to Japan because you will have to sing first.

Japanese Culture Report 4  

1. General

In Japan, greeting is very important. If you don’t greet well, you first impression will be bad. We face each other straightly and bow. It is seldom that Japanese shake hands with each other, but when they meet people from foreign country, they will follow the lead without a problem. Japanese never hug or kiss each other. You had better not to ask to do it because Japanese will be embarrassed.

2. Meetings

Japanese don’t talk about their private life much and they start the business meeting soon. When the meeting starts, generally women serve tea or coffee.

3. Agreement

In the meeting, Japanese imply what they want to say. They often don’t say yes or no directly, and tend to say that they would like to think more when they think negatively. And even if you make a contract, the contract is not always irrevocable. They follow the contract at first, but they will keep negotiating after that. It is a guide.

4. Meals

If you are invited for dinner, they will take you to a restaurant at first and then they will take you to a bar where hostesses serve alcohol. At the restaurant, people who are lower position serve alcohol to the bosses or customers. If your situation is weaker, you had better fill the glasses for your customers. You can talk about their private life and they will still keep talking about the business or general topics. Even after the meeting, they may try negotiate while you are drinking. You had better not get drunk too much. You may miss what they said. It is very rare for Japanese to invite customers to their home.

5. Relationship

Japanese society is still feudal. Generally, people who are inferior or women follow the people who are superior and serve tea or alcohol. They are nervous for the order of their position. It is seldom that subordinate offend their bosses. If the boss dislikes the subordinate, his position will get worse in the company. And women or people in lower position open the door and let superior people pass first.

Japanese Culture Report 5  

Food

Japanese food is very healthy because most of the food isn’t oily. And we often eat fresh fish such as Sashimi and Sushi and vegetable. However, young people don’t have enough money to eat Sushi, so they often eat junk food such as fast food. In addition, we don’t have to pay tip when we go out to eat. Furthermore, Japanese restaurant is very fast to prepare a meal and service is very polite. We sometimes have to train about service in each restaurant when we work as a part time.

Education

We have 6 years for primary school and 3 years for junior high school. It depends on people if they go to high school and university. Also, we decide to go to there with our parent.

Style of Business

1. Business card

First, they give their customer their business cards with using both hands. Second, they receive a customer’s business card on their left hand. Finally, they give customer it on right hand.

2. In an Elevator

Usually, if a customer’s president or a person who also good career more then me gets on elevator, I have to get on and get off the elevator first because I have to push the button.