Working in Japan: Understanding the Culture

One of the biggest challenges facing expats living and working in Japan is understanding the unique work culture which is deeply rooted in traditional values. The Japanese are known for being workaholics and extremely loyal to their company. They are very dedicated to the job and take every detail of the job seriously. While it is not too difficult to find a job in Japan, fitting into the work environment and hierarchy can be one of the most challenging aspects about working in the land of the rising sun. 

The Group Dynamic 

One of the key components of working successfully in Japan is belonging to the team and working well with others on the team. Most projects are worked on as a group with lots of meetings to discuss the project and make decisions via group consensus. Group harmony (wa) is key. A team-based attitude is important rather than standing out as an individual. Your co-workers are your teammates rather than your rivals. 

"Team work" by kevin dooley 

Nomunication 

Nomunication takes the Japanese word for drink “nomu” and combines it with the English word “communication”. Drinking after work is an important part of the work culture here in Japan and is done to further strengthen relationships and the teamwork mentioned above. Drinking with your co-workers after work to relax and strengthen your bond is an essential part of Japanese work etiquette.

"Early One Morning" by amirjina

The Senpai & Kohai System 

Japanese society places strong importance on the hierarchical relationship between a senior and a junior. The Senpai (senior) and Kohai (junior) system has its roots in Confucian teaching but has developed its very own Japanese style and is deeply embedded into Japanese culture. It can be found everywhere in society from businesses and schools to clubs, organizations, and associations. Understanding how it works and where you fit into this hierarchy is essential in the workplace.

Overtime and more Overtime 

The Japanese are known for being some of the hardest working people on the planet with long working hours and loads of overtime. It is not uncommon for people to stay at work until 9 or 10 at night. Companies have traditionally looked favourably upon employees who work overtime as they are seen as being more diligent and hardworking. Very often, employees will work overtime because they are mindful of their co-workers and feel nervous about leaving work if everyone else is still working. 

Treat Business Cards with Respect 

One of the key components of working in Japan is exchanging business cards in a formal situation. Like anything in Japanese society, it comes with its own list of rules and procedures which must be strictly adhered to. Some important things to learn include how to accept the business card with both hands, having the right angle in your bow and what to do with the card once you have received it, Common faux pas include stuffing it into your pocket and leaving it behind on the table. Make sure you get yourself a nice business card holder to treat the cards with respect. 

"Business Card 2012" by katsumotoy

Working in Japan can be an interesting and rewarding experience as long as you keep a positive attitude, understand the work system, and adapt to the new lifestyle.

"Shibuya Crossing" by Luke Zeme Photography

Japan: A Guide to Traditions, Customs and Etiquette

Japan is a country filled with ancient traditions and customs that can baffle anyone who is new to the country. The culture of Japan has evolved greatly over the millennia, with the modern culture absorbing influences from Asia, Europe and North America. Traditional Japanese culture has its roots in ancient China, a regional powerhouse that strongly influenced Japanese traditions and customs first through Korea, and later via direct cultural exchanges with China. For a long period of time during the Tokugawa Shogunate (1600-1868), Japan adopted a period of isolation from the outside world, which allowed its own culture to flourish and develop with out influence from outside forces.

The Book’s Content 

Japan: A Guide to Traditions, Customs and Etiquette is one of the first books to explain in great detail why the Japanese think and behave the way they do. Veteran Japanologist, Boye Lafayette De Mente unlocks the mysteries of kata – the cultural forms that shape and define Japanese etiquette, character and world view. Kata is responsible for creating the unique traits and talents which distinguish the Japanese people. It remains the key to understanding Japanese customs, business etiquette and daily communication and interactions.

The book covers a wide range of topics from “The Art of Bowing” and “Importance of the Apology” to “The Compulsion for Quality” and “Exchanging Name Cards”. The author delves deep into the complexities of Japanese culture by exploring the origin, nature, use and influence of kata in Japanese life.

My View 

Why I really like this book? In seventy short, clear essays and 224 pages the book explores Japanese history, daily life and the collective Japanese psyche to help explain the ancient culture of Japan and its own unique way of thinking. Long-term foreign residents of Japan will find this book illuminating and thought-provoking as it provides detailed insights into many of the country’s interesting traditions, customs and etiquette. It is the perfect read for anyone interested in working for a Japanese company to better understand the work culture, business etiquette and why things are the way they are.

The black and white photos in the book add to the mystery of the content and help to break up the text-heavy pages.

This book is great for anyone looking to get deep under the surface of Japanese culture and better understand this fascinating country.

About the Writer 

The author, Boye Lafayette De Mente first went to Japan in 1949 as a member of a U.S. military intelligence agency, and was involved with the country for more than six decades as a student, journalist, editor, lecturer, and writer. He is the author of more than thirty books on Japan, including Japanese Etiquette and Ethics in Business and How to Do Business with the Japanese.

The book has been completely revised and expanded by Geoff Botting, who has lived in Japan for over a quarter century, witnessing Japan’s economic bubble, its bursting, and the changes that came in its wake. He is a freelance translator and a print and broadcast journalist specializing in business.

Japan: A Guide to Traditions, Customs and Etiquette offers an informative and eye-opening look at a unique culture and helps you better understand the rationale behind Japanese behavior. This book gives you a good understanding of Japan’s traditions, customs and etiquette which are useful to know whether you are just visiting the country as a tourist, or planning to live in Japan as a resident.

Japan: A Guide to Traditions, Customs and Etiquette is available now from Tuttle Publishing.

A Tour of Aichi Prefecture

Aichi Prefecture is best known for Nagoya Castle and the Toyota Motor Corporation, but if you delve further under its surface you will discover many amazing and unique things about this wonderful part of central Japan. From Japanese food culture and umami as the home of sushi and matcha to innovation and technology from Japan’s first wooden robots to modern-day marvels, Aichi has it all with a vast array of attractions.

Join me as I explore the best off the beaten-path experiences that the heart of Japan has to offer.

Mizkan Museum (Handa) 

A fun and interactive museum where you can learn about the history of the famous Mizkan company as a vinegar producer in Japan. Traditionally Japanese vinegar was made from rice, but Mizkan being the innovative company that it is, decided to make vinegar from sake lees, a by-product of sake that is usually just thrown away. This new type of vinegar was cheaper to produce and tasted amazing giving sushi rice the kick it needed to elevate sushi to star status. In the early 1880s, as nigiri sushi was starting to take off in Edo (modern-day Tokyo), Mizkan saw a business opportunity and capitalized by quickly mobilising and shipping their amazing vinegar to Edo to catch the boom. The rest is as they say history. Today Mizkan produces vinegars, mustards, salad dressings, authentic Asian sauces, natto, pasta sauces and other food products, which are sold around the world.

http://www.mizkan.co.jp/mim/ 

Japanese Restaurant Ittou (Hekinan) 

An amazing Japanese restaurant to experience the best food that the Chita Peninsula has to offer. Ittou specialises in traditional Japanese food made with the best local ingredients of the area. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch here prepared by chef, Nagata-san, who learned how to cook at the famous Tsukiji Tamura in Tokyo.

http://www.katch.ne.jp/~kobanten/kobanten08.html

Hichifuku Brewing Corporation (Hekinan) 

The home of shiro shoyu (white soy sauce) in Japan with the Hichifuku Brewing Corporation being the only manufacturer of this amazing product. The amber-coloured sauce is organically made and keeps intact the colours of other ingredients it is cooked with unlike regular soy sauce. Hichifuku Brewing also manufactures shiro dashi (white broth) which is made with its famous white soy sauce along with a broth of carefully selected dried bonito, konbu (kelp) and shiitake mushrooms, giving umami to any dish. A tour of the factory will allow you to see and learn how these delicious products are made.

http://www.7fukuj.co.jp/arigato_sato/ 

Aiya Matcha Museum (Nishio) 

Although not as well known as Uji in Kyoto, Nishio City is the home of matcha (powdered green tea) with a history of over 800 years. The Aiya Matcha Museum gives you an interesting hands-on experience where you can learn how to differentiate between the different quality of matcha by colour, aroma, texture and taste, as well as make your own unique matcha blend, which you can grind with a mill stone, whisk up to perfection and enjoy in the traditional tea ceremony room.

https://www.matcha.co.jp/ 

Japanese Restaurant Genjiko (Minami Chita) 

Enjoy fresh seafood from the Chita Peninsula at this traditional Japanese-style Inn located in Minami Chita Hot Spring Village. The tasty dishes prepared by Genjiko feature a lot of fresh fish from Ise Bay including the famous Ise-ebi spiny lobster.

http://www.genji-koh.co.jp/

Kameya Yoshihiro Confectionary (Nagoya) 

Wagashi are traditional Japanese sweets made of mochi and anko (red azuki bean paste) that were originally made to be enjoyed and counter the bitterness of matcha green tea. Nagoya established itself as a center for wagashi during the age of the samurai with the city home to many famous samurai warlords. One of the most famous wagashi makers in Japan is Kameya Yoshiro which was founded in 1949 and now has 17 shops around Nagoya. We experienced making Jonamagashi, fresh Japanese sweets designed to capture the colour and seasonal beauty of Japan. The wonderful experience included watching a certified wagashi master with 40 years of experience make a cherry blossom flower (spring), iris flower (summer), autumn leaf (fall), and chrysanthemum (winter), before trying our own hand at making a cherry blossom flower.

http://www.kameya-yoshihiro.co.jp/

Midtown BBQ (Nagoya) 

An American style BBQ restaurant in the heart of Nagoya in the Fushimi area. The steak & smokehouse make their own original BBQ rubs and sauces with everything cooked over fire. I enjoyed a fantastic lunch here specially prepared by the chef for our visit. The lunch included a A5 Black Wagyu Shiitake Mushroom Cheeseburger and BBQ Smoked Spareribs featuring an original BBQ sauce made with Hatcho Miso, a local variety of red miso. I really like how this restaurant combines American classics with Japanese umami through great local ingredients.

http://midtown-bbq.com/

Karakuri Dolls at Tsutamo (Nagoya) 

Japan is renowned for its futuristic robots but did you know that these innovative marvels have their roots dating back to the age of the samurai? Karakuri Ningyo were Japan’s original robots made during the Edo Period (1603-1868) to entertain guests. These traditional mechanized puppets use only the power of springs or weights, and can do it all from accurately shooting arrows at a target to writing calligraphy and serving tea or sake to their guests. These days you can find them at the top of festival floats entertaining the crowds at local festivals. I was lucky to be able to learn all about the workings of these mechanical wonders at the traditional Japanese restaurant, Tsutamo in the Sakae area of Nagoya, where a 9th generation master craftsman of karakuri-ningyo gave us a lesson in all things karakuri.

Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology (Nagoya) 

Did you know that the Toyota Motor Corporation started out in the textile industry? At the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology in Nagoya you can learn all about the fascinating history of Toyota from making innovative textile weaving machines to their evolution as a motoring giant. The museum utilizes and preserves the old factory and industrial heritage at the birthplace of Toyota in Nishi-ku, Nagoya. The interactive museum allows visitors to explore the wonderful history and technological revolutions of Toyota with over 3,000 real machines and moving exhibits spanning the modernization of Japan.

http://www.tcmit.org/

Kyoto Journal: Japanese Culture Magazine

Kyoto Journal is a quarterly publication that was founded in Kyoto in 1987 with the goal of covering Japanese and Asian culture. Its subtitle, “Insights from Asia”, reflects its commitment to local voices from all over Asia and promoting intercultural understanding. The award-winning magazine showcases life, culture and society not only in Japan by throughout the Asia region from a myriad of perspectives.

The publication is now the longest established independent English language publication in Japan with 75 high-quality print issues, 13 digital issues and several books.

Kyoto Journal (KJ) recently marked its thirtieth year with a return to print format. The latest edition, KJ89 fall/winter 2017, is a fascinating look at the artisan community in Japan and Asia, with an emphasis on the interdependent relationship between individual crafts people and businesses.

Cover of Kyoto Journal issue 89

Picking up a copy of KJ89 it feels more like a high-quality book than a magazine and is something that can be revisited again and again due to the nature of its content. A highlight of the current issue for me was “Living Kagai Culture”, by Robert van Koesveld, where Robert delves into the role of local communities and businesses in supporting geiko (geisha) entertainers. I have a deep interest in traditional Japanese culture and in trying to help promote it and indeed keep the traditions alive in this modern world that we live in. This article takes a look at how a living traditional culture has evolved to survive in modern Japan without losing its true essence.

Living Kagai Culture by Robert van Koesveld

If you are not familiar with this magazine, do yourself a favour and take a look at it, I’m sure you will find it as hard to put down as I did.

You can order a copy of this fantastic publication via the Kyoto Journal website

Have you read Kyoto Journal before? What aspects of Japanese culture do you particularly enjoy? Please leave a comment below.

Credit: All photos copyright and courtesy of Kyoto Journal