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06. Japanese Business Etiquette
There are many books claiming to prepare you for Japanese etiquette. Don't believe everything these books say, and don't make the mistake that you believe you are well prepared to do business in Japan after reading a book about "Japanese etiquette"! Still, here are a few essential tips:
- Take enough ("enough" often means a couple of hundred) professionally prepared "meishi" ("meishi" = business cards). For Japanese people (as else where in Asia-Pacific) exchanging "meishi" are like shaking hands. It is very awkward not to exchange "meishi" when you first meet - few people will think this is funny. So make sure you have enough. Not to have "meishi" has the meaning of being unemployed (actually this is not specific to Japan alone, but Meishi are equally important in most East-Asian countries).
- Impress with facts and achievements, or the fame and power and size of your corporation. Bring documentation of your company in Japanese language.
- Be on time and well prepared for meetings.
- There is a sophisticated protocol how seating is arranged at meetings, at dinners or in cars etc. The seating protocol depends on seniority, guest-host relationship, the position of the door, decorations in the room, etc. If you are arranging important meetings or dinners at high level, it will impress if you follow these seating customs. Most foreigners who have not worked a long time in Japan will need advice from Japanese professionals to select the correct seating order.
At dinners there are also customs about filling glasses etc.
- There are a number of unwritten rules in daily life in Japan, which everybody observes, but nobody talks about, and which don't exist in Europe or USA. For example: no eating and drinking and no baby's perambulators (except folded up) on short-distance commuter trains. It's your choice in a way, but you'll make more friends if you observe these little rules.
- There are some things you should definitely not do:
(1) Don't blow you nose in front of other people!
(2) Don't kiss anybody as a greeting! (You'll thoroughly embarrass your "victim"!)
(3) Never throw objects at somebody asking them to catch! Books, papers, documents, meishi, presents, and other important objects are given with both hands and a bow of the head.
(4) There are a couple of other "no-no's" (gestures, comments etc) which will provoke embarrassment, or even hostility in Japanese people, and you might be unaware of them. You better ask for them and avoid them.
- Be prepared for surprises! Everything is changing rapidly recently!
Relax! Don't overestimate etiquette! Although your Japanese business partners may look dead serious (and Japanese people usually take work dead-serious...), they also are human and know to laugh... Here is a famous story (not sure it's a true story though...) demonstrating what can happen with exaggerated cultural adaptation:
An important US-Japan negotiation is scheduled in Hawaii - midway between the american continent and Japan. The Japanese party and the US negotiation party both have done their preparations well: they studied the material, the facts, prepared strategies, fall-back positions, read up on how to negotiate with the Japanese (or the Americans) and read about cultural differences, and learnt a few polite word's in the other party's language. The doors open and in come the Japanese and the US negotiators. The Japanese negotiators - all experienced senior managers - trying their best to adapt to American culture and to create a good atmosphere, enter the conference room dressed in Aloha shirts, sandals, shorts while on the other side of the room the American delegation enters: dressed in stiff white starched shirts, dark tie, dark blue business suits, polished black shoes...
You need more information?
- JapanStrategy.com - a website about how to succeed in Japan
- JapanStrategy-blog - a blog about how to succeed, and expand business in Japan
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