Importance Of Japanese Culture

Japanese use many non-verbal signs to communicate; they rely less on verbal communication and more strongly on non-verbal communication (Kopp, 2013). “Words are important, but so are body language, gestures, tone of voice, facial expressions, posture, and non-word sounds” (Kopp, 2013). Bowing is a non- verbal gestures that’s appropriate in Japan, this symbolize a sign of respect. The depth of the bow depends on your relationship to the other person. The deeper the bow, the more respect is shown. One should bow to their elders, people of status and anyone they highly regard. It is important to return a bow as a sign of gratitude and respect (Kfinney, 2001).

Yasumasa Morimura was born in Osaka, Japan 1951; before the end of the American Occupation and during the Korean War. It was at this time in Japan that society had become increasingly modernized and influenced by western culture. Subsequently, the foreign influence of Japan’s culture affected their culture, politics and education. With a westernized curriculum, much of the education focused on occident values, ideas, and art. Despite Japan’s rich history, much of the art history that was taught had originated from western culture.

As a result of Daniel-san and Mr. Miyagi, American children believe they can learn the ancient techniques of karate through waxing cars, sanding decks, and painting fences. In 1984, The Karate Kid told the story of a young bullied teenager named Daniel LaRusso, who learns to defend himself through the unorthodox training of Mr. Miyagi; this apartment maintenance man takes Daniel under his wing and teaches him both the discipline of karate, and the traditional values of Japanese culture. However, years of training to become a martial arts master does not make for a compelling American teen film, therefore Hollywood localized Japanese traditions in order to create a story of an underdog kid winning the All-Valley Karate Tournament and the girl of his dreams (Avildsen). Localization is the changing of a product’s function or characteristics to accommodate a particular country or area (localized). This simplifies the original meaning of martial arts, and fails to accurately represent the values of honor, etiquette, and respect that martial arts previously epitomized in ancient Japanese society. The localization of martial arts in The Karate Kid and American dojos has led to misconceptions of Japanese traditions in America.

The first important custom to understand when conducting business with Japan is bowing. In Japan bowing represents respect and can be very instrumental in making a positive initial impression (Nevison, 2009). There are many incidents when bowing should be conducted and they are, introducing oneself, as a welcome, as a form of gratitude, and to express remorse (Custom of Bowing, n.d.). Japan’s business culture is very inclusive. According to Japanese Business Customs (2011, para.3) “group decision-making is important in Japan and has been generally described as a “bottom up” exercise rather than “top down.” The fact that Japan conducts business with this approach can make the process time consuming. It is important to be aware that developing connections with Japan will/do not happen overnight. Another custom of Japan is gift giving. According to Japanese Business Customs (2011, para.4) “gift giving is expected on many business occasions in Japan.” It is imperative to note that the value of the gift is not as important as the essence of the gift. Exchanging business cards are another very important aspect of conducting business with Japan. According to Nevison (2009, para.5), “business cards should be printed on both sides, with your first language on one side and the other party’s language on the other." Physical contact like hand shaking, hugging and even

Prehistoric Japan dates back to circa 10,000 BCE where the roots of fishing and pottery making began; however, official Japanese history was first recorded in 1st century BCE (Japan, 2016). In the 1930’s and 40’s, Japan became more prominent in the global stage due to its participation in the attack on Pearl Harbor (1941) and the U.S. coordinated Hiroshima bombings (1945) during the World Wars (Japan, 2016). Since the 1950’s, Japan has been recognized as one of the strongest economies in the developing and globalizing world. The fact that Japan is an island has historically made it difficult to invade and has allowed the country to withstand conflict between other countries. This has been demonstrated in various imperialistic conflicts in certain parts of Asia.

Japanese culture is filled with creativity, especially in Tokyo. The best way to describe Tokyo is to compare it to New York. In America New York is the heart of fashion, business and music. Basically it was the place to be or go to if you wanted your dreams to come true. Tokyo is a mirror of these themes for the Japanese people. One of the attractions in Tokyo specifically is Anime. The first generations to begin Anime started in the late 1910’s. From then on Anime has become the core content to view one of the most famous animated series in the world. Especially since Anime started in Japan, it’s very likely that you’ll see a lot of the Japanese culture within every animated piece. Two animated movies that have been greatly obsessed with not only in Japan, but also all around the world are Akira and Michiko & Hatchin. Both movies were created by two different director who rose in the Anime popularity not so far from one another. Katsuhiro Otomo was the director who created Akira which was published in 1988, and Sayo Yamamoto was the director who created Michiko & Hatchin. With animation being a competitive field where directors are trying to create the most critically acclaimed filmed, some of the factors that are often ignored is whether the director was a male or female. If you were to watch these movies one after the other you would be amazed with the overall results of each one, but what is it that makes one movie better than the other and how does it play an effect.

Japanese culture is a blend of modern western culture and traditional Asian culture (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan, n.d.) And great value is placed on the need for harmony, consensus decision-making and social conformity and especially close co-operation between government and private enterprise, this emphasis on consensus will need to be taken into account in business negotiations (Griffin & Pustay, 2015, p. 61) Positive market aspects are Japan’s high! Education levels, with universal elementary education and literacy (Abe, 2013; Institute of Export, 2015). However, problem workforce skill levels should the need arise to employ local labour with 83% of employers having problems filling vacancies; these positions include sales representative, engineers and IT staff (Manpower Group, 2015). This may require sourcing staff from Australia. Should this be the case it will be necessary to apply for a certificate of eligibility and a visa for periods of 3 months, up to 5 years, processing for this usually takes 3 months (Embassy of Japan in Australia, 2014).

Doing business across continents requires cultural awareness. Cultural awareness involves understanding, appreciating and learning about different cultures where one does business (Ogasawara, 2010). This blog focuses on doing business in Japan, with the aim of outlining the uniqueness of Japanese culture. The areas of focus are greetings and communication style, the concept of time, and personal space and/or eye contact. People often mistake Japanese culture as difficult to understand and an obstacle in doing international business. However, below is an understanding of this culture when it comes to international business.

The country of Japan is a country that has a very steep and rich sense of culture. There are many topics that play a factor in their culture and are key factors to understand to be able to obtain cultural awareness. The first thing to understand is what culture means, the national history, and how that contributes into their society today. You will also need to understand the geography as well as military conflict. You will also need to be able to understand the national weather. The last thing you need to be able to know are the civil considerations, as well as people that make of the nation of Japan

Japanese family traditions consist of old and new customs from the culture. When talking about a Japanese family, the people learn about showing respect, dining etiquette, Japanese tea ceremony, giving gifts to

Responsibly visiting another country is one of the most critical aspects to have as an international traveler. When you visit another country, whether it be for work, family, or vacation; you’re, per say, “not in Kansas anymore.” To the natives in the country you are visiting, you are foreign to them, and they expect a level of acclimation or respect to the culture they are used to. It takes a certain amount of cultural awareness to be able to properly visit that country while not disturbing the native ideals and ecosystems there. Many visitors of other countries will disregard social norms and customs; including violating the environment and other things that the native population might deem offensive. One great example is how to finish a meal at a restaurant. While in the States, finishing your plate completely is seen as a compliment and is expected in many cultures; however, countries throughout Europe see this as an offense to the chef, as it conveys that he did not prepare enough food and that you are unsatisfied with your meal. By acclimating to their customs when it comes to how much food is left on your plate; it can help avoid offending the chef and/or the server who assists you throughout your meal. Japan is a country that has deeply rooted cultural patterns that have been shaped throughout history. While its governmental and military history has been turbulent at times, it is a nation that highly values art, such as literature and theater. Being a country that

In societies across the world, religion has always had the ability to unite the people into communities through its rituals and celebrations. Japanese society is a major example of how people can join together as a community to celebrate their unique beliefs. However, this would then often raise the question of which came first; the close-knit community who started the religion, or the religion that jumpstarted everything and brought people together. The truth of the matter is, if one were to look at Japanese culture and society, it is rather apparent that ancient religions such as Buddhism and Shinto form rituals and traditions which would then later shape the ceremonies that the community partake in. These ceremonies are essentially festivals that villages put together to show respect and acknowledgement for a certain religion or an important event. Festivals are done with the most dedication among everybody in a village or town, and it is this dedication that proves how important festivals are to the community. Essentially, the religion is the driving force behind a culture's communal bond, and it is the festivals such as the Kenka Matsuri, Namahage Matsuri, and the Gion Matsuri that are physical representation of this union. However, these religious festivals have proven to lose its religious background and tradition and start to converge into a celebration of the community itself. A very well known festival that Japan usually takes pride in is the Kenka Matsuri, or also

Culture is a significant theme in this film. One important factor to point out is throughout Stevenson’s trip in Japan, he is hit with culture shock and the same can be said for the Japanese executives. Stevenson mocks how the Japanese exchange business cards during the presentation, how they eat with chopsticks and how rigid and structured Japanese culture is. This culture clash not only affected the characters’ personal lives, but also impacted the business. “Research has clearly established that culture affects the application of management theories and practices. Work values, in particular, are an important part of cross-cultural understanding in that they are themselves measures of cultural dimensions, and also have strong implications for many areas of management, from employee motivation to organizational communication” (Matić, 2008). Almost immediately after opening up the doors to the plant, there were problems. The Japanese people had a very strict and rigid way of running their businesses and doing their work as compared to the lackadaisical American work ethic. The plant workers are expected to perform calisthenics in the morning, are denied basic privileges like sick leave, paid overtime and a union. The town and these workers are in such a desperate situation that they decide to withstand the abuse and impossible demands set by the Japanese plant owners. It is difficult enough to manage a business with workers and executives that have a common culture and

In my multicultural paper, I will be discussing about the Japanese culture how it has influenced my own values and traditions today, allowing me to experience a world which I was not aware of before. Specifically, their type of food dishes is something I partake on a weekly basis with friends and family, ranging from their usual rice balls to delicious sushi. Another trait about this culture is being able to read their unique literature, after spending two semesters in a Japanese course at Fullerton College, I have finally developed the ability to read Japanese in my favorite Manga books, without needing English subtitles. Likewise, another key point that I find interesting about this culture is how they can advance in the field of technology by creating new devices that could help humanity. But, that is not always the case with this culture, seeing they have been known for creating the weirdest inventions in the world, yet still bringing joy and excitement to some. Either way, people from other cultures should take the opportunity to learn about this culture, considering what it could return and teach, making us a diverse community.

The Japanese culture is one that is rich within an historical and traditional context. Many of the traditional practices established hundreds of years ago can be seen today in modern Japan and are a direct reflection of significant historical accounts.