This is the inaugural post of Pacific Dreams, Inc. English language blog. The main purpose of this blog is to discuss inter-cultural communication with Japanese people. In our work we hear story after story of how business deals went sour or negotiations were suddenly halted due to communication break down with Japanese business partners. How can we effectively communicate with our Japanese partners? How can we begin and maintain new relationships with companies in Japan? What do American people need to know before they make that first contact or set foot in Japan? We have found that there is a lot of misunderstanding about Japanese business cultures, and often Americans don't even know where to begin when asking questions. We hope we can help by not only pointing out the right questions to ask, but to also start to answer them.