japan communications

2006-12-26T09:19:00.000-08:00

Hisashiburi, all.

Internet access in Japan was limited for me, so I apologize for the lack of updates.

After not being in Japan for over a year, it was a great trip, and I was able to make a few observations.

Part of the reason for the trip was to go to a wedding in Yokohama. The bride and groom are both young Japanese people, and I had never been to a wedding in Japan before, so I was looking forward to it.

The first thing that struck me was the amount of money that changes hands. As cousins of the bride, our family made a cash gift much larger than we would ever be expected to spend in the US. There are standards for how much friends and family should pay for a gift, and it is quite staggering. A friend in Japan was invited to three weddings in a month (none relatives) and ended up spending over a months salary in cash gifts. We now see single people often declining or making up excuses not to attend weddings simply because the cost of the money gift is so high (though, I have to admit, much simpler than the registry and shopping, etc...)

The interesting thing is that after the cost of the wedding, they would probably end up breaking even.

Hotels in Japan often have "chapels" for weddings in them, that way the wedding, reception, and out-of-town guests can all be in the same place. Set courses for the affair are all put together by the hotel, which makes for conveniece for the new bride and groom and insures nothing is forgotten. At the wedding we participated in there was a "wedding staff" who arranged everything, including photographer, videographer, kimono dresser (for the moms), and even babysitter. And, of course, the priest who held the ceremony.

The majority of Westerners working in Japan are English teachers. Less than 1% of Japanese citizens are Christian (as opposed to 25%+ in S. Korea), but Japanese weddings tend to follow the Christian pattern. (It is said in Japan you are born Shinto, marry Christian and die a Buddhist). This is likely for two reasons: 1) the traditional Japanese wedding is very beautiful, but very long and debilitatingly expensive and 2) the romantic impression of western weddings seen in movies and TV shows. What this means is there is a market for western priests to hold wedding ceremonies. There are certainly less ordained western Christian priests in Japan than the market demands, and the reality is that 80% of wedding ceremonies performed by non-Japanese are performed by actors, not actual priests (mostly English teachers looking for a little extra cash on the weekends). Does the marrying couple care? Probably not, and it may even be preferable this way.

The ceremony I attended was performed by an Australian gentlemen, and was almost completely in Japanese, and I almost couldn't tell if the nearly incomprehensible accect the "priest" spoke in was a put-on or his Japanese was really that bad. It reminded me of the "Gottsu 'A' Kanji" character, Mister Bater. A Kansai-ben spouting foreigner played by comedy team Downtown's Matsumoto. I hope this is a trend that doesn't continue in Japan, as it took away from the ceremony.

The reception was second-to-none with a five-course meal, live entertainment, and more waiters serving beer, wine, and champagne than I imagined could be in single room at one time. Service in Japan, especially for an event such as a wedding, is immaculate. A woman at the table I sat at preferred whiskey and water over wine or beer, and a glass was brought to her without question or complaint immediately upon her request. One by one we went to the bride and groom's table, (who sat at a long table facing the tables of guests) and gave our congrats and a toast. There is no telling how many toasts the groom drank, but I don't think he had time to eat, and was looking pretty happy by the end of the meal.

2006-11-29T22:07:00.000-08:00

Arrival to Japan...SUCCESS!

It seems coming west over the Intl Date Line isn`t as hard on the system as going back to the US. I will try and update here and there over the next couple weeks.

Some observations after being in Japan for a day: It`s been a while since I have been in Japan during winter, but every shop and restaurant is decked out for Christmas, and it`s still November! I don`t remember things being like this. I don`t see any houses with Christmas lights, though, only businesses. In general Christmas is always celebrated as a sort of holiday for lovers, accompanied with the official Japanese theme song for Christmas, Wham`s `Last Christmas`.

One of my favorite things to do over here is go to bookstores. My favorite is the GIANT Kinokuniya store in Umeda, Osaka. For a country that is so up on technology, HD, gaming systems, etc. it makes me happy to see how crowded bookstores are. It is not just comics and magazines (though there is no shortage of those) but fiction and non-fiction books as well. It still appears that Japan is remaining a well-read society.

Big news now is the trade of Hanshin Tigers pitcher Igawa to the Yankees for about 30 million bucks. The Tigers fans are famous for their obsessiveness, despite the teams history of struggle. Man-in-the-street interviews in Osaka about the trade on Wednesday elicited three kinds of responses: 1) `Good for him! He can follow his dream of playing for the American pros!`, 2) `This is a blow to the team. I hope the Tigers can find a decent replacement` (typical so far) and then 3) `I hope the Yankees know that he stinks it up after five innings!`. A very typical Osaka-jin reply. On the news program I saw three different people (two men and a woman) came up with something along those lines. I had to laugh.

2006-11-21T16:13:00.000-08:00

Off to Japan for three weeks, so I hope to have some new and interesting cultural observations (and pics) to bring to you very soon.

2006-10-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

This was reported by A.P. today, and I think it shows an interesting cultural struggle going on in Japan today:

From the A.P. wire:

Births in Japan Rise for 7th Month

Japan's birth rate rose for the seventh straight month in August, the government said Friday, raising hopes for an upturn in the country's plunging annual birthrate and declining population.
A falling birthrate and an expanding elderly population pose serious concerns for Japan as it struggles to tackle a labor shortage and eroding tax base. Japan's birthrate in 2005 stood at a record low of 1.25 babies per woman in her lifetime, far below the 2.1 rate needed to keep the population steady.
In August, a total of 98,276 births were registered, up 3,001 from the same month in 2005, or a rise of about 3 percent, according to Health Ministry statistics released Friday.
That's the seventh straight monthly gain in birthrates. But Reiji Murayama, an official of the Health Ministry's vital and health statistics division, said it was too early to say that the latest data meant a turnaround in the country's annual birthrate.
"We cannot predict if the falling birthrate may hit the bottom this year yet, until we will see the remaining four months," Murayama said. The nation's population last year declined for the first time on record, shocking officials and spurring a spate of measures to encourage women to have more babies.
To encourage women to have more babies, the government started a project to build more day care centers, while encouraging men to take paternity leave. Amid changing lifestyles, many single women are delaying or forgoing marriage to pursue careers.

Without the religious influences of some other countries in Asia, it isn't surprising that some Japanese women finally said to themselves "I am independently successful, so why should I give up this salary and this freedom just to get married and make babies?" The biggest pressure was probably from the young women's parents, especially if she still lived at home. (It is common for young people to live at home until they are married, but now that the average age for marriage is getting later and later, some of those "young people" are still at home, even into their 30s and later.)

Another barrier to marriage and motherhood was the snail-like pace Japanese bureaucrats and business-leaders take in making changes to meet the modern times. Things like child-care, guaranteed employment after maternity leave, paternity leave, and other benefits to having children are all new concepts in Japan, which the rest of the first world has been toting mother's rights for decades. It took something as drastic as an actual population drop and the rapid increase in the elderly population (leading to the eventual devastating drain on the country's heath care and other resources).

How could the government and corporate leaders let things get so bad? Faithful readers to Japan Communications may have a couple guesses.

1) Change is something that is generally avoided and is considered "bad". It's only when not changing becomes more damaging than changing that the push for real change actually happens.

Ten years ago schools started shutting down and there was a hiring freeze on new teachers in some prefectures (this still continues). In many parts of Japan students go to schools where entire floors are left unused. Schools are being converted into community centers, or are rented out. Many young kids now haven't had a teacher under the age of 35. This wasn't enough of a sign to government officials that there was a shift in the national thinking, and a reaction would be needed.

2) The older generation (bureaucrats and company officials) tend to take advice from other members of the older generation, and not from younger or non-Japanese sources.

Three of the big-five auto manufacturers in Japan have hired non-Japanese CEOs in the past five years. Why? Because Japanese CEOs don't work quickly to make drastic changes, but these companies (Mitsubishi, Nissan and one other) were experience losses, and their boards of directors had the intelligence to find quick-minded solution oriented leadership.

Naturally there are more complicated issues going, and a few paragraphs exploring Japanese culture won't solve Japan's population problems, but it is interesting to see how the cultural traits we have looked at can sometimes have farther reaching influences than one might expect.

2006-10-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

The Independent Worker / What's the Gamble?

In the US, workers often pride themselves and compliment each other on how independently they can work. "She can work well on her own," is a phrase we want someone to use in a recommendation. Employers look for people that can be given an assignment, and do it on their own. Once abilities are clear and trust is established, the employer will allow the employee to make decisions and changes on her own. This creates efficiency in the work place.

And this is the opposite of what a Japanese employer is looking for. In Japan a worker who works well in a group, and who doesn't strive to work independently is the one that is valued. Japanese work using a constant cycle of consensus getting and approval. The process may be slower than Americans are used to, but also result in less risk-taking.

Let's take this discussion out of the conflict-ridden international office, and into the world of gambling in Japan.. The laws about gambling in Japan are a little obscure. Technically gambling is illegal, but gigantic loopholes allow for a limited variety of gambling. The three main types of gambling in Japan are Mah-jong, "pachi" games, and the races. Let's look at each type and see how the cultural tendency of risk-aversion is not conflicted with this gambling.

Mah-jong is a tile game popular all over Asia, and had a period of popularity in the US in the 1970s. Mah-jong can be played at home, among friends, or at Mah-jong parlors, where a single may join a three-some, like at a golf course. The cultural equivalent is poker, where a group of people are trying to create the best combination using the cards they are dealt. Like poker, Mah-jong has a long cycle of discards. Essentially it's like poker, but the winning "hand" will be of 14 tiles lined up in one of the hundreds of combinations possible to win. Unlike poker, it's not who has the best hand, but who creates a winning combination first.

Like poker, this is certainly gambling, and also like poker, skill is what creates a winner at the end of the night. It can easily be argued that the sheer number of tiles and winning combinations that need to be memorized to be successful, and then figuring out the probability of certain combinations coming up (discarded tiles are seen by the other players) require more skill than poker. That dependence on skill makes Mah-jong a much less risky gambling prospect than Western favorites, like craps or blackjack, which require more luck - or in other words, are more risky.

"Pachi" games come in two forms: pachinko and pachi-slots, AKA pachi-suro. Pachinko (which also had a certain popularity briefly in the 1970s in the US) is often referred to as "Japanese pinball", but this title is only partially accurate. Players sit at a vertically standing board, covered by glass and full of a series of pegs and pockets. Small steel balls are shot into the playing field (like pinball) and bounce off pegs until they either fall into a pocket, or fall to the bottom of the board and are discarded. Different pockets do different things, either release more balls to the player, open a larger pocket for bonuses, start a slot wheel spinning, etc. There are thousands of varieties of machines, with new ones coming out constantly, but the goal is always the same: hit the largest bonuses to release more balls than you are using, creating a win. Pachinko players do not simply sit at a machine and start throwing money in. First they look at the machine, and the machines around it. Do the pegs look friendly, or do they look tight? Is this a good machine to play on, or is it set to be a money pit? A good reader of machines will see his afternoon profitable. Fortunately for the pachinko parlor owners, more people believe they can read the machines well than actually can. But, again, there is a skill involved.

Pachi-slots are similar to pachinko only in the notion that it's human vs. machine form of gambling (no dealers and little to no human interaction required, a selling point in Japan for the shameful Japanese gambler). In pachi-slots there aren't balls and pegs, but the machines look like traditional casino slot machines, and are filled with coins. The one difference is that there is a STOP button in front of each of the three spinning reels. Players stop the quickly spinning reels in an effort to initiate a bonus round which will lead to a big payout. Like pachinko, there is a science to choosing a machine and stopping the spinning reels to lead to big pay-outs. Also like pachinko, those that actually understand the science number far less than those that think they do, but, again, risk is averted. Imagine a slot machine in Las Vegas with STOP buttons on the spinning reels! It would be unheard of! Now imagine being a Japanese slot player, and going to Vegas... it would be like playing slots with your arms cut-off. It is hard to imagine why Japanese players can't understand why Americans throw their money away in casinos? Think risk-taking vs. risk aversion.

The final form of gambling in Japan is the races. Just like in the US, Japanese horse racing is very popular, and there are fancy, high class tracks, and smaller local tracks all across the country. The difference is when we look at the other types of races you can gamble on. In the US along with the horses, we also have greyhound racing. This obviously requires no rider, so even less human involvement than horse racing. Even with pages of statistics, betting on dogs is a risky gamble. In Japan there are two other main kinds of racing: not dogs, but boats and bicycles. One can't help but think that the potential for outside influence is much higher on gambling on boats (one-man mini rockets) and bicycles. (And to be sure, boat gambling and bicycle racing doesn't have the history or regality of a big horse race. They are more local, and a little more seedy.) Japanese gamblers wouldn't imagine betting on dogs. It's just too risky. (Of course addicts will gamble on anything.)

So even in the high-risk world of gambling, Japanese tend to do what they believe are low-risk activities. Traditional casino gambling exists only 0n TV and in the movies. Japanese can respect the high-risk behavior, without feeling uncomfortable engaging in it themselves -- just as I can respect a person who parachutes out of planes, without actually doing it myself.

So back to our troubled workplace. What many Americans who work with Japanese supervisors feel is a lack of trust for the Americans' ability to be able to, and want to, work independently. Where the American feels the supervisor is "crowding" him -- asking lots of repetitive questions, visiting his office or cube several times a day, the Japanese supervisor feels like he is showing his support, and participating in the group process. (Some of this was covered in the previous post.)

The two points to keep in mind are that Japanese businesspeople want to work together on everything; everything is a group process, and that avoiding risk, even if it takes more time, is going to be considered the best route in the end.

2006-09-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

The Japanese Meeting

One comment from one of the participants at our recent seminars struck me as interesting, and we'll explore it a little today. The subject was meetings, and the person (who works for a Japanese company in the US) said, "I don't understand why our Japanese bosses need to have so many meetings. We are often discussing the same subject over and over. It seems like a real waste of time, and gets in way of us being able to get our work done."

It seems what was going on was a cultural misunderstanding about the use of meetings in the workplace. It seems like sometimes even the most seemingly simple concepts, like a meeting, can have cultural connections once we look a little closely.

In the US, a meeting is a time to make announcements, discuss issues, issue assignments, and often, but not always, to make decisions or decide directions. Votes are often a part of American meetings, as well. This sounds normal, and I think most Americans would expect this overview of the purpose of meetings to be universal. The fact is, it isn't - at least not for Japan.

In Japan, a meeting is more of a place to get everyone on the same page, and to gauge the kuuki of the state of affairs. Before an important company meeting, a detailed agenda will be distributed, and departments will be given time to prepare and discuss internally before-hand. All announcements will be included, and have likely already been discussed beforehand in subcommittees and between individuals. An important thing to point out is that there will be no surprise announcements at the meeting. This is important to remember. The idea that an employee would think "I can't wait to announce we got the ABC account to the company at the meeting!" would be unheard of in Japan. Japanese business people do not like surprises, good or bad. Everyone should be equally armed with the same information before the meeting begins. This is what is needed to keep harmony.

In the meeting a discussion on a certain subject may commence, but it will likely be in the form of sharing and confirming information. The confirmation of information is a repeated process. It is here that we can really see the function of the Japanese meeting, as usually the highest ranking person or people are not active members of the discussion, or so it appears from a foreigners perspective. The highest up in the meeting is the keeper of the kuuki. The kuuki is the mood or atmosphere, and determines the direction of the meeting. If the discussion is going a direction he finds not to his liking, his body language, or a few subtle words will send a clear message that this is not the way he wants it to go. The more talkative lower-ranking participants will understand this message, and will subtly yet quickly move things in a different direction, or table the discussion until more details surface.

Most of the things that Americans do in their meeting happen outside the meeting in Japan. Voting, for instance, is done using the ringi-sho. But even then, consensus rules over opinion in Japan. The desire for harmony far outweighs the individual's need to speak his opinion, especially a dissenting one. Usually the ringi-sho is issued only when consensus is reached, so the ringi-sho is really a formality. In other words, there is no election until everyone knows that everyone is going to vote the same way. A vote to "see where everyone stands" would feel very uncomfortable in a Japanese workplace. Again, harmony, not individualism, is the path taken.

This goes back to all Japanese business persons' school days. Children in Japan are not taught to raise their hands to answer questions. The concept of the teacher asking a question openly to the class is practically unheard of. What happens more often is the teacher will call on a student to answer the question. The student, will then whisper to his neighbor asking for the answer. He will then ask the neighbor on the other side to confirm this answer. To make sure, he may whisper to one more classmate, one in front or behind, to confirm the answer again. The teacher and class waits patiently for this process to finish, and the student tells the answer to the teacher. Here's the interesting part: You can ask a Japanese high-school senior the most elemental arithmetic question, and this process will take place. Even if a student knows the answer to the question the teacher asks, it would be unharmonious to "show off" by saying the answer without including her classmates in the glory of a correct answer. Where in an American classroom hands shoot into the air when teachers ask easy questions, Japanese students would much rather never open their mouths during class time.

Back to our American employee of a Japanese company's comment about meeting after meeting for the same topics, another factor could be involved. Japanese companies are physically laid-out very different than American ones. Large companies in America are often full of cubicles. Each employee usually has at least two walls separating her from her coworkers so she can have even a little privacy and quiet to work. As a culture, Japanese value privacy much less than we do in the US (think public baths and small living quarters). See the picture of a typical looking Japanese office below.

This is the "open office" style. We see desks facing each other in double rows. At the end of the row will be one desk looking down the line. This is where the head of this group of employees sits. In this configuration, he can see and hear everything each employee is doing. This isn't done to check up on the employees or to keep them on task. It's a form of communication, and so the department head can be kept abreast of all information regarding his department as it happens. Sometimes there may be another larger desk behind him, and another higher up can watch all the employees in the room, and be kept informed of changes and events practically in real time. Kuuki plays a part in the work office. If an employee gets a disturbing phone call he can simply glance at his supervisor to tell him something is wrong. The supervisor may discreetly call the employee aside to understand the situation better, but also not embarrass him in front of his colleagues. A glance is sent up to the supervisor's supervisor, and the process is repeated.

As a Japanese supervisor, imagine working under this system, and then being sent to the US to work in a satellite office there. The promotion leads to a beautiful corner office with four walls and a nice view. This is like blindfolding a supervisor from Japan. How can he know what's going on if he can't be in the same room as his workers? He doesn't want an office with four walls (that's reserved for the company head). He can't accept just getting weekly reports from his immediate underlings. As a result, what happens is the supervisor is constantly mulling around the office, to the bother of his American workers. "Why can't he just relax and let us do our jobs?" they think, not realizing that being up to the minute, or really, up to the second on the status of things is his job. Americans often mistake this for a lack of trust, but it is really the problem of too many walls in the workplace, literally.

This may be the reason the Japanese managers call so many meetings (maybe even more than in Japan), it's to be together, without walls, and to let information and kuuki breathe freely.

Next time will talk a little more about independent thinking and working on one's own, as well as how not to put your Japanese boss on the spot.

2006-09-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

The Hanko and the Ringi-sho: The Sword and Shield of the Japanese Business Person (Part 2)

Earlier this month we talked about the the ringo-sho, the document that is used to guarantee the implimentation of a new policy or change in a department or company. Although the hanko doesn't carry as much cultural baggage as the ringi-sho, it is a key-tool in Japanese business, (and in life, for that matter), and is often a mystery to Western business people.

The hanko is basically a name stamp. It is small, usually about the size of a average pinky finger, but valuable and important.

As a matter of fact, every adult has a hanko, and they essentially act as the Japanese version of ths signature. (Those too young to have hanko just use a fingerprint.) Hanko are used on all official documents, when paying bills, accepting packages, or making deposits at the bank. Anyplace an American would sign her name, or initialize, is hanko-appropriate.

Like we hear about how Japanese take care with their business cards, and hanko can carry a certain level of prestige, as well. Usually they are kept in some sort of case with red ink for stamping. More fancy hanko are self-inking and can come in expensive leather cases.

What appears on the hanko is the owners last name. Common last name hanko can be purchased relatively cheaply, but these won't have a unique, signature-like quality.

Foriegners are usually not expected to have a hanko, but if you plan on living in Japan for any period of time, it will put people you have to work with (bankers, mail carriers, etc.) at ease.
Hanko are also used for the ringi-sho, and if you are living in Japan and working for a Japanese company, you will really want to make your vote count by having a hanko. They can be made at specialized hanko shops, and even customized hanko aren't too expensive.

As you can probably guess, the larger the hanko the more important the seal. The president of a company may sign an important contract with his hanko, and then the "company seal", a larger hanko with the company's name in kanji. Fans of famous traditional painters and calligraphers might notice the artists hanko increasing in size with his popularity (and the price of his works).

Below are some pictures of typical hanko and the seals they make. Notice, the kanji usually is a little hard to read, as it should artistically fill the square or round shape it takes.

2006-09-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

NEWS BRIEF

In September Pacific Dreams, Inc. hosted a series of seminars intended to help foster relations between Japanese and American business people. In the series there were both English-language workshops as well as workshops held in Japanese. Because of the positive reaction of the participants, PDI has decided to move forward with another seminar series in November. More details about this seminar will be released as speakers and schedules are confirmed.

Two of the English language facilitators were Eileen Foster-Sakai and Shintaro Tominaga. Mrs. Foster-Sakai presented the “Building Bridges Between the USA and Japan” workshop, and Mr. Tominaga gave his presentation entitled “Negotiation with Japanese Business People”. Mr. Tominaga, who came in from Tokyo for this seminar series, also gave presentations in Japanese.

The "Building Bridges” seminar was made up of a relatively small group, which allowed for more focused discussion and questions. All of the participants were American business people working for Japanese-owned companies, so all had experiences of working under a Japanese boss. Mrs. Foster-Sakai was able to concentrate on the special questions and needs of this group of participants. The people that came in feeling frustrated by the communication styles and seemingly bizarre requests of their superiors were able to make sense of Japanese business culture practices. This participants left with not only a better understanding of what the Japanese business people were doing, but also gained new strategies in fostering better communication with their Japanese counterparts. Much of the “Building Bridges” seminar introduces business people to key cultural concepts they are sure to run into when working with Japanese people. The program goes from the very basic concepts, like seating arrangements, to the more complicated, like intricacies in the Japanese social, business and family relationships.

Mr. Tominaga’s presentation was focused on negotiation with Japanese counterparts. This presentation was more directed toward individuals who work with Japanese companies and travel to Japan on business. Negotiation styles are very different in Japan compared to much of Asia and the rest of the world. According to Mr. Tominaga, it the lack of understanding of the Japanese system which often leads to failed business negotiations, or even failed attempts at getting a first meeting arranged. Much of Mr. Tominaga’s presentation was on the concept of reading “kuuki”. Kuuki literally means “air”, or “atmosphere”, but for these purposes it means understanding the subtle body language and communication that Japanese business negotiators engage in to convey important messages. These signals would be obvious to a Japanese counterpart, but may not be so easy for a non-Japanese negotiator. Mr. Tominaga also discussed the issues of conflict and debate in Japanese business negotiations, pointing out that debating should be avoided at all costs. Japanese find debate uncomfortable, and will tend to retreat if there seems to be, what Americans might consider, a healthy tension in a spirited discussion.

2006-09-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

The Hanko and the Ringi-sho: The Sword and Shield of the Japanese Business Person (Part 1)

We recently heard again from Mr. Shintaro Tominaga regarding an interesting concept in the Japanese workplace. This is the ringi-sho. We will quote Mr. Tominaga here:

" It is a document issued by a person who wants to receive approval from the upper management on a new business proposal. It goes from the lower level to the upper level of management. If there are X number of persons above the issuer of the Ringi-sho, all of that X number of persons read and study it, and then each one places his or her seal on it (the Japanese equivalent to a signature). After all seals are stamped on it, the issuer receives it back, and then he or she can start taking charge of its business.

" If such a business proposal is new to the issuerÂs immediate boss and the other upper level personnel, no one will place a seal on it. What this means is that the issuer of a Ringi-sho issues it only when he or she knows that it will be approved by all concerned personnel within the company. Japanese business people seldom take
charge of a new project if the other upper level personnel do not support it."

It appears the the ringi-sho is really a formality...the last step of an arduous process to create something new, some sort of change, in the company. The is the "shield" of making changes within a Japanese business. Can you imagine an American company going through such a process to instill a new idea? Unless there was an undeniable passion about the idea, most American business people wouldn't waste their time. It is interesting to think that a ringi-sho is not typed up unless the issuer knows for sure that he will get every person's stamp. One can't help but wonder what happens when the boss changes his mind...

What this reminds us is that, in general, change is not considered a good thing, especially in Japanese companies with long histories and successful histories. Of course, Japanese companies are known for the newest and latest products...isn't this an embrace of change? I think these successful corporations are good at introducing new ideas to the consumers, but are not so good at making changes within the company. Could this be why Mitsubishi Motors made the bold move of hiring aforeignerr as it's CEO when profits dried up? (It's not such a new idea, though. Mitsubishi is the third of the top-five car manufacturers in Japan to do so.) Businesssavvyy CEOs with big ideas and who aren't afraid to stir the pot are a rarity in Japan, so looking for someone who can make some fast changes requires the Board of Directors to go overseas. The real question is, once success is found, and changes are made, how long the foreigner will hold his position. Early (and surely comfortable) retirement is not a long-shot bet.

Mr. Tominaga also tells us:

"Since Japanese work in groups, the business decision making process is rather slow. Unlike American business people who have been authorized to make business decisions within the capacity allowed by his upper level management, Japanese business people are not normally given authorization to make a decision alone."

This also shows the fundamental difference, boiled down to the bare bones, between Japanese and American culture. Japanese work for group harmony, and Americans for individual success. Both are noble andvaluablee goals, and aren't mutually exclusive, but certainly can create chaos when pushed against each other.

An example of this can be seen in the terrific American classic film, "12 Angry Men". This is the story of a jury of 12 men who have just begun deliberations on a murder case, where a boy seems to have murdered his father. Initially it seems like an open-and-shut case, and the initial vote of this jury leads to a vote of 11 guilty votes, and a single innocent vote by the character played to perfection by the late Henry Fonda. The rest of the movie is about, basically, the resolution of the American need to for "personal success" (in this case, success is having others vote with your opinion) and the Japanese need for "group harmony" (in this case, a unanimous vote...required to not be a hung jury). Certainly the filmmakers were not thinking about Japan and the US when the making the movie, but itinadvertentlyy shows the attempt at resolving these two conflicting goals. Watching the story play out, one can't wonder if the story was 12 Japanese men, and not American, if the goal of group harmony would have led to a unanimous vote on the first try. Of course, Americans can't help to cheer for the underdog played by Henry Fonda, and all would hope that we would fight with just as much passion for something webelievedd in. This doesn't mean that Japanese wouldn't see Henry Fonda as a hero-of-sorts in the movie...in fact maybe more so than Americans. It takes a lot more to go against the grain in Japan than it does here.

Next time we'll talk about the "sword" to go with the "shield"....the hanko.

2006-08-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

When Negotiation isn't "Negotiation"

The Japanese word usually translated for "negotiation" is 交渉, pronounced "koushou". But where the English word implies a positive exchange, both sides vying for a mutually beneficial conclusion, this isn't quite the case in Japanese. This fundamental difference should be understood before entering into negotiations with Japanese companies.

Before we continue, I want to make a caveat lector and say we are discussing the subtle nuances of words from two different languages. Different people from the same culture may or may not agree on the differences in implications of a word, just as the same way different Italian chefs may not agree on how much oregano to use in a traditional dish. That being said, too often we translate words by meaning without thinking of the implications, subtlties, or nuances behind the word. This is one part of the translation industry that is both exciting and frustrating at the same time.

One Japanese→English dictionary I looked at translated 交渉 (koushou) as "baraza, bargaining, contact, negotiation, parley, relation, talk, traffic, truck" (from Eijiro)

("Baraza is the Kiswahili word for an open, public meeting at which members of a community come together in order to air their views and hold dialogue on issues of concern to the collective group." source)

We can see there are some other things going on there besides the English "negotiating". "baraza" implies an airing of views. "Bargaining" and "parleying" do not imply a goal for mutual satisfaction or win-win results. Someone trying to bargain is not trying to find personal benefit, as well as benefit for the seller.

One Japanese colleague tells me that when thinking of koushou, she doesn't get the impression that "concession" or "concilliation" will be a result. She feels a more aggressive nuance in the Japanese koushou than the English "negotiation".

Where training in negotiation styles isn't uncommon in the US, you would not likely find such professional trainers in Japan. In September Mr. Shitaro Tominaga will come to host a seminar on this very topic, so I don't want to go try and reinvent the wheel, but I think it's important to remember that most Japanese negotiators are taught how to close deals by thier superiors, and so techniques are usually not questioned generation to generation. By not having a common language in negotiation technique, Japanese and American negotiations are entered in with high expectations, and then can go down the drain before anyone knows what happened.

One quote from the otherwise forgettable 1993 movie, "Rising Sun", is a Japanese company president explaining dealing with rival companies. Simply, "business is war." As overdramatic as that simple phrase might seem, it is indeed true that over 30 books have been written in Japan applying British military stratagist F.W. Lanchester's theories to Japanese business techniques (source).

Earlier this year we consulted with a local company which made a certain machine part they were selling to a Japanese factory. They had a relationship with this Japanese company for over five years, and met face-to-face with representitives once or twice a year. The Japanese reps were coming to Oregon, and we were asked to translate a letter and consult with them about their visit. The timing of the company's letter wasn't great, as plane tickets had already been bought, and the American company wanted to relate to them that changes in the contract would have to made, as there had been changes in costs on the American side. The Japanese were coming to visit to show good faith in maintaining the relationship with their American partners, and being told just weeks before their arrival that a "negotiation was in order" was the same as shooting a warning shot over their ship's bow. Suddenly the president of the Japanese company cancelled his trip (due to personal reasons) and his son, the younger and healthier VP came in his place. (Although rank is vital in negotiations, the president of the Japanese company was rather old and in questionable health, and once he felt a battle about to ensue, sent his heartier, but still high-ranking son to war.)

The Americans were surprised by this turn of events. Every year or two the contract was renewed, and little tweaks here and there were expected. However, this time the timing of the correspondence put the Japanese on the defense, despite no ill intention. One reason might also be that (as we have talked about before), this visit was meant to be a relationship-maintaining gesture. Where the Americans saw the means (the relationship) as an ends to the goal (a contract) the Japanese saw it the opposite way. The Japanese company saw the means (contract signing) as an ends to the goal (a good relationship).

Debate does not come naturally to the Japanese. You will not find "debate clubs" in Japanese schools (as you won't find kendo clubs in the US). Japanese classrooms are not places where discussions happen. Japanese students rarely raise their hand if a question is asked (therefore, they are rarely asked to). It is not important to share ones opinion with the group, especially if it is different from the consensus. Almost from birth, Japanese children learn that the quickest and fairest way to settle disputes is by playing janken, or rock-paper-scissors.

This is very different from the American experience. I have been asked more than once by Japanese people, "why do Americans like to fight so much?" Heated discussions over drinks about politics or music is enjoyable to namy Americans. To Japanese it might be as enjoyable as picking up a rifle and jumping into battle.

Let's conclude with looking at the Japanese definition of the word "debate" (again, from Eijiro).

討論 (touron): argumentation, controversy, debate, discussion, disputation, talking, tilt

Indeed, when working with subtle arts like negotiation and debate, there is value to understanding the nuances of the words we use cross-cuturally.

2006-07-13T14:11:00.000-07:00

The Japanese Businessman and Technology

Basic descriptions of Japan are often of a country where the latest in high-tech is balanced in harmony with a highly-valued traditional culture. In some ways this is true. Japan is a country that leads the world in the technological advancements of everything from rockets to toilets. Yet, at the same time, there is a great value given to ancient structures and traditions, like the Great Bhuddas of Nara and Kamakura, the tea ceremony, sumo, kendo, etc.

Are these things always balanced, though? I think that is a question only a non-Japanese would ask. The irony of practicing kendo for a couple hours after school, a sport based in over 800 years of bushido tradition, then going home to play the latest Playstation game would be lost on most Japanese high-school boys.

(It's the things in those "in-between" ages that are tossed away with little regret. Autos are rarely kept more than five years, as the tax on cars older than five years is so high, it's usually more economical to buy a new car. The same is true of houses. Only about 1 in 5 houses purchased in the US is brand new, where only about 1 in 5 houses purchased in Japan has a previous owner. Again, this is partially based in the culture of wanting new things, but also because of laws that attach higher taxes to the purchase of a used house. This stems from the strong lobbyists the construction and automotive industries have on the easily influenced [in other words, bribe hungry] politicians the greatly apathetic voters allow to get into office. But this is a subject that may be better tackled on another day.)

So despite our slightly skewed vision of balance between the past and the future in Japan, is technology as embraced by the masses as we expect? (Wired Magazine, an American computer and technology related publication has a regular column entitled "Japanese Schoolgirl Watch" which features the latest, coolest, and often completely unneccesary, gadgets and trends the youth of Japan are using today, assuming the next fad doesn't hit the streets before sundown.) Thanks to lower birthrates, young people today have more cash than the kids from even a decade ago. This makes them juicy targets for cell-phone makers, game designers, and any other electronics manufacturers.

However, now we are met with another issue. Japan's population will reach its peak in 2006. Because of the high cost of living after the economic bubble burst of the early 1990s, people started getting married later and having less kids. Now many Japanese women are putting off marriage all together. Traditionally, marriage means quitting a career and staying at home all day, and many young Japanese women don't want to give up the freedoms they have grown accustomed to. What that means is over the next few decades we will see a rapid "graying of Japan".

Despite the desire to put the newest gadgets into the hands of the young and affluent, that population is declining. Companies must start to respond to the needs of the growing over-50 Japanese market. Some already have. Convenience store staple, Lawson, will begin opening convenience stores catering to older customers this year. More than one Japanese cell phone maker has designed phones for their older customers, who are intimidated by all the features (mail, cameras, games, etc.) on modern phones. These phones have the traditional 12 phone keys, a green pick-up botton, and a red hang-up button, and that is it. Until now older folks were ignored as new technology was introduced (and still largely are), and it isn't uncommon to find people, in this modern day, who have lived with VCRs for 20 years, but still have never learned to program them to record, or even know how to set the clock. It is this generation, the generation born around the time of or right after WWII, that technology basically forgot.

Because this is a generation where women generally did not hold powerful positions in business places, I will be basically talking about the cultures of technology and the Japanese businessman.

I recalled in a post a little while back the visit of a Japanese businessman who came to Oregon to drop off a report at a city office. At that time I talked about the need for Japanese business to take place face-to-face. This is for a few reasons we discussed...reading the kuuki, and a sense of safety when business is conducted person-to-person, rather than by phone or email. Another reason for this is the trend of a resistance to embrace new technology by men of this age group.

Several months ago we translated the website of a Japan-based technology-related company from Japanese to English. The website was a big undertaking, over 300 individual pages. As is typical with Japanese clients, daily updates were requested and communication happened frequently. Finally, when we felt we were completed, the owner of the client company wanted to make the final review of our work. A few days went by after we finished and uploaded the final page. Then one morning the mailman arrived with a thick envelope addressed to the translation team. Instead of the owner using his computer and the many means available to register the edits he had for our translation, he printed out the entire website, and then with a red pen marked the changes he wanted us to make. He then placed the huge stack of papers in an international courier envelope and sent it to us to review. This surprised me, as time was of the essence for the client, but this is what made him the most comfortable. Since then I have noticed the "red pen" treatment with other clients, as well.

Certainly this isn't true for all of our clients, and we have worked with some very tech-savvy individuals living both in Japan and the US. However I do think that since folks aged over 35 were never the targets for new technology marketing campaigns over the last couple decades, that many of these men, now higher-ups in big corporations, never had the desire to ride the wave of technology. I remember ten-plus years ago the Japanese Secretary of Technology delcaring the Internet as "a passing fad" (or some words to that effect). He ended up getting demoted, but not before Japan lost years on the rest of the world in internet technology. (Individuals are catching up like crazy, now, however.) Japanese government offices of today look like the offices of the mid-eighties in the US, with sometimes as many as five employees sharing one computer. As a result, many city and national government workers bring laptops from home, often with much newer OSs and software than the ancient government computers.

We can see that Japan does not always have the Midas touch in terms of the technology it embraces or rejects, and one can't help but think that the Japanese Secretary of Technology didn't make his declaration out of ignorance, but out of a fear of change, a fear of not understanding what is new. Presently they are behind in the areas of internet security, and there have been some very embarrassing scandals involving companies not employing the best security measures to protect their customers, and themselves. Problems like this only scare these older businessmen away, but it's clear the technology isn't going anywhere, and to maintain Japan's return to strength in the world economy this attitude will have to evolve. One thing I wouldn't look for is drastic changes in the technology of red pens coming out of Japan.

2006-06-23T09:38:00.000-07:00

Is Japan polite?

Recently Reader's Digest published a list of 35 cities and ranked them by politesness. I have included the list here.

New York	USA	80%
Zurich	Switzerland	77
Toronto	Canada	70
Berlin	Germany	68
São Paulo	Brazil	68
Zagreb	Croatia	68
Auckland	New Zealand	67
Warsaw	Poland	67
Mexico City	Mexico	65
Stockholm	Sweden	63
Budapest	Hungary	60
Madrid	Spain	60
Prague	Czech Republic	60
Vienna	Austria	60
Buenos Aires	Argentina	57
Johannesburg	South Africa	57
Lisbon	Portugal	57
London	United Kingdom	57
Paris	France	57
Amsterdam	Netherlands	52
Helsinki	Finland	48
Manila	Philippines	48
Milan	Italy	47
Sydney	Australia	47
Bangkok	Thailand	45
Hong Kong		45
Ljubljana	Slovenia	45
Jakarta	Indonesia	43
Taipei	Taiwan	43
Moscow	Russia	42

It is too bad that cities in Japan aren't included, but I can't help but wonder how say, Tokyo or Osaka might end up. It is a bit surprising NY ranked number one, but I understand some things have changed since 9/11.

In each city reporters did a series of tests on the people of the city. The tests were purely random, and non-scientific. They simply observed how many people would hold open a door, help pick up some spilled papers, etc. The number on the far right represents the percentage of people in that city who act in a courteous way. (More detail are available at their website.)

Where would Japanese cities rank on this list? Is there a significant difference between cities across Japan itself?

There is no shortage of books, websites and articles on Japanese customs and manners (including parts of this blog, japan communications), and I don't get a sense of an equal volume for other countries or cultures. Especially during the bubble-economy of the 1980s, many writers cashed in on the popularity of doing business with Japan, publishing books on "do"s and "don't"s when communicating or socializing with Japanese people. With the high volume of material available, books vied for consumers by advertising as "the official must read when working with the Japanese", "your only reliable source of essential cultural information", and "without this information, you may embarrass yourself". Even now, post bubble burst, it's easy to find phrases like "save yourself from embarrassment by following these manners and customs" in books and on the web.

Although these guides can be helpful, it's not often that I see them include the "why" behind the traditional behavior. A guide might simply say "Take off your shoes when you enter a Japanese house." For an uninitiated American reader this might sound a bit bizarre. "That's a funny tradition. Why in the world do we need to do that?" he might wonder. The simple and sensible answer is that many homes don't have a lot of tables and chairs. People mostly sit on cushions on the floor. Tatami rooms (with straw mat floors) can be harder to keep clean, so there is an effort to keep the dirt and dust out. I notice that even in homes with sofas and chairs, Japanese folks tend to migrate to the floor, and it often can be more comfortable. I bet if Americans used kotatsu (pictured) and sat on the floor more, we'd naturally start taking off our shoes when we come inside.

Another custom that raises questions by the inexperienced, but is rarely explained in Japanese custom guides, is "never pour your own drink, you should pour for other people, and they will pour for you." (I think it should be stated that if you never pour your own drink, after a couple hours into the party you may be walking around with an empty glass.) This is one of those traditions that is looked upon strictly at the opening "Kanpai!", but the rules get looser, as do the neckties, after a few large bottles of beer. It isn't necessarily "rude" to pour your own drink, but it makes your Japanese associates look unattentive, as if they haven't kept an eye on your glass. This custom is another example of reading the kuuki... Basically the "game" is to keep an eye on other people's glasses. Awareness of a less than full glass shows your consideration for other people and dedication to group coherence. If someone in the group is dissatisfied, then everyone will be.

Generally Japanese people are less touchy-feely than people in other parts of the world. Bowing instead of shaking hands (or hugging and kissing) is the rule. Pouring a drink for someone is a form of connection. It is also an excuse to have a chance to talk to someone. At business events or social situations where drinks are served, inviting oneself to fill a cup is an all-in-one ice breaker, conversation starter and polite gesture which tells the glass holder "this person is sensitive to his surroundings." At these sorts of events you will sometimes see inebriated men shuffling around looking for glasses to fill, often hoping the receiver will reciprocate with drink and conversation.

We will talk more in-depth about specific customs in the near future, but with all these customs and manners, don't fear "embarrassing yourself,” as there is little chance a foreigner will truly offend a Japanese person. The Japanese realize that not everyone knows how to use chopsticks, participate in a tea ceremony or pass business cards with two hands. That's OK. Keeping an open mind and a positive attitude will take you far in Japan, and an "embarrassing" guffaw usually opens the door to an interesting conversation on Japanese customs.

In an effort to try and answer the question at the top of this post, it's hard to simply say if Japan is polite or not. Personally, I always grumble when going to a restaurant in the US after returning from a trip to Japan. The service seems so much slower stateside. "I have to tip these waiters that are dragging their feet and looking at their watches?" I think to myself. In Japan the wait staff rushes to serve me, with a hearty welcome from the moment I darken their door. But just because this is tradition, does it make it polite? Japan is known worldwide for the quality of service, and it is a tradition with centuries of history behind it. It is polite to give good service, but giving good service doesn't necessarily make a country polite, does it?

I remember seeing a documentary from the 1980s profiling Kentucky Fried Chicken's opening in Japan. In one part new employees are trained in customer service. The drill sergeant from Hamburger Hill seemed like a teddy bear compared to the Japanese KFC trainer. Any "wrong" action, including poor eye movements or stumbling on the proper vocal responses, was pointed out and criticized. One scene showed a potential employee being yelled at because his arms were not at the correct angle when he presented the customer her bag of food. So when we are greeted at the fast food restaurant with a hearty "Irrashaimase!" and tip-top service, is the young person on the other side of the counter giving us this level of service because she is polite, or is it because she is afraid of being yelled at by her manager? We will look at this topic more in future posts, and we would love to hear your comments.

2006-05-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

The face to face: an essential of Japanese business. (Part 2): The gift

Today we'll look a little at the essentials of the gift in Japanese culture, focusing on Japanese business culture.

It's no secret that gift giving is an integral part of Japanese culture. I won't go too much into information that is already available, but there are a few things to keep in mind when planning a trip to Japan.

1) When in doubt, give a gift. You are making your first trip to Japan, and you will be meeting with a certain amount of people. If this is your first meeting with them, why not give them a gift? You should try to have something for every person you know you will meet, then a couple extras just in case. Japanese usually don't expect gifts from foreigners, so receiving one shows sensitivity and good foresight of the giver. Make the office staff happy by including a box of chocolates or something else the office can share. Without a doubt you will be a guest people will look forward to seeing.

2) It's the thought that counts. And this thought really does count. There is no need to break the bank, and an overly expensive gift may embarrass the receiver. Showing that you took the time and thought of this person before your trip is the message you want to send.

3) Presentation is everything. In Japan the wrapping is just as important as the gift inside. There is no need to fret too much about extravagent ribbons and such if the gift is travelling from overseas, but it should at least be wrapped nicely.

4) Make sure the boss gets a gift at least as good as everyone else.Even if you will meet the president or head only briefly during your trip (or not at all), make sure you get him something as well. Not only is it good for you when it comes time to make decisions regarding your company, it will create discomfort among the boss's subordinates if they received something and he didn't.

When you are hosting Japanese guests there are a few things to remember:

1) A gift is still important. But you can wait to give it until the end of the trip, though probably before the bags are packed is best.

2) Schedule time for your Japanese guests to buy gifts for home. Not only does the Japanese businessperson have to worry about getting gifts for those he's meeting, but he has to worry even more about getting gifts for his office and family. This is a real source of stress for the Japanese traveller, and I have heard that 20-50% of vacation times is spent shopping for gifts.

3) Help your guest choose local specialties. Without guidance, the busy Japanese businessman buys a bottle Jack Daniels for the boss, cookies for the office and a the same Chanel handkerchief for his wife that he bought on the last three trips. All these items are available in not only every duty-free shop in the world, but also in every department store in Japan. Every state has specialty stores featuring local goods. Because of this, getting your hands on things that aren't available in Japan is a real treat for the recipients.

So back to our tale of the Japanese businessman who made a special trip to drop off a report to an city official in Oregon. (Please refer to the previous post if you haven't read it yet.)

Introductions were made, and our client presented the city official with a Japanese picture book about fishing "because you said you enjoyed fishing in your free time." The official looked sheepish and said "I probably shouldn't be accepting this, but I appreciate it very much. I wish I knew you were coming, and I could have returned the favor."

Since the gentlemen know each other, and have met each other, if only briefly, at least once a year for the last several years, the culture of gift giving can morph a little bit. Now it's not enough to show, "I was thinking of you," but more, "I know you well enough to know that this is something you will enjoy." Notice how he pointed out "because you said you enjoyed fishing". This is a concrete way we can see a reading of the kuuki that we talked about in earlier posts.

A few years ago I hosted some American high school students on a Japan exchange trip. We were based out of Nara, but the father of the host family I stayed with worked at the JR Tennoji train station in Osaka. He offered to host a trip for the students and leaders to Osaka to see some temples and Osaka Castle. He and his wife also hosted us trip leaders on weekend day trips during our three-week stay. A few days after our outing to Osaka it came time to go back to the US. Our last night together he and his wife pulled out a twol large vinyl bags and handed one to each of us. The contents summarize the essentials of gift giving in Japan. Along with paperweights and windchimes from the neighborhood we were staying in (known in Japan for its goldfish farms), there were small trinkets from several of the temples we visited. Also he had over heard the other leader saying that he would like to find jikatabi (pictured)　that fit him , but his large shoe size made our searches fruitless. Much to our surprise, this kind man had searched out and special ordered extra-large sized tabi for the trip leader's huge feet. Keep in mind, our host's English was far from fluent, but he had somehow gleened this information.

At Osaka Castle a student was commenting on a series of t-shirts containing Osaka-ben phrases, and our host had overheard me comment that one of them was "cool". He had secretly purchased one of the shirts that day and brought it home to present it to me on our last night in Japan.

It is this kind of careful observation and presentation which makes the culture of gift-giving so important and fascinating.

2006-05-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

The face to face: an essential of Japanese business. (Part 1)

Recently we received a call from a client in Japan. He was going to be in Portland on a certain date, and wondered if we couldn't help him get to the city hall of a nearby town to meet with an official there. I picked up the gentleman downtown and we made our way, about a 40 minute drive in the heavy morning traffic, to his destination. He was a very kind man, and we had a pleasant discussion about the differences in raising children in Japan and the US. We got to our location, and met with the city official. I was surprised to see that this gentleman was taken aback to see us. "What are you doing here?", he asked with a happy grin. "I came to deliver our report, as you requested," replied our Japanese client, "and I wanted to stop by and say 'hi'". Introductions were made, and our client presented the city official with a Japanese picture book about fishing "because you said you enjoyed fishing in your free time." The official looked sheepish and said "I probably shouldn't be accepting this, but I appreciate it very much. I wish I knew you were coming, and I could have returned the favor." The large envelope containing the report was also given, and the apparant long-time friends talked about changes in leadership in the electrical engineering organization they both belonged to, and who would be at the annual convention. When he had a moment the official turned to me in private and said "I can't believe he came all the way here. He could have just dropped the report in the mail. He didn't need to come and give it to me by hand, though it was a nice surprise."

I, too, was a bit confused. I was led to believe he had a meeting with this man, and it's lucky that the official wasn't out that morning. I asked about it, and the client told me he was on his way back to Japan the next day. He had business in Seattle the day before, and thought it would be nice to fly down to Portland and deliver the report in person.

This seemed remarkable to me. Even if my business was booming, I would have a hard time justifying the time and expense of two extra nights and a plane ticket to deliver a report by hand that could just as easily been delivered by mail. This interaction opened my eyes to some key points in Japanese culture, especially business culture.

1) Face to face interaction is essential. We translate surveys from Japanese to English for companies that have satellite offices in Japan. One common complaint from vendors was that representatives of the product company didn't visit their stores enough. The American product company visited the stores when their product was first released, but then never again after that. The product company was happy with e-mailed reports of sales and returns, but the Japanese vendors wanted representatives of the product company to pick up these reports, or to simply stop by now and again. A few of the surveys found this "invisible company" becoming less and less trustworthy. What a strange turn of events!

The reasons are not so hard to guess, though. The main reason is that with so much of communication happening through non-verbal information, periodic physical meetings are essential to maintain a relationship in Japan. How can you read the kuuki if you can't see it? As long as the business is continuing, the communication must also. The vendors who were complaining didn't have any particular complaints about the product or company. The product sold well, and customers seemed satisfied. The simple fact that they hadn't phyically seen a company representative darken their door in several months was enough to make them lose trust in that company.

This ability to "read" another person is an essential in Japanese business, and is a likely contributor to some of the successes Japanese corporations have in Japan and around the world. I am reminded of a scene from Juzo Itami's wonderful film Tampopo. The movie is about a ramen-loving truck-driver helping a ramen shop owning single mom get her little restaurant out of a slump. The truck driver, Goro, spends time training the shop owner, Tampopo, in the complete art of making ramen, as well as how to be a good business owner. They practice using his trucking partner, Gun (played by the almost unrecognizable Ken Watanabe), as new customer. (As memory serves), Gun says "LOOK at the customer when he comes in. What kind of person is he? Is he hungry? Is he tired? Is he drunk? Is this the kind of customer you want in your shop?" Goro is telling Tampopo to read the kuuki before any verbal communication even happens. Of course, this is a comedy, and one might think that Goro's instructions may be over-the-top for a simple seller of ramen, but it does emphasize the need for people in business to be savvy in the art of reading the customer.

Next week we will look at other reasons our client felt the need to visit the city official in person, despite the expense and time required.

2006-05-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

The American businessman's mistakes (Part 2): The right message from the right person.

Last time we talked about having a Japanese right-hand man, and not using the Japanese company's interpreter. Now let's look at the final two mistakes from our story:

3) Knowing who to contact. Our friend contacted the only person at the company he knew who could speak English in an effort to find out their decision on whether they would purchase the American's product. This guy was at the meeting, he speaks English, so perfect, right? Wrong. There are a couple things we need to keep in mind in these situations. We must remember the rank of the person we are contacting. Any business interaction is a formal situation, especially during office hours. It's important to, when possible, interact with people of similar rank as you. If the Japanese person is ranked much lower (as may be true in this case), his discomfort in the unbalance will set him in "fight or flight" mode, and he will often say anything he can to end the conversation. On the other hand, if the Japanese is too high up, he might be insulted by this subordinate's ingnorance or audacity, and will also try to end the communication quickly. The English-speaking Japanese is not a decision maker, nor the go-between (despite the American's beliefs), therefore he will not only try to end the conversation quickly, but we must also remember the second rule in today's discussion:

4) Japanese do not like to give bad news. The timid translator will never be able to muster the words, "I'm sorry, but we do not require your services at this time." By saying "It is really difficult at this time," he is basically saying "No" without actually saying "no". It is this subtlety in conversation which is so often missed by unprepared Americans. The translator is wondering at every call, "Why is he calling me back? I told him already! If he doesn't like the answer, why is he bothering me? He should be calling my superior!"

By not identifying the correct person to contact, and not taking the subtle hints, or not reading the kuuki, our American friend might have sat in his hotel for weeks or months "dancing" with this Japanese translator to no resolution (at least to the American, but surely the Japanese man's nerves will end up shot).

2006-05-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

The American businessman's mistakes (Part 1):
The Japanese right-hand man

You may remember our story of the American businessmen sent to Tokyo.

An American company sent a sales representative to negotiate a potential sale in Tokyo. The American approached the Japanese company, used their English interpreter, and made his pitch to the people in charge of such purchases. Already, you can likely guess a couple mistakes he has made, (our post last week on building relationships is one clue).

So he was thanked for the presentation, and told that he would be contacted soon with an answer. A few days went by, and he was preparing to return to America. He hadn't heard from the company yet and contacted the gentleman who did the interpretation (the only English speaker in the company he knew of). After taking his call the Japanese man told him, "It's difficult to answer at this time." The American delayed his trip home, waited a few more days waiting for an answer, and then he called the gentleman back. "I am sorry, but it is really difficult at this time." Another delay, and then a third call was made, now nearly two weeks after the original visit. Again the American seller got the same answer. Time was of the essence. Why couldn't this Japanese firm make a decision? Frustrated, the American went to drown his sorrows at a British-style pub in Tokyo. There he met another foriegner, shared a few beers and told his story. The other American responded by saying, "Then what are you still doing here?"

"Obviously, I am waiting to hear their answer!" replied the increasingly frustrated businessman.

"But, you have already heard their answer," countered the other American. "Their answer is 'no'."

I concluded that (at least) four major errors were made by this travelling businessman and his home company. If you have followed this blog at all you can guess the first mistake rather easily.

1) Building a relationship. You can see our earlier post on the importance in building relationships before doing actual business.

Then we come to the second mistake our ambitious salesman made:

2) A Japanese right-hand man. We see that our American friend "used their English interpreter". This is a common mistake that especially medium to small size businesses do to cut costs. "They have an interpreter? Terrific! That'll save us hundreds of dollars a day!" But isn't that hundreds of dollars worth it when the difference is making or not making the sale?

Mr. Shintaro Tominaga visited our offices recently, and he reminded us of the need for the Japanese right-hand man when doing business negotiations. This "right-hand man" isn't necessarily an interpreter (and not necessarily a man, either, but for simplicity's sake he'll be a "he" today). He may be a consultant, an advisor, or just a low-man in the company who happens to be Japanese. When it comes to important and expensive deals, the Japanese feel most comfortable doing business with the Japanese. This is slowly changing, but without a doubt, given the choice, a Japanese company would rather be buying from another Japanese company rather than a foreign company. You can argue there is a certain caché associated with being an "international company", but when contracts are signed and money changes hands, the Japanese businessman is going to feel better knowing there is a Japanese person on the other side. This creates not only a sense that communication is really happening (the Japanese confidence level in English is usually far below acual ability), but also there is the sense of having a "business confidant" in sharing the same home country.

We are sometimes asked to send interpreters for business negotiations, and we have to be careful in these situations. There are times when sending a native Japanese speaker is advantageous, and other times when a non-native Japanese speaker is a better choice. In our case, we are more often hired by the American company, so our job is to represent the needs of our client accurately. It isn't uncommon for the representatives of the Japanese company to try to subtley squeeze information from the interpreters if they are native Japanese. Depending on the situation, sometimes a non-native Japanese speaker is more appropriate. Native speakers have finished a job feeling a bit uncomfortable at being asked for "business hints" from the Japanese guests. The American company is the client, but at the same time the interpreter doesn't want to be rude to the fellow Japanese who have travelled so far. Now before we lay judgement down, would an American not do the same in the reverse situation? Alone in a strange country, would you not see this fellow American acting as interpreter as a beacon of information?

We do not only do interpretation, but consulting, based on many of the very issues discussed here. We have seen great results when we consult with an American company engaging in business with Japan, not only because it helps the Americans learn about different communication styles, but also it shows the Japanese company that the Americans are serious enough about the business, nay, the relationship to take the time to hire US/Japanese business consultants.

Now where did the poor American salesman go wrong next? What compounds the mistake by our friend is his follow-up calls to the interpreter for an answer on their decision. We'll get into that more in Part 2...

2006-05-01T16:17:00.000-07:00

Interpreting what isn't there.

There are certainly plenty of times when interpreters are needed, but there are some things even the best interpreters can't easily translate, and one of these is kuuki (空気）. Kuuki basically means "air", but in terms of a heavy business negotiation, the answer to you questions may rest in the kuuki, not the words your potential partner is saying.

A good American businessperson needs to be able to read not only the other party's words, but also be familiar with the other party's cultural communication style. (That's what this blog is all about.) An interpreter can only tell you what is said, but the most important messages from a vital meeting may not be relayed in words the way an American is used to receiving them. Additionally, even the best interpreters usually aren't in the business of explaining what one party is saying under the surface, beneath his words. To do so makes for awkward interpretation, and can raise suspicion on the other side. A good interpreter wants to be as invisible as possible, therefore the responsibility of reading kuuki falls on the non-Japanese speaker.

We find that we are getting more consulting work to help American businesses in the steps before and after a vital negotiation, not just for the negotiation itself.

I am reminded of a story of an American company who sent a sales representative to negotiate a potential sale in Tokyo. The American approached the Japanese company, used their English interpreter, and made his pitch to the people in charge of such purchases. Already, you can likely guess a couple mistakes he has made, (our post last week on building relationships is one clue).

So he was thanked for the presentation, and told that he would be contacted soon with an answer. A few days went by, and he was preparing to return to America. He hadn't heard from the company yet and contacted the gentleman who did the interpretation (the only English speaker in the company he knew of). After taking his call the Japanese man told him "It's difficult to answer at this time." The American delayed his trip home, waited a few more days waiting for an answer, and then he called the gentleman back. "I am sorry, but it is really difficult at this time." Another delay, and then a third call was made, now nearly two weeks after the original visit. Again the American seller got the same answer. Time was of the essence. Why couldn't this Japanese firm make a decision? Frutrated, the American went to drown his sorrows at a British-style pub in Tokyo. There he met another foriegner, shared a few beers and told his story. The other American responded by saying, "Then what are you still doing here?"

"Obviously, I am waiting to hear their answer!" replied the increasingly frustrated businessman.

"But, you have already heard their answer," countered the other American. "Their answer is 'no'."

There are four main mistakes identifiable in the American's approach to doing business in Japan. Can you guess what they are? We'll get more into reading kuuki, debates, and bad news over the next couple weeks, as well as answers to the mistakes our poor American salesman made.

2006-04-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

The business card: Japan's coat of arms

The fact that the Japanese treat business cards differently than American business people is no real secret. I have seen dozens of guidebooks and websites that show the deeply bowing blonde-haired businessman passing his business card to his Japanese associate. It's easy to remember the gestures to not offend your Japanese business partner, but we also want to look a little deeper into the meaning behind the gestures to help create understanding in this important part of inter-cultural communication.

For Americans, a business card is simply a name tag, a souvenir as a reminder of a first meeting. For the Japanese it is much more than that. It is good to think of a business card as an extension of the person you are meeting. Treat it as you would a picture of his children, or as an expensive family heirloom. Look at it. Comment on it. Treat it with delicacy. Knowing this, you don't have to worry about the long lists of "do's" and "don'ts" about business cards we often run into.

While in the US the business card is received, then usually quickly filed away in a wallet or card holder to be stapled to a Rolodex when back at the office. Next time try this: at a business meeting take advantage of the Japanese system of placing your associates' cards in seating order in front of you. No one will take offense if you need to take a few glances before you can remember a new acquaintance's name, and it is certainly better than getting it wrong. Almost every Japanese person I know, who lives or does work in the US, has a story of how an associate forgot or butchered her name. The stories are always told with a chuckle, and Japanese people know thier names can be hard for non-Japanese people to say and remember.

The opposite is also true. That's why we recommend people doing business in Japan or with Japanese people get thier business cards translated into Japanese. We encourage this for two main reasons: 1) it shows your Japanese associate that you care about their needs enough to take the time to get the cards made. It says "This guy is prepared to meet people half-way. And 2) companies that send employess (i.e. sales and marketing) to Japan with bilingual business cards get more call-backs than those that don't. Even though all Japanese study English and know the alphabet, non-Japanese names can be intimidating. Who wants to embarrass themselves by calling up a new company and mispronouncing the name of the person you wish to speak with to the receptionist, a complete stranger? Bilingual cards include company and indivudual names in Japanese so the receiver doesn't need to feel intimated by a less than familiar name.

And how likely are you to call-back a potential client when the card he gave you is only in Japanese if you don't speak Japanese?

Surveys show that Japanese businessmen, (indeed it's businessmen surveyed), prioritize company over family, where Americans value family over company. (Americans also value themselves over their company). This is a topic we will explore deeper in a future post, but for now it's good to keep in mind when receiving a Japanese person's business card. He may actually value it more than the picture of his children or family heirloom.

2006-04-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

The critical first steps in a Japanese business relationship.

One of the first mistakes we see Americans make is at the beginning of a new business relationship. Let's start with the term itself: business relationship. An American would look at this and would likely see emphasis on the term business. It might surprise you to know that a Japanese professional would look at this term and see the emphasis on relationship. In Japan business cannot begin until a relationship is established. Your potential business partner wants to know what kind of person you are. It is not uncommon for a meal and drinks to be shared or a game of golf played before any business is even discussed. Americans often see expensing meals or golf games as a "perk", but in Japan this is where real business is happening. Americans often misunderstand this, and wonder why an inferior or more expensive competitor made the deal with the Japanese customer. The reason is that the Japanese customer didn't like something he saw, either at the meal or on the golf course.

When is a person his most real self? You can often see a person's true personality on the golf course or at a meal (and after a few drinks). Without knowing his personality is being studied, the American "acts like himself". He doesn't know that business decisions are being made in his Japanese partner's mind as he grumbles after a bad putt or, even worse, embarrasses his partner by beating him badly.

To meet someone for the first time and immediately talk business is considered rude in Japan. Whereas in the US we would upset if someone didn't get to their point from the start. This is a very fundamental first step in establishing a business relationship in Japan, and many Americans shut the door on themselves before getting one foot in.

Oftentimes for decision-makers the real business starts after five o'clock. Japanese businessmen, (especially men), are famous for their eating and drinking until late in the evening with business associates. This might look juvenile, or maybe enviable, to an American businessperson, but they are showing dedication to their company and are doing work.

It's only after the 18 holes, the big meal and several big bottles of beer or sake that the potential business partner will say to his new associate "So, we have these new Johnson Rods that I think your company might find useful. What do you say?" If the day went well, the gentlemen got along, the scores fell the right way, and food and drink were consumed without any embarrassing incidents, then we can expect the response to be "Sure. Why don't you bring the specs by my office tomorrow and we can start to discuss it."

An invitation to a meal, golf, or any out-of-the-office activity after five is an invitation to do business. How many times has the American businessperson replied to such invites with, "Oh, I am busy this evening," or "I am afraid I am going to have to pass," without realizing he basically made his chances of making a deal with this potential partner essentially disappear? This is why we later sometimes hear "I don't get it! I had the better product at the better price, but they went with our competition..." That's because the competition knew to make the relationship before trying to make the business.

2006-04-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

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.