Travelling to Japan on Business can be a daunting task, particularly if it's your first visit. It's a different culture and you should act accordingly. Here we provide a few tips from people who have traveled many times to this exciting part of the world.
Bowing - When should you?
This is the most common question. I asked my boss at the time and he said, "don't worry about it, you'll pick it up, it just comes naturally". I didn't think this was very helpful at the time but he was right. It became almost automatic after a while. Japanese people are very polite, I remember waiting for a lift on one occasion with many Japanese office workers also waiting to get in. The doors opened and we all nodded politely at each other so much that the lift doors actually shut without anyone getting in I haven't seen that happen in the States!
When meeting or being introduced I found myself automatically bowing as do they. It is said that the least important person should bow lower, but generally the 'full' formal bow is not expected of visitors from outside the country.
Do not try and bow and shake hands at the same time. This just gets confusing for both of you. I'd recommend bowing first as you are the visitor and it's their tradition, if a hand is offered then of course shake it too.
Business Cards
This is important in Japan. You should ensure your cards are of good quality and if possible get them printed in Japanese as well as your own language. Also, when you accept a business card from a Japanese business person you should not just stuff it in your wallet as you might elsewhere. You should take it carefully and make a point of reading what's on it, and of course nodding while you accept. If you are in a business meeting with others you should arrange the business cards in front of you in the order people are sat around you on the table.
Be Polite
As already mentioned, Japanese people are very polite. This probably means more polite than normal. Do not vehemently voice your disapproval for example as you might in the west, instead be diplomatic. Also, if you're working in your company's Japanese office there is a tradition that you do not leave the office before the boss so be aware of that.
Don't wear a tie
It is well known that Japanese business men and women dress well. What you might not know is that during the summer time ties are very rarely worn....read the rest of this blog post here on Sociocean.comThis post first appeared on Sociocean - The Offline Social Network, please read the originial post: here
