Guidelines for Business Conversations

General Guidelines on Business Conversation in Japanese

General Guidelines ->

1.) It may happen that in Business conversations you may be asked extremely personal questions regarding your salary, education, and family life. If you don't want to answer, remain polite but try to gracefully side step the question.

2.) Sometimes, you'll find it necessary to pretend that your Japanese colleague understood you. In Japanese business protocol, these “face-saving” measures are essential for maintaining cordial relations.

3.) It’s a good approach to refrain from discussing business matters until the first few minutes of any conversation, unless your Japanese companion starts a topic saying something like “Jitsu wa ne...” [“the fact of the matter is...”]

4.) It is considered polite to frequently say “I’m sorry.” For example, the Japanese will apologize for not being punctual enough, having a cold, taking you to see a disappointing movie, providing substandard hospitality [even if it was perfectly good], displaying rudeness at a previous meeting [even if they were not rude], and practically any other personal flaw. Visitors are encouraged to incorporate these kinds of remarks into their conversation.

5.) Exercise caution when asking the Japanese certain questions. For example, English speakers would give a negative answer to the question “Isn't the document available?” by responding “NO”. The intended meaning is “No, the document is not available.” The Japanese interpretation is different. The answer would be “YES” meaning, “Yes, the document is not available.”

6.) If the response to your question is “maybe”, “probably”, or “I'm thinking about it”, the answer is likely to be “yes.” “I'll consider it”, however, is often indicative of a “NO” .

7.) Don't make accusations or direct refusals. In your dealings with Japanese business culture, remain indirect.

8.) In the course of a conversation, use as many Japanese sentences as you can.

9.) You may have to ask a question several times, in different ways, to receive a definite response or commitment.

10.) When beginning a dialogue with a group, it is polite to direct all of your first remarks to the most senior member [if you know who he or she is], and then to appropriate individuals.


Welcome Topics of Conversation ->

1.) Inquiring about a person’s family [a good conversation starter]

2.) Praising the hospitality you’re receiving

3.) Japanese history and culture

4.) Japanese artistic achievements

5.) Positive comments about the Japanese economy

6.) Sports, such as baseball, golf and ski jumping


Topics to Avoid ->

1.) World War II

2.) Making jokes [unless they are very easy to understand, self-deprecating, and made in a social rather than business setting]

Bonsai

Bonsai "盆栽" is the art of cultivating miniature trees. The pine, a tree that grows many meters tall in wild nature, is the most typical plant used for bonsai, but many other tree species can be used.

To achieve miniaturization, the tree is frequently transferred into new pots, and on that occasion its roots are cut a little bit.

Bonsai skills include the knowledge of when and how much to cut the roots, how much fertilizer and water is ideal, and which branches should be pruned to give the plant an aesthetic look.

Calligraphy

Calligraphy means Shodo ("書道") or the way of writing.
It is the art of writing beautifully.

A calligraphy set consists of ->

Shitajiki (下敷): Black, soft mat. It provides a comfortable, soft surface.
Bunchin (文鎮): Metal stick to weight down the paper during writing.
Hanshi (半紙): Special, thin calligraphy paper.
Fude (筆): Brush. There is a larger brush for writing the main characters and a smaller one for writing the artist's name. The small brush, however, can be used for the characters, too.
Suzuri (硯): Heavy black container for the ink.
Sumi (墨): Solid black material that must be rubbed in water in the suzuri to produce the black ink which is then used for writing. Of course, "instant ink" in bottles is also available.

Styles of writing ->

Unlike the strokes of Roman letters, the strokes of Japanese characters have to be drawn in the correct order, not arbitrarily. When you learn Chinese characters, you draw one stroke after the other. This is called the square ("楷書", Kaisho) style of writing kanji.

The Japanese, however, rarely use this style of writing kanji. There are two faster styles of writing in which the kanji become a little bit less legible. It is like writing Roman letters in a fast way: everything is written in only a few strokes. These two styles are called semi cursive ("行書", Gyosho) and cursive ("草書", Sosho).

Origami and Ikebana

Origami ->

As for the word itself, oru means "to fold", and kami means "paper". Origami is the art of folding paper. Glue or scissors are usually not used. It is believed that paper was first made, and folded, in China in the first or second century. The earliest records of origami in Japan date to the Heian Period (794-1185). It was during this period that Japan's nobility had its golden age and it was a time of great artistic and cultural advances. Paper was still a rare enough comodity that origami was a pastime for the elite. Paper was folded into set shapes for ceremonial occasions such as weddings. Serrated strips of white paper were used to mark sacred objects, a custom which can still be seen in every shrine to this day.

One of the most famous origami designs is the Japanese crane "Tsuru". The crane is auspicious in Japanese culture, which has developed into a worldwide symbol of children's desire for peace.. Cranes are large, long-legged and long-necked birds.

In the mid-1950s, 11-year old Sasaki Sadako developed leukemia as a result of her exposure to radiation as a baby during the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. Tradition held that if you made a senbazuru (a thousand paper cranes) and made a wish after completing each one, your wish would come true. Sadako set about making the tsuru, wishing for her own recovery. But as she continued, she began to wish instead for world peace. She died when she had made only 644 and her school friends completed the full number and dedicated them to her at her funeral. The story helped inspire the Children's Peace Memorial in Hiroshima and a statue of Sadako in Seattle. Each year on Peace Day (August 6th), thousands of origami tsuru are sent to Hiroshima by chidren all over the world.


Ikebana ->

Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. Ikebana is more than simply putting flowers in a container. It is a disciplined art form in which the arrangement is a living thing in which nature and humanity are brought together. It is steeped in the philosophy of developing a closeness with nature.

Ikebana developed in the 16th century. Traditional Ikebana is called Kado.There are many different schools of traditional Ikebana. In addition, modern styles of Ikebana (avant-garde Ikebana) have evolved. Some of these styles use glass, iron, and other materials instead of flowers.

As is true of all other arts, Ikebana is creative expression within certain rules of construction. Its materials are living branches, leaves, grasses, and blossoms. Its heart is the beauty resulting from color combinations, natural shapes, graceful lines, and the meaning latent in the total form of the arrangement. Ikebana is, therefore, much more than mere floral decoration.

Many practitioners of Ikebana feel that the spiritual aspect of Ikebana is very important. One becomes quiet when one practices Ikebana. It helps you to live "in the moment" and to appreciate things in nature that previously had seemed insignificant. One becomes more patient and tolerant of differences, not only in nature, but more generally in other people. Ikebana can inspire you to identify with beauty in all art forms -- painting, music, etc., and to always expect the best in yourself.

Japanese Architecture

Japanese houses have thin walls because of the mild climate and overlapping, slanted, and slightly curved roofs because of the fact that there is plenty of rain especially during early summer. Timber is the traditional building material for Japanese houses. It makes them airy which is important during the humid summer months. The disadvantages are that the houses can be damaged easily by earthquakes and fires. Modern architectural techniques were introduced into Japan with the launch of the Meiji Restoration in 1868. The first buildings to result from this effort combined traditional Japanese methods of wood construction with Western methods and designs.

For Japan, which is frequently hit by earthquakes, development of earthquake-resistant construction has always been a major problem in architecture. The first skyscraper of Japan, the Kasumigaseki Building, was completed in 1968, having made use of the latest earthquake-resistant technology. A number of skyscrapers were built thereafter, including those in Nishi-Shinjuku in Tokyo and the Landmark Tower (296 meters high) in Yokohama.