Cross Culture

Martin Lee, is a shipbroker, one of my mates who was posted from Singapore to Japan for more than a year and was sharing his experience during that period.

It is often not the job, but the complexities of daily life abroad that can create stresses that affect performance, said Martin, who recalled the first time he went to a store to buy groceries on his first posting in Tokyo.

"Everything was in Kanji leh, the Japanese pictograms, no English. I was holding a package of white crystals in my hand and wondering whether it was salt or MSG and there was no one in the store who could help me."[1]

“During dinner out with the locals, they often toast sake or beer and expected you to take the bottle to replenish his cup in order to have another toast. They use the term ‘kampai’ as “cheers”.

“The ladies who serve the food in the traditional cuisine have dual roles, as in they double as companions, which made me felt odd.”

“The bowing instead of our right hand shaking, sometimes caused confusion.”

“These Japs don’t know how to say ‘no’. they always keep quiet and talk amount themselves when there is a problem.”

“On the train, they made a quick stop at one of the train stations to buy their lunch boxes to be consumed on the train.”

Initial language barrier, such communications, cultural barriers and know-how turned simple tasks and decisions into challenges. He is confronted continuously with new ways of thinking, valuing and doing things.  Sometimes, our common sense is no longer useful and could lead to miscommunications directly or indirectly.

Over time Martins gradually adapted to the new culture. He then began to orient himself and was able to interpret some of the languages, subtle cultural clues and cues, the culture then seem more familiar and more comfortable to him as he dwelled further into the local culture.

Martin mentioned that the different culture he experienced was exciting, stimulating, stressful, and at the same time frustrating. Moving from Singapore to Tokyo largely required a lot of emotional support from his colleagues and friends from Singapore through regular contact over the telephone and instant messengers via the internet.

Basically the culture shock he is experiencing is a form of anxiety caused by losing his sense of when to do what and how. Usually accompanied by a variety of intense feelings, culture shock is a psychological reaction to a new environment.

He learnt that the reason why he reacted so strongly to these changes in communication style, business practices, language and all the rest is because we are human and it’s our tendency to organize, categorize and compare to follow the “norms” we are brought up with.

The reason why he felt the culture shock is that he embraced tenaciously to his familiar version of reality, of rightness and was reluctant to accept other perfectly viable way of living, thinking and interacting that are norms in their culture.

In Japan, there is a rich, deep culture with an above average sense of care, politeness, expression of gratitude, duty and friendship.  These are some of what he learnt about Japanese and their inherent culture and sub cultures all over the country/organization.

Most Japanese rarely show any sign of anger, as loss of self control is considered as loosing face. Preservation of face comes through avoiding confrontations and direct criticism whenever possible. Causing someone to loose face can be disastrous for business relationships. It easy to win a Japanese account but once you lost it, you will never get it back again.

They show greater respect to the eldest members in Japanese business culture.  Generally speaking, in business meetings, the most senior member of the team generally enters the room first, followed by his subordinates in order of rank or seniority.  The least senior member will sit closest to the door. After dinner and drinks, it’s often that the most junior would have to pick up the expenses for claim.

A strong hierarchical structure in Japanese is reflected in their business negotiation process.  They begin at the executive level and continue at the middle level.  However, decision will often be made within the group or top down.  It is also important to note that in contemporary Japan, even a low ranking individual can become a manager if his or her performance is good. During a visit to one of the dockyards at Shinkuroshima in Matsuyama, he realized that the engineers, who appeared more senior in age is taking orders from a relatively younger manager in terms of work and design matter of the ship in construction.

If things or situation becomes really difficult, silence is often used as part of the thought process and is never thought of as uncomfortable or rude as referred to in Singapore.

Punctuality is essential. Lateness is a sign of disrespect.

Instead of giving money when showing someone gratitude from their kindness, bring small gifts or souvenirs from your country.  Japanese will love these.  However, do not make it expensive because you will probably expect them to pay you back with gift.

They bow to greet counterparts with proper respect and politeness.  Make sure you return the gesture, which is usually performed shortly and shallowly.  More often though as foreigner, a handshake is sufficient. As for bowing, the males bow with their hands at their sides, and females bow with their hands crossed over in front.

When eating rice with chopsticks, do not pass food from chopsticks to chopsticks because this is a ceremonial gesture used during cremation services.

Do not put chopsticks straight down into the rice. It is how Japanese make an offering to the dead.

If someone who would be working on a project in that country, I would advise the following.

Improve Japanese language proficiency by watching Japanese shows, attend basic elementary Japanese lesson and learn as much of the language as you can.  Even a few words can go a long way to increase your comfort level in Japan and will aid greatly in various communication aspects.

It is wise to maintain communication with your home office and do not want to be “out of sight, out of mind.”  It helps maintain your sanity too.

One must ‘master’ the techniques of using and interpreting indirect speech.  Since harmony is so important in the culture of Japan, it can be very difficult for the Japanese to say “no” or directly confront, deny, challenge or disrespect anything you say.  Thus, one might prefer to remain silent when unsure, make no assumptions.

A misconception held by many that Japan is a “man’s” country.  Japanese women are seen weak and submissive.  They are seen to appear meek but this should be considered a major part of their refinement and charm.  They should be respected and not discriminated.

Both sexes are expected to dress rather formally at the office.  During summer, men may do away with wearing suit jackets and ties, and button-down shirts with short sleeves are acceptable.  Men must take care to shave regularly and not wear piercings at work.  Women are likewise expected to maintain a conservative appearance in the office.

Giving gifts for first encounters with your superiors or those with whom one will work frequently, spending more on coworkers of higher status. i.e. beers and dinner after work which often Japanese men coming home late and spending little time with their family. In fact, am told that their spouse expect them to return late from work else they perceive that their husband are not moving up the corporate ladder.

“One life one company” is another area where older Japanese always adhere to. Be it culture or something that evolved out of the industrialized nation. It’s rare to find someone who has worked with more than two companies in their career.

A significant part of former Japanese business protocol was gift giving.  In contemporary Japanese business culture, although not expected, the gesture is still practiced and will be accepted with gratitude. However, be careful not to take too big a gift as it may be regarded as a bribe. One can easily pick up sweets in well wrap boxes as gifts in any convenient store.

As a rule of thumb, foreigners in Japan are not expected to act exactly or know their cultures, but are expected to respect their culture and their people.