Here’s how to earn it.

by Dean Foster
September 2006


People do business differently in different cultures, and what fills the bank in Tuscaloosa can empty it in Tokyo. Having a basic understanding of the culture is essential to successful business in the Japanese capital, one of the most challenging business environments in the world for non-Japanese. Here are some fundamentals to get you started:

It’s not what you see that you need to understand most: It is what you don’t see in Japan that most critically affects your success. Perhaps because Japanese culture is so different from Western culture, the Japanese take great pains to insure that Westerners are always comfortable. This means not telling you what they might be truly thinking or feeling—especially if it is less than positive—and protecting you from all unpleasantness. If things aren’t going well, you simply will not know (unless you can read the very subtle cues) until you get home and you realize that, well, nothing really happened.

So, what are those subtle cues? For one thing, listen closely for ambivalence in the words. Statements like, “Your idea is very good, but perhaps it needs further study” is a definite “no.” Sucking air in through the teeth is a non-verbal sign of strong disapproval, no matter the accompanying words. Smiling is often a mask for hiding unpleasant negative feelings. And the ubiquitous Japanese word hai does not mean “yes” or agreement, or even that you were understood; it is simply an acknowledgment that you said something.

1. Keep it cool. Savvy businesspeople keep their voices low and moderate, are never demonstrative with hand gestures or body language, and keep all emotions—at least during the business day—in check, displaying complete control over words and behavior in the meeting room.
   
   
2. But once the sake cups are lifted…watch out! It’s time for honne, or a situation in which you can let down your hair and speak openly. It’s one of the reasons why you must go out to drink and dine in the evenings with your Japanese colleagues. (Americans cherish their “private time,” but such a concept is strange in group-focused Japan, and you must not hide out in your hotel room at night, no matter how jet-lagged you are). It’s over sake and karaoke that you build the personal bonds that allow your Japanese to really say what they feel: Do not expect such clarity during midday business meetings, where “face” must always be maintained in public. Meetings are emphatically not opportunities for solving problems or making decisions. They are more often simply vehicles by which information is exchanged.
   
   
3. Real decision-making and tough problem-solving is done away from the table, and always by a team. Therefore, do not push for answers at a meeting: Use meetings as a time for sharing information and establishing common ground about what needs to be done, then provide as many details as possible to your Japanese team in order for them to make decisions. This will take time. While waiting, get all your ducks in a row, for when the Japanese do decide to move, they will expect you to have everything in place to take action.
   
   
4. You will need to bring a gift to your “key” contact when you first meet in Tokyo. This should be something of value that is difficult to obtain in Japan—so make sure it doesn’t say “made in Japan” on the bottom—and it should be representative of your hometown, such as a local sports team cap or jersey. You will be given an equally interesting gift in return. Gifts must be wrapped well (preferably in either red or gold paper; avoid white, as it is a funeral color in Japan), and must be presented and received with two hands. All gifts are received and then set aside unopened (you open it later, in private). In addition to your “key-man” gift, you should bring a wrapped token gift for each of the members of the Japanese team you meet. This can be an interesting corporate logo–type gift, such as a wallet or card case. Finally, on your way to your Japanese colleague’s office for the first day’s meeting, stop off at a local bakery and pick up a box of cookies or sweets, then leave it at the reception desk when you arrive at your colleague’s office. Everyone will know it came from you, and it will be greatly appreciated…and devoured in minutes.
   
   
5. And when that deal is finally signed, schedule a celebratory Japanese meal (when you make your reservation over the phone, be sure to give them your credit card—and make sure you have plenty of room on it—so the bill never arrives at the table) in a fine Japanese restaurant (not a noodle shop), and toast (Kampai!) with the best sake you can afford. Remember, it is your responsibility to pour the sake for your colleague at the table, and he will do the same for you. Never fill your own glass.

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dean foster is principle of Dean Foster Associates (learnaboutcultures.com) and an expert in intercultural management for global business. Email Dean at editor@executivetravelmag.com.