I arrived in Tokyo a few days before a business summit I was to attend in September of last year. I wanted to take some time to take in the sights before the three day, intense, try to get it all in meeting that I knew would not allow me much time for sightseeing. I could not wait to do some shopping, go to some of the amazing parks, visit the Imperial Palace, and of course, eat some of the best sushi in the world.
From the moment I got off the airplane at the beautiful Haneda airport, I was overwhelmed by the level of kindness and out of the ordinary politeness of every one I encountered. Polite, and as I later learned, “teinei” (polite in Japanese) is an understatement. From the restroom attendants, the people that helped me find baggage claim and retrieve my luggage, to my driver, to the bellman, concierge, hotel workers, and restaurant workers I encountered during my first day in Tokyo, everyone was so incredibly polite. It was almost a little uncomfortable at times but after the second day, I really started to enjoy being around people that were so genuinely nice and polite. I even upped my level of politeness and not out of feeling obligated but because it felt good to go out of my way to be ever-so-polite.
Prior to my trip to Japan, I had done a little research on business etiquette and culture as every country is different and you certainly do not want to offend anyone while trying to conduct business in their country. I found that it is important to accept a business card from your Japanese colleague with both hands and read it before you put it away (never in your back pocket), that they are a collectivist culture and value the team over the individual contribution, and that they are very gracious and “teinei”. To the Japanese, being polite is a way of showing respect and it is in ones’ best interest to honor their business culture by understanding and following their lead.
Understanding the cultural differences of those that you work with or come into contact with is important as we attempt to navigate the global marketplace. Having cross-cultural awareness is essential and may save you from the repercussions of cultural blunders (Results of Poor Cross Cultural Awareness, 2016). In other words, let’s learn from the Japanese and try to be a lot more polite as we conduct ourselves out in this globalized world.
Work Cited:
Moran, R., Abramson, N., and Moran, S. (2014). Managing cultural differences. (9th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Results of Poor Cross Cultural Awareness. (2016, April 19). Retrieved January 18, 2017, from http://www.commisceo-global.com/blog/results-of-poor-cross-cultural-awareness
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