Sneveniguso
後輩
- 19 May 2011
- 1
- 0
Hello everyone,
here are some examples of Japanese communication culture which have taught me a lot.
• Silence in a meeting
I was participating in a Japanese business meeting where a normal discussion was going on. Suddenly everyone was completely silent. I was careful not to disturb the silence. After one or two minutes someone began talking making very meaningful comments which obviously came from the previous period of silence.
• Entrusted information
My experience has been that when I meet Japanese people for the first time they grant me a lot of initial trust. And people would often reveal things to me that they would not easily tell their colleagues or family members. I usually validate such openness and confirm that I understand.
Example:
o Evaluation by a trainer on his own performance
• Sarcasm and irony
o I have never noticed sarcasm and irony inJapanese communication
o I never heared of anyone telling bad jokes
• Restaurant communications
o When leaving after payment the staffs' interest in your well being is ongoing: "Mind your step, don't forget your umbrella", etc.
o When there is a queue in front of a restaurant, staff may indicate how long you may have to wait, so you can decide for yourself if you want to go elsewhere
• Different opinions
It has been my experience that Japanese people are very comfortable accepting different opinions without feeling the urge to discuss them and finding a compromise or unifying them into one single opinion.
For instance in a discussion about Japanese friendliness I was told by a friend he feels very comfortable with Chinese people because they were almost as friendly as the Japanese and they were somehow very similar to Japanese. I then proceeded to point out that the Chinese friendliness in business may be a different kind of friendliness than that of Japanese as the Chinese stance on respecting international patent laws may be different from that of Japanese. He could have argued that this may not be directly related to daily life where the Chinese are as friendly as Japanese. But he didn't thrash it out. Instead, he just agreed and said, yes, this was true without compromising his personal viewpoint. So we felt great mutual acceptance for each others' viewpoints.
• Pricing
In Japanese restaurants and shops the communication about the price is always crystal clear. People will NEVER tell you the price is 100 Yen and then secretly add 5% with you ending up paying more than what the labeled price shows. Sushi or small amounts of drinks in supermarkets that cost 105 Yen are automatically labeled 105 Yen, and not 100 Yen + tax. I find this very convenient and pleasing.
• Taxis
There is no tipping which I feel very relaxed about. Although it is likely that they will never see you again, communication with taxi drivers is natural and professional. Communication is not looked at as some kind of commodity that is offered in hope for good tips in return. There is no obsessive communication to please you to make you give more tips. Even after paying some taxi drivers did go as far as asking me to make sure I wouldn't forget anything when disembarking.
I am looking for more examples of great Japanese communication culture people can learn from and would appreciate if you could give me some from your experience.
Thank you,
Sneveniguso
here are some examples of Japanese communication culture which have taught me a lot.
• Silence in a meeting
I was participating in a Japanese business meeting where a normal discussion was going on. Suddenly everyone was completely silent. I was careful not to disturb the silence. After one or two minutes someone began talking making very meaningful comments which obviously came from the previous period of silence.
• Entrusted information
My experience has been that when I meet Japanese people for the first time they grant me a lot of initial trust. And people would often reveal things to me that they would not easily tell their colleagues or family members. I usually validate such openness and confirm that I understand.
Example:
o Evaluation by a trainer on his own performance
• Sarcasm and irony
o I have never noticed sarcasm and irony inJapanese communication
o I never heared of anyone telling bad jokes
• Restaurant communications
o When leaving after payment the staffs' interest in your well being is ongoing: "Mind your step, don't forget your umbrella", etc.
o When there is a queue in front of a restaurant, staff may indicate how long you may have to wait, so you can decide for yourself if you want to go elsewhere
• Different opinions
It has been my experience that Japanese people are very comfortable accepting different opinions without feeling the urge to discuss them and finding a compromise or unifying them into one single opinion.
For instance in a discussion about Japanese friendliness I was told by a friend he feels very comfortable with Chinese people because they were almost as friendly as the Japanese and they were somehow very similar to Japanese. I then proceeded to point out that the Chinese friendliness in business may be a different kind of friendliness than that of Japanese as the Chinese stance on respecting international patent laws may be different from that of Japanese. He could have argued that this may not be directly related to daily life where the Chinese are as friendly as Japanese. But he didn't thrash it out. Instead, he just agreed and said, yes, this was true without compromising his personal viewpoint. So we felt great mutual acceptance for each others' viewpoints.
• Pricing
In Japanese restaurants and shops the communication about the price is always crystal clear. People will NEVER tell you the price is 100 Yen and then secretly add 5% with you ending up paying more than what the labeled price shows. Sushi or small amounts of drinks in supermarkets that cost 105 Yen are automatically labeled 105 Yen, and not 100 Yen + tax. I find this very convenient and pleasing.
• Taxis
There is no tipping which I feel very relaxed about. Although it is likely that they will never see you again, communication with taxi drivers is natural and professional. Communication is not looked at as some kind of commodity that is offered in hope for good tips in return. There is no obsessive communication to please you to make you give more tips. Even after paying some taxi drivers did go as far as asking me to make sure I wouldn't forget anything when disembarking.
I am looking for more examples of great Japanese communication culture people can learn from and would appreciate if you could give me some from your experience.
Thank you,
Sneveniguso
