Business-Related Culture

Abstract

Somewhere along the line, most books on doing business in Japan lapse into fanciful reflections on Japanese culture. They muse about the ancient customs and traditions, how the Japanese personality is forged by mutual obligation (giri and on) or the time-honored loyalty of the samurai toward his lord. They explain how flower arrangement or tea ceremony or goodness knows what shapes the inner workings of the Japanese mind. Foreigners must be very sensitive and subtle in adjusting to these cultural factors if they are to succeed in the business world, it is argued.