With Respect to the Japanese: A Guide for Americans Book

This is the second version of the book which was originally published in 1984. This new version focuses on Westerners going to work in Japanese organizations. The point of the book is that cultural differences between the West (U.S. and Canada) and the Japanese can interfere in communication and cooperation between individuals and corporations. The book explains some of those cultural differences so that communication can improve. The authors state that even those people from the U.S. and Canada who have studied the language and the culture, have many every day challenges to confront once they are in Japan and working at a company there, and the book hopes to make it easier to adjust. Although the book is primarily aimed at people who will be moving from Canada or the United States to live in Japan and work in an organization in Japan, anyone doing business with Japanese organizations will benefit from the information in this book.

This book is primarily aimed at people who will be moving from Canada or the United States to live in Japan and work in an organization in Japan, even if on a temporary basis. However, even exchange students going to live their or anyone doing business with Japanese organizations will benefit from the information in this book.

I have only been to Japan once and it was for non-business reasons. I have had very limited business dealings with people from Japan, but found information such as the differences in how the Japanese view feedback, public praise, non-verbal communication, and contracts to be extremely relevant to my work. Information about gender roles, "classes" of workers that start at companies together, and Japanese holidays would be interesting to anyone who would like to learn more about Japanese culture.

The book begins with five key lessons for anyone that will be working in Japan, such as being told "Yes" could be simply a face-saving way of saying "No". The book ends with seven suggestions that anyone who has worked in Japan would offer, such as keep a journal and express interest in local food to help make personal connections with your co-workers. There is also an appendix with terms that are useful to know when working in Japan such as types of meetings and company titles, as well as a section of additional books and resources.

I think it's a "must-read" for anyone considering moving from the West to Japan, but anyone interested in Japanese culture will find the insights to be fascinating.

I received this book from NetGalley, through the courtesy of Nicholas Brealey Publishing, in exchange for a fair review.