Free Resources

Mi ni tsukeru –Easier done than said in Japan

Articles, Japanese business, Japanese business keywords by Rochelle Kopp

Share

When a movement is repeated over time, a long-term muscle memory is created for that task; eventually allowing it to be performed without conscious effort…...

Read More

Madoguchi – Your Japanese “go to” person

Articles, Japanese business, Japanese business keywords by Rochelle Kopp

Share

In Japanese firms, for any project there is always a designated person that people are asked to deal with, and that person is referred to as the madoguchi, which literally...

Read More

Overcome kishotenketsu to improve your communication with Americans

Articles, Cross-cultural communication, Japanese business keywords by Rochelle Kopp

Share

For Americans who are used to a more straightforward style, kishotenketsu can be very confusing…It can be hard to follow what Japanese have to say as they go on and...

Read More

Kikubari – the Japanese art of paying attention to others

Articles by Rochelle Kopp

Share

You ascertain the needs of people by paying careful attention to them, and understand their desires before they even need to voice them…to comport yourself in such a way that...

Read More

Ho-ren-so: “managing up” Japanese style

Articles, Japanese business keywords, Working with Japanese by Rochelle Kopp

Share

Ho-ren-so is quite different from this typical American working style. The initial instruction given to the subordinate tends to be vaguer and more general, particularly if the subordinate is...

Read More

Employee categories at companies in Japan — seishain, shokutaku, jimushoku, sogoshoku

Articles, HR management, Japanese business keywords by Rochelle Kopp

Share

Human resource management practices in Japan seem to place great emphasis on putting employees into categories. From an American perspective, the strict distinction between different categories is difficult to...

Read More

Kei-haku-tan-sho – Japanese opposite of “supersizing”

Articles, Japanese business keywords, Marketing by Rochelle Kopp

Share

The typical Japanese urban denizen takes trains nearly everywhere, and may not even own a car. This means that anything they carry around with them needs to be light...

Read More

Nommunication – The Japanese truth serum

Articles, Japanese business keywords, Japanese workstyle by Rochelle Kopp

Share

Traditionally, the consumption of alcohol has been the Japanese cultural signal that it’s ok to be frank and open. After-work bonding over alcohol thus creates the perfect atmosphere for...

Read More

In Japan “Everyone participates”

Articles, Japanese workstyle, Working with Japanese by Patricia Pringle

Share

No Japanese companies operate exactly the same and every company has its own way of saving precious resources and avoiding waste. The purpose of a Japanese cross-company initiative is...

Read More

Communication techniques for Japanese wanting to get ahead in Western companies

Articles, Careers, Living globally by Rochelle Kopp

Share

When considering applying for a job in a foreign firm, understanding some of the differences between Japanese and Western business cultures will benefit both yourself and your employer. Two of...

Read More