Featured Articles
I Want to Look More Like a Doll
Foreign tourists in Japan, regardless of age or gender, inevitably flock to the two Tokyo districts of Akihabara and Harajuku, to eyewitness the country’s most vibrant subcultural communities. Bringing home colorful images, most tourists would sum up Japan’s subcultural scene as one of young people wanting attention by donning flamboyant entire. But what they witnessed goes beyond a superficial whim. Rather these subcultures are very representative of Japanese social values today. This article will explore the visible characteristics of the gal culture and the otaku culture, two of the most visible subcultural groups and also delve into a third, invisible group that is quickly defining the needs of the contemporary Japanese.
Working with Japan
Clearing the Air
By Patricia Pringle
It would be great if things always went well in business relationships. Products would always be defect-free and delivered on time. Suppliers would always be reliable. The weather would always cooperate. However, things sometimes do not turn out as planned or promised. Some of these things we can acknowledge to be our fault: our errors, our lateness. Other things are not necessarily our fault: our supplier did not deliver, someone else made the mistake, bad weather knocked out power, etc. When things are going well with your Japanese customers, cultural sensitivity to their expectations is very useful. When things go wrong, cultural sensitivity is critical. How you respond when there is a problem is the key to maintaining good relationships with your Japanese customer.
Products Of The Month
Enjoyable Edamame
Boiled in their pods and then served lightly salted, edamame (soya beans) make a refreshing and nutritious summer snack that go great with a frosty mug of beer. They are eaten by simply squeezing the pod, which easily splits open.
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