Despite being located on two different sides of the world, Japan and the U.S. are two globalized cities whose culture reaches the whole world. They both have a distinctive mark in different areas of life, including the business culture. This also means that they bring a lot of diversity and cultural differences into the world and the workplace.
Though that’s amazing, because learning from another country can enrich your perspective, it can also be tough to adapt to new ways of life. So, just in case you’re in transition between these countries, you should learn the difference between Japanese and American culture.
Maybe you’re moving from the U.S. to Japan or vice versa. Or you’re thinking of expanding your business in both places, or you simply have clients, employees, or friends from there.
Size of Things
Let’s start with a simple one. Differences between both countries can start with something as simple as the size of the things. That’s not really a problem but could be a shock for some.
In America things tend to be bigger than in Japan. For example, grocery stores are bigger in the U.S. than in Japan. Same happens with food portions; they tend to serve more or bigger food in the U.S.
Greeting
This is a very important difference, because greeting someone will always be a sign of respect and education. Whether that’s in a business environment, with your in-laws, with your friends or with any kind of person. The tricky thing here is that both cultures have different ways of greeting.
Americans can be more informal. If they’re with friends they’ll have a relaxed attitude, maybe a quick hug or a cool handshake. They’ll also say an informal greeting or “hello”, such as “hi” or “what’s up”.
They might also say a quick hello to people they encounter walking down the street. Though they won’t stop to chat with them. If they’re in the workplace, they’ll be a little bit more formal. The handshake will be normal and firm, no cool elements added. Same with the phrases.
Japanese are more formal. If the situation or the person they’re with is more informal, they might just nod with their heads. That’s their sign of respect.
If the situation is even more formal, like in the workplace or a business meeting, they’ll bow. Since Japanese are aware that not everyone knows this form of greeting, they might exchange handshakes with you in international environments.
Leaving Tips
In the U.S it’s quite common to leave a tip when you go out to eat or even if you order food to your home. It shows gratitude for the waiter’s service and work. On the contrary, in Japan tipping is not common and it’s actually not well looked upon. If you try to give a tip, they’ll refuse it in a kind way.
The few places in which you can leave a tip is at ryokans, if you stayed in one. Or to your guide or translator, if you had one. Put the tip inside an envelope and give it to them. This is more respectful than handing out the money just like that. But don’t worry, because even without a tip, you’ll still get a very good service.
Clean Culture
You might’ve already heard about how clean Japanese are. It’s true. If you go to Japan you’ll notice the streets are incredibly clean. And there aren’t even many garbage cans around!
This is because they’re educated, both at school and at home, with an impressive clean culture. Wherever they go they’re taught to clean and not leave a mess. Honestly, we think that’s a huge sign of respect to themselves, their surroundings, and other people.
Sadly, we can’t say the same about America. Though cities are also very beautiful, you’ll find more garbage on the streets than in Japan.
Keeping Your Job
When it comes to having a job and keeping it for many years, it can be quite a different experience for both cultures.
Of course, some people in America get to keep their jobs for many years, maybe their whole lives. But that’s not the most common thing. It can actually be often you see many employees get fired.
Sometimes that isn’t even because of something bad that the employee did, but because for some reason the company needs to get some people fired. So they choose some. What’s especially curious is that not even older people are safe. Even those who’ve been at the company longer and have more experience, can be fired.
Whereas in Japan it’s most likely that people will keep their jobs for a long time or for as long as they can work, no matter their age.
Calling You by Your Last Name at The Workplace
We just saw how formality affects both countries in different ways. But it also does it in the workplace.
In America, coworkers can call each other by their first names, and even bosses can do that too. Especially if you have a good relationship with them. And it won’t feel disrespectful.
On the contrary, this is not a common practice in Japan. In fact, there people call you by your last name when you’re in a formal situation or environment. Unless you’re not with your closest people or in a casual environment, they won’t call you by your name.
This is also something that goes beyond work. If you go to the doctor, for example, you must also call the doctor by his/her last name. Because it’s not a close person to you.
Teamwork
Americans and American culture are known for being more individualist. That doesn’t mean there aren’t people that work more in teams or care about the community. But a lot others might advocate more for their own selves. Meanwhile in Japan they’re more collective and teamwork oriented.
If you think about it, this is also reflected in the work industry. As Jared Fullwiler, CEO of Zenu, let’s us know on a YouTube channel. Japanese companies tend to have many employees from different departments in one meeting. So they all collectively can discuss a project or whatever’s going with a business.
Japanese people must also let their bosses know everything. When they’re about to make a decision or change something, they must communicate it to their superiors. So they can agree to it.
This doesn’t mean that in America they don’t communicate with their bosses. Of course they do. But some things are still more individualistic. Like their meetings will only have the essential elements to discuss whatever topic needs to be addressed. Not everyone will be involved.
Or some companies even value a little bit more someone that’s able to address a problem or work by themselves, without needing tons of help.
Why Learn Cultural Differences Between Japan and America for Busines
Now you may be wondering: Why do I have to learn about cultural differences between Japan and America if I’m just doing business? Here’s why:
- You’ll be more respectful of them at the workplace. Because if you know the culture of the country you’re doing business in, you’ll know what they like or not. You’ll know what they find as signs of education and therefore can respect that. This will make you seem good and like you truly care about your foreign clients and business partners. It will give you extra points and therefore, you might actually have more chances at successful international business.
- We’ve seen how different both working cultures can be. So if you know their differences, you can know how to work with people from other countries and what to learn from them. As well as what to contribute with from your own culture that’ll be beneficial for them and will improve their jobs.
- If you’re an expat or are planning to send some of your employees to another country, culture will affect them. Though knowing new cultures is beautiful and life changing, it’s not easy to live somewhere so different. At least the first weeks or months. Your expats will need all the tips above to have an easier adaptation to their new country. Especially to know how to conduct themselves in their new office.
- Families of expats are also affected. If your employee (or you) is moving away with their family, they’ll also have to adapt to a new country. This means they’ll also have to be aware of the culture there. So they know what to do and what not to, how to do certain things, and even how to make friends.
Reach New Cultures with Fluency Corp’s Language Classes
Are you planning on expanding your business from the U.S. to Japan? Or to any other country? If you are, congrats! If you aren’t, you should really consider it. It can help your company grow a lot. Or are you working with foreign employees? Or dealing with international business partners?
That’s good news. You’re nurturing your perspectives on life and business with other cultures.
Do you know what else could help you with all of the above? Corporate language classes! And guess what? That’s exactly what we offer here at Fluency Corp!
All our lessons are customized to your language needs and your job. So you can be sure you’ll use all the learnt in a real-life situation, like in your next business trip. Our native teachers also make sure you learn about the culture of your target language. How cool does that sound?
The best of our school is that our classes are for you and for your work team as well! So, if you have an employee or more that needs to improve their accents or language skills, invest in lessons for them. The benefits will be for everyone and, especially, for your company. Because your employees will be as prepared as you to tackle any language challenge.
Just choose between our online or onsite classes. Then pick a language, could be Japanese, English, or any other.
If you have any questions, contact us for a free consultation.
