ESL21B

0703/07

Essay #1

Japanese Values

    The world is a diverse and interesting place with many unique and particular habits. Intercultural communication is often complicated because people have idiosyncratic values which are particular to one country or another. Even if possibleAwkward to understand some of the customs, and there is much common ground, there are still some significant differences. In my home country which is Japan, we have some cultural customs which are distinct and which are at times difficult to understand for those of a different nationality. Foreigners planning to visit Japan should be aware of the different customs, especially those regarding to the Japanese speech style;Punctuation the different concept of time;Punctuation and the more formal social communication in order to adjust more easily and avoid intercultural conflicts and misunderstandings.

    Most Japanese prefer to speak indirectly with others because they find this to be polite and courteous. They seldom express their opinions openly and instead of speaking directly to others, Japanese prefer using nonverbal communication. They are especially sensitive to the mood of others which they perceive in their body language and through eye contact. As a good example, I went shopping with one of my Japanese friends, and she happened to be wearing clothes which did not look good on her. This made me feel a bit embarrassed to walk with her in public. However, in Japan it would be considered impolite to express this to her, even as she was a close friend and I decided to hide what I felt. This example shows how the social customs in my home country demand us to mask our true emotions and avoid direct speech if this would hurt or criticize others. By contrast, Americans are more open and express their opinions more freely. Gary Althen described "If I dislike something you are doing, I should tell you about it directly so you will know, clearly and from me personally, how I feel about it" (194). Thus, foreign visitors traveling to Japan have to abstain from direct speech and adjust to a more nonverbal way of communication and leanSpl to express their opinions less openly. Otherwise they risk appearing inconsiderate and insensitive to the feelings of others.

    Formality is pretty significant for Japanese, particularly when people have some age and status gap between them. As a Japanese one has to do show great respect to his elders and his superiors, children to their parents, employees to their bosses, students to their teachers. This makes working in Japan sometimes stressful. As a good example, one of my friends who worked once in Japan and is now working in America stated quite frankly that "Working in Japan was more stressful thenWChoice working America." According to her, her relationship with her Japanese boss was difficult because she had to constantly keep in touch with him and get things done even after the scheduled work time and even in the weekends. To her, it was as if she was working all the time. What is more, according to her, all workers had to go to social gatherings with their bosses after work and in the weekends and out of respect for her supervisors she had to attend to their hobbiesAwkward as well such as: playing gulf, tennis, fishing etc. She could not refuse to participate in these activities as it is considered almost a duty in Japan to do so in order to keep good relations with ones superiors. On the other hand, Americans are "informal," "casual," "friendly," and "egalitarian." They act in a casual and comfortable way at work and are found of usingAwkward "superficial friendliness" with coworkers and supervisors. (Gary Althen). Thus, a foreign worker in Japan should learn how show great respect for his superiors. Once they realized this, they will have a smooth experience with their superiors in Japan.

    Social time, which is a cultures view of time, is also different in my home country. The Japanese value punctuality very highly and the famous line "Time is money." takes an almost religious importance in Japan. Every hour and minute is very important in the eyes of my fellow country man. Robert Levine and Ellen Wolf demonstrated how the Japanese value time more than any other nationality in the world with the table in the textbook (30). Classes, businesses, transportations, rendezvous are almost always on time. If a train is few minutes late it is sometimes reported in the news. Most people arrive at a particular place five minutes before they are suppose to. For Japanese, it is common sense to punctual. In some other countries punctuality is not considered as important. In "Time Talks, with an Accent," Robert Levine states that the Brazilians don't consider punctuality as important. Being late to classes, appointments and so on is usually not a reason for them to panic. However, in Japan, if a one is late to an appointment he or she will lose the trust of others easily. Moreover, if one keeps others waiting for a long time it will be very difficult for that person to create good relationships with others in Japan.

    In conclusion, indirect communication and formality, punctuality and the value of time as well as great respect for ones elders and superiors are very important in Japan. In Japan one learns these things almost unconsciously but is sometimes challenging to for a foreigner to adjust to them. But if we all lean about our intercultural differences and try to accommodate one another as best we can than we can enjoy the benefits of better communication and understanding between us.

Works Cited

Gary Althen. American Values and Assumptions.

Robert Levine and Ellen Wolff. "Social Time: The Heartbeat of Culture." Psychology Today 19, 1985: pp. 28-35