Questions may seem inappropriate or personal. You may be slightly evasive on answering questions like these. Be careful about smiling; a smile can indicate nervousness or embarrassment rather than happiness. You never want to laugh at a Japanese to his face. Jokes and humor do not fair well with this culture. Seriousness is essential to the Japanese way of life. It is inappropriate to pat someone on the back as you would in America. Another thing that is highly undesirable in Japan is for someone to blow his or her nose around other people. This should always be done in the restroom. Another point I will make on general Japanese etiquette is the issue of shoes. Shoes shall never be worn in one's home. It is customary for shoes to be taken off at the door upon entering. It is also not out of the ordinary for Japanese to want to bathe the feet of their guests. If all of these issues in Japanese etiquette are hard to remember, remember one thing; never discuss World War II.
Mutual Perceptions of Communication.
Understanding what the Japanese perceive of Americans, and what we perceive of them can be helpful in understanding cultural differences. "If one were forced to choose only a few words to capture the ethos of these two societies, the words might be these: homogeneity, hierarchy, collectivity, and harmony for heterogeneity, equality, individualism, and change for the United States- (Barnlund 32). John Condon, author of With Respect to the Japanese conducted several surveys and interviews with Americans and Japanese and noted complaints that were said by both sides:.
American habits disliked by Japanese.
1. Americans talk too much.
2. Americans interrupt other people-even finishing sentences for them.
3. Americans don't listen enough.
4. Americans seem to think that if they don't tell you something you won't know about it.
5. Americans are too direct in asking questions, giving opinions, and poking fun.