Cultural Aspects of Japan (Part 3)

For Canadians, it is almost second nature to tip waiters/waitresses, hairdressers, and taxi drivers. In Japan, on the other hand, most people believe that good service is standard and tipping is rude. The rare case in which tipping might be welcomed is for staff working for tourism companies. If tipping, you should put the tip in an envelope and hand over the envelope.

 

I also looked into customs regulations in Japan. Luckily we will not be planning to bring any restricted items but it is always better to look at a list of such items.

 

Dress code is also good to be aware of, especially before packing. It is very important in Japanese culture to dress to impress (ie. formally). It is best to stick with dark colours – either black or dark blue. Your shoes should be easy to put on and remove (when entering personal homes you will be expected to remove them). Men should wear conservative business suits that are low key but come across clean-cut and respectable. Women should not wear heels and should avoid wearing pants. It is best to stick with conservative skirts.  

 

Finally, there are many considerations for Japanese business card etiquette. Business cards are exchanged at the beginning of meetings, hence we’ll need to make sure we have enough available for everyone. When exchanging cards, you should stand up, face your counterpart, bow slightly, and hand your card with both side (in our case with the Japanese side facing up). It is more or less the same when receiving cards. To show respect, you should review the card and comment on it (for example, you can read their name to clarify pronunciation). If meeting in passing, you should place the card in your shirt pocket, wallet, notebook, or card holder. Essentially, how you treat someone’s business card will reflect your respect for them as an individual. If you are are seated at a meeting, place the card(s) neatly in front of you and look at it often. Business cards should be handed out liberally in Japanese business culture. As such, my partner and I will be printing out special business cards before leaving that will be tailored specifically for this trip. We will reach out to our translator that we have hired to provide a translation to be printed on one side of our business card.

The following is a link to a website with further considerations: http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/10-japanese-customs-you-must-know-before-a-trip-to-japan/

Cultural Aspects of Japan (Part 2)

There are also many rules of social interaction to remember on our trip to Japan. There is a possibility that discussions of dinners or such gatherings turn out to be just talk. In this case, it is important not to push it. At a business dinner, we – being the potential buyers – will most likely not be paying for anything. However, we should at least make a feeble attempt to pick up the tab. It is also part of Japanese culture to ask questions that may catch us off guard in Canada. It is suggested that if you do not answer, you be gracious. Japanese business people love to drink alcohol with, and after, dinner.  It is best to not refuse this offer, but remember not to drink from the bottle. When eating, we should eat some of everything. An interesting part of their dining culture that I found was that you should not eat the last thing on the plate because it signals to the host that you are still hungry, and they will go out of their way to make more of what has been finished.

On a different note, the difference in electrical current should be easy to handle. Although Japan has a 100 Volt current, it is still compatible with the North American 120 Volt current most of the time. We’ll bring an international adapter just in case, though. My last look at the exchange rate showed that 1 Canadian Dollar is currently equal to 91.55 Japanese Yen. I’ll have to remember to exchange some Canadian dollars at the airport.

I was happy to find that Japan has a widespread, efficient, and reliable public transportation system. We plan on taking full advantage of this to get from one meeting to another. We will be purchasing prepaid Suica IC cards, which are the recommended way to use the system, according to my sources. Before we leave, we’ll be sure to take a good look at this guide to taking a train in Japan.

Evidently, it will be important to avoid misunderstandings in our meetings due to the language barrier. As such, we will be hiring a translator, with whom we will also correspond ahead of time to ensure that they are aware of their expectations. We will also supply them with our itinerary.

With regards to religion in Japan, their main belief systems are Shinto and Buddhism. Religion does not play a large role in everyday life.

 

Cultural Aspects of Japan (Part 1)

I was going to include my research on the cultural aspects of Japan in my last blog post but there are just so many that I decided to make a separate post!

 

First I took a look at the work ethic in Japan. Personally, I would say that the work ethic here in Canada is pretty relaxed, especially after looking at Japan. Japanese workers get 25 vacation days, which is more than the typical North American. Theoretically, their workday is a normal 9 am to 5 pm shift. However, there are several unspoken rules. For example, the workers stay in the office until their supervisor leaves, extending their shift by 4-6 hours. Despite this, there is no overtime. Similarly, vacation and sick days are available but it is considered taboo to use them. If you are sick, you still come to work, but wearing a mask. Unlike in Canada, if there is nothing to do at the office, you are expected to stay and pretend to be productive. Also, there is often mandatory social drinking after work, which is rude to refuse. On the other hand, there are perks to being a Japanese worker. You have high rates of savings, low income disparity, job security, and workers share in the company’s profits through their bonuses. As a result of this good work ethic, most people in Japan are always tired. This is how the Japanese have come to be known for their ability to sleep almost anywhere in any circumstances.

 

There is also a very different business meeting etiquette in Japan (I am glad to have looked into this before leaving for Japan). First of all, the seating arrangement in meetings is arranged by the status and rank of the participants. We will remember to wait for our hosts to direct us to our seats. The highest ranking member will sit at the head of the table, and other members of the meeting should stand at their seats until the leader tells them to be seated. Likewise, at the end of the meeting, we should wait until he/she has stood up to stand up ourselves. At Japanese business meetings, gifts that represent your country are often appreciated. My partner and I will be bringing several small bottles of maple syrup from downtown Ottawa to give to the heads of the meetings. If a wrapped gift is given in return, we should not open it (contrary to the North American custom of ripping open a wrapped gift). If it is not wrapped, we will express our thanks and ask questions about the gift to demonstrate this. Furthermore, it is a good idea to take notes during the meeting to show your engagement. (*In my research I found that it is considered rude to write anyone’s name in red ink. Note to self: do not bring any red pens!)

 

A Glimpse of Japan

Since we are travelling to Japan on business, it’s important that we take a look at the geography, weather, economy, etc. We do not want to arrive in Japan only to come across several unexpected customs and differences.

 

Japan is an island nation in East Asia on the Pacific Ocean. The archipelago consists of over 6,000 islands. Its latitude lies between 24 and 46 degrees N, and its longitude lies between 122 and 146 degrees E. 73% of the country is forested and mountainous (hence it is not suitable for agricultural, industrial, or residential purposes). It is the 39th most densely populated country and is within the volcanic zone of the Pacific Ring of Fire. With regards to its weather, it has mainly a temperate climate, meaning its changes between seasons are moderate. It has six climatic zones, divided into Hokkaido, the Sea of Japan, Central Highland, the Seto Inland Sea, the Pacific Ocean, and the Ryukyu Islands. In the winter, the average temperature is 5.1 degrees Celsius (quite a welcome difference from the temperatures here in Ottawa). The average summer temperature is 25.2 degrees Celsius. Japan is in the UTC+9 time zone.

 

With regards to the Japanese economy, the GDP (as of 2013) was $4.729 trillion total, and 37,135 per capita. This is pretty impressive in my opinion for a country that is surrounded by developing countries. Its gross national savings make up 22.1% of GDP (2013). Japan’s main agricultural products are rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit, pork, poultry, dairy products, and fish. Its main industries are motor vehicles; electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, and processed foods. Given that we are attempting to find cheaper and/or better quality electronics and appliances, it is appropriate that one of Japan’s main industries is electronic equipment. The labor force accounts for 65.62 million people. The unemployment rate is 4.1% and those below the poverty line make up 16% of the population.

Politically, Japan has a parliamentary government with a constitutional monarchy. Currently, their chief of state is symbolic figurehead Emperor Akihito (since 7 Jan 1989). He is said to be “the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people.” Their heads of government are Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (since 26 Dec 2012) and Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso (since 26 Dec 2012). The cabinet is appointed by the Prime Minister. Japan’s political system also includes a Diet – a combination of the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors. As such, they have a multi-party system, with the political power mainly in the hands of the Prime Minister and members of the Diet. Japan became independent on 3 May 1947, and have had universal suffrage for 20 years.

Emperor Akihito

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso

I think this is sufficient information for us before we embark on our journey over to Japan. We are both looking forward to seeing the electronics industry of Japan at play first hand.

 

 

Preparing for the big trip…

Hey there! Today my partner and I started preparing for our travels abroad. We started our day by going to the Japanese Foreign Affairs website to find the documents that we needed to sign and acquire a business visa (A visa is required for any short period of time spent in Japan.) With these papers signed and our passports, driver’s licenses and birth certificates in hand, we made our way to the Japanese consulate to apply for a business visa, which was predicted to arrive in a maximum of seven days. Then we booked the flights to Osaka and Tokyo, costing $6250.00, and the lodgings available which will cost $1050.00. While preparing for our travels we found out that any foreigner traveling to Japan has to have been given the yellow fever vaccination, so we went to the Montford hospital to receive it.

More updates to come soon once our travels are underway!

 

 

We’re off to Japan!

Hi there! We’re the co-founders of the Canadian Appliances & Electronics company.

My partner and I are going to Japan to scout out the available products that they have to offer. Our aim is to find higher quality products that will make it easier to cater to our market here in Canada. We want to be able to find products that will allow us to lower our price. The main aspects that we will need to examine are:

1. the risks of doing business with Japan

2. whether the benefits of newer/better products outweigh the costs of going overseas

3. whether the business techniques of Japanese companies with regards to sale and management are compatible with our own

We are both very excited to be able to travel to determine if our company has a potential future with Japan as a partner. It would also be a great bonus if we are able to take some time off of business and see some of the sights of this beautiful country. Updates to come soon!