Traditions and Japanese Business Etiquette – 10 tips!

Building Relationships

Even more so than in the West, however, the Japanese value personal connections in the commercial world. Food and drink are fundamental to Japanese social interaction.

Modesty and humility go a long way with Japanese businesspeople, so keep that in mind. While most people in the West focus on climbing the corporate ladder as quickly as possible and earning as much money as possible, Japan operates under an entire set of values.

Among the many applicable Japanese sayings I came across, “a single arrow is readily broken but not 10 in a bundle” best encapsulates the idea that the sum of its parts is greater than the sum of its parts’ parts individually.

Never say no to an invitation to hang out after work; doing so would be rude because socializing is integral to forming bonds with Japanese coworkers.