In this article, I will answer the follwing questions.

When you work in Japan, you will come across a time when people start bowing. You’ll feel you need to bow, but When is the appropriate time to bow? How deep do I bow? Why do Japanese people bow?

What tou will learn

I feel that I am credible to write this article because I have 7 years experience at a typical midsize Japenese firm. I have been working from fresh graduate where I had etiquette training, and been working as international sales, and corporate strategist.

1. The 3 Types of Bowing used in business scenes

1-1 Casual bow

The frst first type is a casual bow used for acknowledgement and are used in situations like a casual greeting. Depth of a slight bow is said to be about 15 degrees. This is the bow you would most use in your everyday business scenes. You would use to say hi, to acknowledge, enter and excuse a casual meeting, and all sorts of situations. If the person next to you is bowing, it is usually the situation to do so. This casual bow is used when walking also, so it may be difficult at first, but since it is used so often, and since your Japanese colleagues will probably bow to you when you meet them when walking around the office, you’ll probably get used to it sooner or later.

1-2 Formal bow

Second type is a formal bow, which is used for your customers or your superiors. A formal bow is said to be about 30 degrees. Whenever you do business with your customers or superiors, its better to use a formal bow. Whenever you meet your customers in person, you begin your greetings with a formal bow, and you end the meeting with the formal bow of appreciation.

1-3 Most formal bow

The last type is the most formal type of bow, which is used for the most important persons or for apologetic reasons. The most formal bow is said to be about 45 degrees. You would not use this commonly and you should not for as mentioned above it is mostly used to apologize to your customers.

2. Why do Japanese people bow?

I truly don’t know cultural real reason behind bowing. However what I do know is that Japanese people love formalities. It may be related to the custom of respecting the elderly and superiors. It may also be related to the rituals of Shintō. Since bowing is so natural and deeply rooted to the DNAs of Japanese people, it may be best to respect and master the art of bowing.

Summary

1. Remember the angle and degrees of the types of bowing.
2. Bowing is deeply rooted in DNA of Japanese people.

In this article, I will answer the following questions that might come to mind when you work at or with a Japanese firm.

What is a senpai and how do I get along with one? Is it different by types of senpai?

What you will learn

I feel that I am credible to write this article because I have 7 years experience at a typical midsize Japenese firm. I have been working from fresh graduate where I had etiquette training, and been working as international sales, and corporate strategist.

1. What is a senpai

In business a senpai is a senior coworker, who is relatively close to your age or business career at the firm. In one way you ca say that a Senpai is a relatively close senior coworker. However according to what they expect from a kohai or a junior coworker, you must be careful how to respond to your senpai.

2. The 3 types of senpai

1-1 Taiikukai-kei, or sports-minded and hierarchical type

This may be the most difficult type to get along with. For this will be the type that if you do not behave like a typical sports-minded kohai, they will be very frustrated. These types of senpai will expect you to do exactly what they tell you to do, no questions asked, no matter the conditions. From serving beer to your senpai’s glass before the glass is open, searching for meeting room whenever a meeting is scheduled, to fetching taxi before your senpai finds one, you must comply with your senpai’s order before he/she feels it should be ready. I try not to get close to these types because I know I can never satisfy them.

1-2 Friendly, but hierarchical type

These light hierarchical type is the most common type and if you respect certain rules, they will be easily satisfied, and to get along with. Such certain rules depend in person, and it may seem hard to find, but if you get to know them well enough, they’ll give you signs that say “get these right and I’ll be your senpai.” These are the majority and if you keep a comfortable distance, it is fairly easy to get along with, so should you need allies in your company, get to know these senpais.

1-3 Totally friendly and fair type

Friendly type is the most rare and hard to find, but there are senpais that treat you as equals and do not expect any sort of hierarchical respect at all. They are hard to cone by, but when you run into one, you will gain a lot of information about the company and gain access to the same types of peoples. When you run into these senpais, I advise you to try to earn their friendship and you may gain the network of friends to live through your company.

Summary

1. Senpai is a senior coworker who is close to you in age or length of career.
2. Be aware of which of the 3 types your Senpai classify, and remember that the 3rd type is most important

When working in Japan, surely you would have experience being asked to go for a drink or come to a dinner party or “Nomikai”. And you would ask yourself, is this work or private? Is this OK to decline, or is this mandatory? Once you go to one, you would see experience chaos of the Nomikai and sometimes loads of harassment being done, and you may be disappointed by coming to one. On the other hand, you may bump into a couple of people who you usually don’t talk but they happened to be really nice people and feel really happy about coming.

In this article, I will try to answer those questions you might run into concerning Japanese business culture and alcohol, and how to deal with it.

Why do Japanese business culture people drink alchohol with colleagues after work?
How do I deal with it without making a bad impression?

What you will learn

I feel that I am credible to write this article because I have 7 years experience at a typical midsize Japenese firm. I have been working from fresh graduate where I had etiquette training, and been working as international sales, and corporate strategist.

1. Japanese business culture and alchohol, its reasons why

In traditional Japanese companies, you may come across company parties called “Nomikai” which is considered part of traditional Japanese business culture. This may be due to Japanese culture that emphasize on consensus and community. This culture forces its members to repress their values and opinions, which prevents them to express it when it does not reflect the community opinions. Therefore leading to a situation where no member of the community is saying what they want to say, and you will never know what they really think about you. You might want to note that this is not true for all East Asian countries from my experience Chinese people are quite expressive.

2. 3 ways to deal with alchohol in Japanese business culture

Here’s three ways to deal with the situation according to how much you feel close to the person you refer to.

2-1 Go for it

If you think you can get along with the person, take the invitation and have an honest chat. In firms that hold Japanese business culture it is hard to get valid information, and this will be your good chance to get it. With everyone talking honestly, you will now get a better sence of what’s really going on in your company.

2-2 Decline politely

If you really don’t feel like going at all, decline the offer. There’s no reason to waste your time for a person you don’t feel like you don’t want to be friends with. In addition, more and more Japanese companies are becoming aware of harassments at work, and your colleagues will support your decision.

2-3 If you really need to go, don’t drink

There are situations where you cannot decline the invitation. Whether it be because he/she is your boss, or everyone else is going. If it is your first time going out, you can pretend that you don’t drink at all and you can just enjoy Japanese Izakaya food. If they know you drink, take a long time to drink the first glass, and order a glass of water to let the person know you had enough alcohol. Either way, it’s better that you stay as sober as possible, because if you go out once, it’s very likely that there is second and third.

• Summary

1. In Japanese business culture, there is Nomikai because it is very difficult to talk honestly at work.

2. If you are invited you have 3 choices. Go for it, decline, or if you really need to go, stay sober.