Cross-cultural differences
Introduction
Culture is the way of life of a given group of people. Different groups of people have different cultures. This paper examines the differences and similarities between the American culture and the Japanese culture in the following areas: speeches, conversations, gifts, relationship building, and creating trust among others. In Japan majority of the citizens are Japanese unlike in America where there are many people living there who come from different cultures. In America, there are many sub-cultures unlike in Japan where most of them are all the same and part of the same culture. The following sub-topics outline the results of the study.
Speeches
Speech is the communication of thoughts and feelings in spoken words. There is a striking difference in greetings both in America and Japan. Three differences include introduction, self-introduction and departure. For instance, Americans uses verbal words like hello while Japanese depends on non-verbal such as bowing down. In addition, the order of introduction in the U.S and Japan are different. In U.S, the order of introduction is from elderly people to younger ones, while in Japan; it is the opposite of Americans. It is mandatory that the order of introduction be followed by the Japanese and anyone who does not follow it is rude.
Conversation
Conversation is the exchange of thoughts and ideas between two or more people. Japanese style of conversation develops quite differently from American conversation. The American conversation is like a game of tennis. For instance, when I introduce a concept, I expect my opponent to challenge my opinion immediately. If they agree or disagree, their response turns the ball to me and allows me to continue with the discussion. In other words, conversation in America is a continuous process through which people exchange their thoughts and feelings. On the other hand, Japanese-style of conversation, however, is not at all like tennis ball game. Instead, it is like a bowling where one waits for his/her turn to come. Japanese conversation depends on age, level of friendship, relative, senior or junior position, and so on. In Japan, there is no back and forth during conversation. Individual has his turn. In addition, there is a suitable pose between each turn.
Gifts
Gift is something given willingly without payments. For the Japanese, gift is a token of appreciation at its finest and a competition at its worst. The value of gifts increase successively in Japan. For instance, the gift that individual receive is better than the one he/she gives. In Japan, gifts giving are social duties and obligation. On the other hand, Americans, give out gift only during occasions like weddings and holidays.
Relationship building
Japanese believes in building a strong relationship with one another. In business, they prefer to do business on the basis of personal relationships. For instance, they prefer working with people introduced to them by someone who has a good relationship with the company. They consider this important since it enables them know how to place the person in their hierarchy. Japanese build and maintain relationships using greetings and seasonal cards. On the other hand, there is no big difference between the Japanese relationship buildings with that of Americans. However, in the business, Americans prefer working with anybody provided he/she has the relevant document which shows that he/she is qualified. In building family relationships, the Americans prefer sending red flowers and cards containing love messages to their family members. This shows no big difference with the Japanese.
Creating trust
In Japan, trust is vital if your business is to succeed. It is difficult to do business to any serious degree without developing trust among your clients. For a businessman to get people to trust him, the following are some of the fundamental steps that he has to go through for him to be trusted. Listen; listening to the opinions of the Japanese people is part of the Japanese culture. As a businessman, you have to listen to the grievances of the people if you are to succeed. Inquire; after listening, you have to enquire about the grievances being brought before you. You can then share and come up with the best way to correct the grievances. If you do so, you are likely to develop a strong trust from the Japanese people. However, in America though listening to the opinion of the Americans is not part of their culture, trust is vital for the success of the business just like it is in Japan. Trust enables a business person to attract many customers.
Symbols and metaphors
Symbols are part and parcel of the Japanese culture. For instance, Japanese view butterflies as souls of the living and the dead. In the Japanese culture, butterflies are considered symbols of joy and longevity. Carp is considered by the Japanese as a symbol of perseverance as well as faithfulness in marriage. Just like in Japan, American too use symbols to represent different things. For instance, the American statue of liberty is a symbol of independence and human liberty. In Japan, the Japanese use metaphors that conceptualise women in terms of animals or plants. Some of the Japanese metaphors that conceptualise women in terms of animals or plants include:
Ofisu-no hana: office-GEN flower (flower in the office)
Yoru-no choo: night-GEN butterfly (night butterfly).
Just like in Japan, Americans also uses metaphor as a way of communication. For example, America itself is referred to as the salad bowl because it is made up of many sub-communities.
Translators
Unlike American language, Japanese language is complex in terms of its social nuances as well as onomatopoetic qualities. Because of such nuances, every speaker has to identify gender, social status and the type of situation, purely by the choice of words. This is because there are many different word meaning. The Japanese translators have to be keen and careful when translating from one language to another since many words and many different meanings.
Entertainment in home setting and business setting.
The Japanese people take business meetings seriously and expect such meeting to be in a serious atmosphere. Expensive dinner parties are held after a long day at work. Some of the forms of entertainments in Japanese culture include karaoke and night clubs. During entertainments, huge amount of money is spent in entertainment. In America, people are more hesitant to spend huge amount of money in entertainment. In addition, family time is important in America as opposed to Japan.
Conclusion
References
Cooney, B. D. (, August). Japan and America: Culture Counts. Training & Development Journal, 43(8), . Retrieved from http://The University of Phoenix Library
Karasawa, M., Curhan, K.B., & Markus, H.R., Kitayama, S.S., Love, G.D., Radler, B.T., Ryff, C.D., (2011). Cultural perspectives on aging and well-being: a comparison of Japan and the United States., 73(1), 73-98. doi:The University of Phoenix Library
Kivumbi. (May 16, 2010). Difference Between Japanese and American Culture. In Difference between.Retrieved 12/16/2012, from http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-japanese-and-american-culture/.
