I recently attended a virtual workshop on Japanese business etiquette conducted by Shinka Management which ran for two 3-hour sessions over consecutive days. While I have conducted business in Japan in a very limited way in the past, I was essentially starting with zero knowledge of Japan and Japanese business etiquette. My first thought when registering for the workshop was that it was most probably going to be too long and tedious over Zoom. How wrong I was! The sessions were informative, extremely interesting and very beneficial for anyone not familiar with Japan or the Japanese market. The workshop covered a wide range of aspects of Japanese society and business practices including a basic rundown on Japan’s demographics and education system, insights into the Japanese way of life, cultural “dos and don’ts”, and very practical advice on a wide range of social and business interactions including how to greet Japanese people, business hierarchies, Japanese gift giving, exchanging of business cards, meeting protocols, dining and drinking, etc. In particular, Paul and his team gave an excellent insight into the processes and ways in which Japanese businesses make decisions and the importance of being able to read the subtleties and responses of Japanese counterparts in business situations. On an individual note, having completed his high school and university education in Japan and having dealt with Japanese businesses for many years, Paul was able to give clear insights into Japanese society and business practices which otherwise would take years to accumulate. He did this in an intelligent and informative way which was very engaging and interesting. Again, a fascinating and extremely valuable workshop which I would strongly recommend for anyone planning to enter or new to the Japanese market.
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