Write a briefing for an American Business Traveler going to Japan Research Paper

Write a briefing for an American Business Traveler going to Japan (Intercultural Communications Class) - Research Paper Example Stepping into Japan from a Western country like the United States, can be like stepping into an alien world, because so many of these unnoticed assumptions, that have become second nature, now appear out of place. Communication problems arise when signals are misinterpreted, and very often this is a disorienting experience. This briefing paper outlines a few of the main differences that a traveller from the United States can expect to find in communication with Japanese nationals in Japan. It explains how Japanese customs and habits have arisen, and explains what effects they have on the business context today. Finally some final points are suggested to guide a visitor to Japan in the first phase of encounter with this fascinating culture. Japan has a population of about 127 million people and the main religions are Shinto and various branches of Buddhism. Both Roman Catholic and Protestant Christianity are also represented, but on a much smaller scale (Japan Introduction, no date). Shinto is an ancient religion that involves respect for ancestors and various spirit beings called kami. These can be divinities with personalities, like people, or they can be attached to natural phenomena. Mount Fuji, for example, is revered as holy place, and the Japanese have a strong attachment to the natural world. Festivals for the different seasons reflect ancient religious beliefs also, such as the New Year festival and the famous cherry blossom festival. Evidence of the practice of Shinto can be seen in temples which are dotted around the countryside, and occasionally in cities too, and also in Japanese homes, where there is often one corner of the house which is used as a small shrine where prayers can be said and offerings can be made. This reverence for the ancestors extends also to relations with older people in society, since Japanese generally respect older people, at home and at work, and defer to their authority more than would be usual in American society. The