Customer Reviews

With Respect to the Japanese: A Guide for Westerners (Interact Series)

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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I work at a Japanese Company and recently participated in across-cultural learning class. This book was provided as apre-requisite to the class. I was able to get more out of this book than any other book on this subject that I had previously read. The book explains how children are raised in the Japanese Environment, their belief/value system, and how that translates into their eventual adult/working life environment. I have recommended this book to both people inside my company and Companies I deal with on a daily basis. It has taken some of the "mystery" out of the Japanese Culture for me.

Since I am going to Japan this summer, I have taken many interests to different books about the country. This one in particular was a wonderful read because it wasn't just "Hey, this is how it works in Japan." It was more of a comparrison to the Japanese lifestyle to the American lifestyle. It also has feelings and oppinions from each culture. Like someone from Japan would state that Americans talk too much but then you would have someone from America say that the Japanese listen too much.

I found the book very helpful and I recommend it to anyone who is looking into Japan, working with a Japanese company or going over to Japan.

The title of this book is deceptive in that once you read the inside cover, you discover that it wsa for Americans in the 1980's and that, in many ways, times have changed significantly. If you know nothing about the Japanese culture or people, this book is a decent start. But if you really want to know about protocol and today's Japanese, you will have to look elsewhere.

If you have never visited Japan before, and do not know any Japanese people personally then this book is a good start to understanding the vast differences between Westerners, specifically Americans, and the Japanese. I enjoyed how well it compares the two cultures with specific examples that are easy to relate to. Another reviewer said it is outdated however I have not found this to be true in my now numerous visits to Japan and working with them closely in a business environment for the last several years, but perhaps this comment could apply to anyone under age 25.

The book was not exactly what I thought it was going to be. It's great for anyone who is going to be doing business with the Japanese. Period. It gives you insight into how the Japanese view American bosses and coworkers and tells you behaviors and actions to avoid.

Gives some sharp insight to the Japanese culture that you will most likely not read anywhere else. Most of the book is about business, but even the business areas apply to other areas in their culture.
This book is slightly out-dated, so I wouldn't recommend this as a book for becoming more acclimated to their culture nowadays.

and some things stay the same. While some things may have changed since the book first came out the basic foundation of knowledge on why and how the Japanese do business should be the same. I suggest this book for anybody trying to understand Japanese history or is going to stay in Japan for business reasons. One review says, being for the 1980s, that is it outdated, but traditions and how people think change VERY slowly. And even if it is true it is still a good source for understanding at least WHERE the Japanese are coming from.