Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle Reading App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Apple
Android
Windows Phone
Android
To get the free app, enter your email address or mobile phone number.
$15.22
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Gift-wrap available.
Frequently Bought Together
{"currencyCode":"USD","itemData":[{"priceBreaksMAP":null,"buyingPrice":15.22,"ASIN":"0844283169","isPreorder":0},{"priceBreaksMAP":null,"buyingPrice":11.3,"ASIN":"0804832951","isPreorder":0},{"priceBreaksMAP":null,"buyingPrice":10.23,"ASIN":"480530961X","isPreorder":0}],"shippingId":"0844283169::6B93%2F60f6YNq948z%2BO0NBKNaF%2B8O%2BgXoxmQBRroFWmSc1fMZvFecwBB0Id37LFbY0r9ly1PRmVa3cH9K6CwFNdn34DvcF33gLkGJYDl6V9E%3D,0804832951::1bSCsXqtiXTeHzOFkD9Cr4VRhWRTQe8tEsA%2BfRA0ao2HDHhv3a9lTjT39U%2Bv7ynwyyH8%2FtieIMED5SJSrXgnl6QgdGEHt%2F2YmWUciUlh9TM%3D,480530961X::hmc5EyYN7GcWHBkHKDvKs6%2BOANLLveGQ9n1ovHegBggJW4rbDofIvltPLUs%2FWYGUy4YjCcBARFcAc7FoqscZ21KZEI8yVh3uAoWfP8wkBVE%3D","sprites":{"addToWishlist":["wl_one","wl_two","wl_three"],"addToCart":["s_addToCart","s_addBothToCart","s_add3ToCart"],"preorder":["s_preorderThis","s_preorderBoth","s_preorderAll3"]},"shippingDetails":{"xz":"same","yz":"same","xy":"same","xyz":"same"},"tags":["x","y","z"],"strings":{"addToWishlist":["Add to Wish List","Add both to Wish List","Add all three to Wish List"],"addToCart":["Add to Cart","Add both to Cart","Add all three to Cart"],"showDetailsDefault":"Show availability and shipping details","shippingError":"An error occurred, please try again","hideDetailsDefault":"Hide availability and shipping details","priceLabel":["Price:","Price for both:","Price for all three:"],"preorder":["Pre-order this item","Pre-order both items","Pre-order all three items"]}}
Best Books of the Month
Want to know our Editors' picks for the best books of the month? Browse Best Books of the Month, featuring our favorite new books in more than a dozen categories.
McGraw-Hill authors represent the leading experts in their fields and are dedicated to improving the lives, careers, and interests of readers worldwide
He may not be Reischauer but Mr. De Mente packs enough cultural and historical background into this book to make it a worthy read for Japanese scholars or anyone with an interest in Japan. The author presents the reader with about 150 Japanese words and phrases that have special meaning for the Japanese. For example, he translates the word "kamatoto" into English as "The Dumb Blonde" i.e the Japanese propensity to feign innocence in order to gain the upper hand in a relationship or business deal. "Wa" or "harmony" is succinctly though brilliantly explained and would be something any foreign businessperson dealing with Japan should appreciate. I have read other books by Mr. De Mente but this is by far his most informative and well written. Recommended!
Comment
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
46 of 49 people found the following review helpful
The Japanese have a much more complex, almost religious, relationship with their own language than speakers of European languages, and they tend to believe that no non-Japanese can learn it. (The fact that some do tends to upset them, as being out of the natural order.) There are many words and phrases in Japanese that encapsulate attitudes and built-in beliefs and the author selects 230 for investigation and explanation, relating them to attitudes and actions by Japanese-speakers and explaining how English-speakers can best deal with the situations they relate to. This includes numerous aspects of the Japanese dependence on form and formality, cultural control and conformity, group-think as opposed to individuality, group responsibility and social guaranty, reverence toward government, and other parts of the Japanese psyche that are difficult for foreigners to understand. In most cases, he also discusses the applications of a concept to business negotiations, but the possibility of the reader becoming enlightened about all things Japanese is much wider than that. This is a book you should take notes on.
Comment
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
32 of 34 people found the following review helpful
I bought this book last year in preparation for coming to Japan and enjoyed it greatly. Then, on arrival, I continued reading it and found it helpful in avoiding many of the pitfalls one experiences when trying to do business in Japan. Now, 10 months on, reading it again, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It's as if the author has been following me around and written about my daily experiences here. I have many books about Japan and the Japanese Way, but none express so succinctly or directly the day-to-day experience of working in a Japanese context. You must read this book if you are working or doing business in Japan.
Comment
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
25 of 30 people found the following review helpful
As a language student, I looked forward to reading this book in hopes of learning new words and phrases describing some of the unique cultural elements of Japanese society. However, I found the book at first to be somewhat confusing, then quite disappointing.
I think the title should more appropriately be "Impressions of Japanese Tatemae (social face)". The writer's style gave the distinct impression that while he may have spent a great deal of time in Japan, he never developed any particular empathy for the people or the culture. The author seems to focus far too much on the Tokugawa Shogunate period, though I don't quite see how that is particularly relevant in a book that sells itself as a guide to (presumably current) Japanese thought and culture.
Also, statements pertaining to the social customs of recent periods of Japan's history tend to be very negative (the reticence to accept foreigners into society is referred to as `built-in discrimination') or judgmental. For example, one section states that "Westerners opted for guidelines (of human conduct) based on absolute principals derived from universal concepts, with right and wrong behavior clearly spelled out... in Japan and much of the rest of Asia, however, the guidelines for human conduct were based on circumstances; on rules or laws established by those in power, and designed by them to sustain and extend their power." I find such statements to be inaccurate, condescending and to show a lack of understanding of Western history, let alone Japanese culture.
There *is* a great deal of good information in this book. Unfortunately, it is largely buried in the `Great White Expert' commentary.Read more ›
2 Comments
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
If you ever wondered why the Japanese are so polite, or why they escort you out the door till you are gone; then you will enjoy the explanations in this book. It has in depth explanations to every little Japanese saying, and why they believe that. After reading this I had a better understanding of there culture. I regularly visit a Japanese home, and never understood why they did this or that. Or why they insist on doing something. Making oneself feel ackward, but after reading this book I felt relief and more comfortable around them. If you are around Japanese people, or planning to, this is a must read.
Comment
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
This is a great book, comparable to a mini encyclopedia. What it does is take many important aspects of Japanese culture and it compresses it into a brief and enjoyable format. Very entertaining but also very informative and you really get insight into why and how the Japanese act, feel, behave, and how it all came about. If you are wanting to learn about the culture in general, get this. It also has many good tips for when you conduct business with Japanese business owners and that their aesthetic sense overrides outlines and rational on a first meeting.
Comment
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
