Customer Reviews

The Unspoken Way Haragei: Silence in Japanese Business and Society

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This book is an absolutely facinating confirmation of many phenomena that anyone who has had deep exposure to Japanese society has come to appreciate mentally but did not know the words with which to describe. The book can only truly be appreciated by those who have lived and worked in Japan through the Japanese language and as such it will never be a huge bestseller. However, for those who understand its contents, it is breathtakingly revealing.The book describes aspects of what makes up the Japanese psyche that took me years of direct exposure to even begin to appreciate, and which no Japanese would ever describe in person to a foreignor.

In this book, Michihiro Matsumoto, a seasoned simultaneous interpreter, gives perspicacious insights on the esoteric fundamentals of Japnese communication.

Arguably many a foreigner gets perplexed or discombobulated at the mysterious ways of Japenese communication. This book 'haragei' is meant to help those non-Japanese novices in Japanese communication to get the gist of traditional Japanese communication, which is a bit too difficult for non-Japanese to absorb by osmosis. Therefore you would best read this book.

This is a must-read book for foreign professionals aspiring to get savvy about the Japanese ways of communication. It's high time Harvard Business School started using Matsumoto-sensei's Haragei as a cross-cultural business negotiation textbook. This book will make a world of difference to your communication abilities in Japan.

I have seen some conflicting views on this book, some believe it is a work of art, a masterpiece while others think it is a little more than nonsense that has no application to modern life or place in contemporary Japanese society. I kind of fall in between these two ideas. I think it is worthy of a read despite some glaring flaws and while not entirely applicable, certainly there are aspects worthy of contemplation and utilization.

Hara-gei shares some strong connections with both Zen Buddhism as well as Shintoism which surprised me in a way. There are some great fundamental lessons about both taught within this book which I found to be one of its strongest points. It actually validates hara-gei in my opinion transcending it from "pseudo-science" to a way of life.

While it may not really have a place in Japanese society to day, according to several people I have talked to, I still think the underpinning of this philosophy ring true, and there are still concepts buried within that can be applicable to anyone's life no matter what culture they are in. I recommend anyone interested in Zen, Shintoism, Japanese culture, or even just alternative life styles to take a look at this book.

This book may expand and seem to give legitimacy to many "impressions" of Japanese people that you may have dealt with. Please don't be fooled. In the tradition of many "how to deal wih the Japanese" books that came out in the '80's during the Japanese economic boom, it is a collection of half-truths and generalizations based on anectodes and folktales rather than any hard evidence.
And, for the record, most Japanese businessmen I know think that "Haragei" involves drawing a face on your tummy.