Identifying communication “danger spots”

(Click here for Japanese version) Communicating across cultures is always a challenging task especially if you are sent to another country or are communicating frequently with colleagues overseas. Before we look at a few useful tips on how to ensure effective communication let us play a little game. Please read this sentence in English: “I…

How the New Year is celebrated in Japan

With 2022 coming to a close very soon, we would like to use this opportunity to talk about some of the important Japanese customs that come with transitioning over to the new year. On the evening of the 31st many families will go to a Shinto shrine, or even Buddhist temple, for hatsumōde, the first…

Do Japanese celebrate Christmas?

In keeping with the holiday season, this time we want to delve into the role of religion in Japan and explain whether and how Christmas is celebrated in Japan. Religion in Japan Christianity is not a major religion in Japan”, so most holidays and rituals are connected to Japanese religions such Zen-Buddhism and the Shinto…

“Time is money”

(translation from JCO article in Japanese) The Japanese government has launched a new work-style reform in Japan as of April 1st, 2019 which steers the Japanese labour market towards a more globally aligned approach to work and efficiency. One of the goals appears to be to reduce overly long working hours. It is an interesting…