5 Tips for Taking Business in Japan

Recently, All Nippon Airways (ANA) offered me the chance to meet a business connection from LinkedIN in any major Asian city using their Flight Connections tool, making it easier to visualize and locate people/companies. I picked a company I have long admired in Tokyo.

DoSomething.org partners with this company in the USA. I wanted to use the meeting to thank them for this partnership, convey how much we love their team, and inquire about global expansion possibilities.

Overall, I felt good about the meeting. The two gentleman I met were very kind, seemed genuinely interested in our work, and they asked smart questions. I’m hopeful that something good is on the horizon. However, there are some little-known Japanese business etiquette rules and I felt unprepared for a couple of them. I felt like I didn’t nail the meeting. And so I'm sharing my learnings with you, hoping I can help other foreigners put their best foot forward. (Note: some of these rules are literally about feet.)

1. Bow. Ok. This is the one everyone knows, right? But when it was show time for me to actually do it, I realized it’s more complicated than it sounds.

(a) You are supposed to bow more deeply to the more senior person in the room. What if you don't know who that is?

(b) What if one of the people you are meeting with is also a foreigner? While it makes sense to bow to a Japanese business leader, does an American bow to another American when in Japan?

I’m actually still unsure of the answer. So, instead of committing to the bow (or not), I sort of went with the half bow, which felt a little awkward and I’m sure looked a bit riduclous.

2. Hand over your business card with two hands and a slight bow. I had cards on me. But, I'm used to the quick nonchalant hand off. (And, I had pretty horribly chipped nail polish and was feeling sheepish about holding my hands out there for an extended presentation.) Next time? Get a manicure before the meeting, present the business card slowly, with two hands, and a real bow.

3. Avoid crossing your legs. This one was a big surprise to me--especially as a woman who sometimes wears skirts or dresses and has always been taught that crossing your legs is actually the proper way for a woman to sit! While in Japan, keep your knees together but do not cross your legs, ladies and gentleman. It is viewed as a sign of disrespect and disinterest in others.

4. Keep your arms un-crossed too. Some people do it out of confidence. I tend to cross my arms in a body-hugging type of position, hiding my leftover pregnancy weight. (Yes, my youngest kid is 7 years old...still, I'm a self-conscious woman. So many women are nodding as they read this...) Regardless of why you feel compelled to cross your arms or how you do it, try holding your hands together in your lap instead. Crossing your arms is seen as a sign of arrogance.

5. Be aware of "American" speak. Name dropping. Speaking quickly. Finishing each other's sentences. This is all normal to us in the USA. Its a shortcut to bonding with someone else. In Japan it’s just plain rude. Instead, speak slowly and gently. Allow for pauses in conversation. Start with an introduction and polite overview.

Gambate kudasai! (Good luck!)

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