What Can We Learn From Japanese Culture

 What Can We Learn From Japanese Culture

Not to downplay the richness of the many cultures we have in our global village but I thought it's worth it to deep-dive a bit and ask ourselve as to What Can We Learn From Japanese Culture.  Years back, I was a part of a 20-man party taking the chance to visit our office locations in Pune and Bangalore.  And out of the 20-man party, eighteen of them were Japanese executives.  So, our group was like 90% Japanese and that makes myself and my colleague as the 'odd men out' from a cultural perspective [although it was a non-issue].

But that gave me a first-hand and ringside view of what can we learn from the Japanese Culture.  And a big chunk of their cultural values revolve around RESPECT.  And if you work with them in the corporate environment, you would bear witness as to what RESPECT is going on.  When I stayed for a week in our Tokyo headquarters, I did bear witness how everyone would only pack off only when the 'big boss' has left the office premises.

This picture alone would show as to who'se the Japanese and who's not.  During my India trip together with our Japanese executives, I bear witness how RESPECT is happening every step of the way and it could be as petty as those times when we were to go down at the hotel lobby before boarding the shuttle bus that will take us to our office.  No one ever attempted to leave the hotel lobby NOT until the revered 'boss' arrived and said "LET'S GO".

When I was dining at Hiroshima City, I asked my Nihongo interpreter because I thought the MENU itself was 'content-heavy' and she showed me that a big portion of that MENU was showing the ingredients for the ordered dish including the quantity [in grams] per ingredient.  Call this TRANSPARENCY no less but this happens to be an intrinsic element once we learn to pick up insights from the Japanese Culture.  As you tend to spend weeks, months and even years interacting with Japanese, we would end up with more things to learn from the Japanese Culture.

Yes, MAKOTO got everything rolled into one as it means HONESTY and COMPLETE SINCERITY.  In a single word, what I learned for almost twelve years now is that INTEGRITY is at the very core of the Japanese Culture.  Regardless of your calling and in any facet and aspect in life, INTEGRITY is at the very core of the Japanese Culture.  At hindsight, we may be outside looking in but nevertheless, it won't cost an arm and a leg if we endeavor to embody these very core foundations of the Japan Culture because at the end of the day, it will redound to our benefit as a person📌📌📌