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Relocating to a foreign country for work is a big deal. New home, new language and new culture!

There is a lot to get your head around. Without a doubt, Japan is one of those countries that, culturally speaking, causes confusion for the foreigner.

A distinct island culture, formed over thousands of years, with its own nuances and subtleties... it takes time to genuinely understand the Japanese.

Being the helpful cross-cultural consultancy we are,  we have scoured the internet to find what we consider to be the best 3 videos on Japanese culture!

These videos will help make your relocation to Japan a little smoother, enabling you to learn about Japanese people and culture, so that you have a head start in terms of behaviour and how best to conduct yourself.

The short clips will give you an insight into the Japanese way of life from people with real-life experiences and stories to tell from their time relocating to Japan.  We believe that personal feedback is the most valuable.


#1 Japanese Culture Vs American Culture

This short video clip explains specific Japanese etiquette and the speaker directly compares this with American culture. The use of ‘Thank you’ and ‘You’re welcome’, for example, is extremely different in America and Japan, and he gives evidence of this through his own personal experience stories. He rightly advises that you will probably experience culture shock just like he did!



#2 Japanese People and Culture

The second video that we found is slightly longer but goes into more depth about Japanese culture and day-to-day life through the eyes of an expatriate. She speaks about health care, technology and crime-rate in Japan, giving her own insights.



#3 Japanese Culture of Respect and Formality

The third and final video looks at Japanese formalities within the culture; the speaker talks about some of the shocking experiences he faced – even when going to the supermarket. His personal stories give advice and guidance when relocating to Japan and how to be respectful.


 

If you're serious about making the best impression when you arrive in Japan, then enrol on our Japan eLearning / Online training course for professionals. Alternatively, if you'd prefer tailored Japan cultural training via webinar for groups, then our Japan country and culture experts will ensure the training is developed to meet your specific business needs. 


Photo by Joey Huang on Unsplash