American Culture Vs Japanese Culture

Comparing two cultures there will always be obvious differences, this couldn’t be any more true when you compeer the United States of America to Japan. On one end of the spectrum you have Japan that has thousands of years of history and deep sense of tradition. Then you have America when put into comparison to Japan. When it comes to age is like a child and American culture is consistently changing and being influenced. I am not saying that Japanese culture has not changed over the years, but America is a melting pot, meaning that is influenced by hundreds of different ideas and beliefs making these two countries almost like night and day. One big example about the difference of American and Japanese culture is our views of the individuals …show more content…
When in Japan try to speak Japanese or at least attempt to at first many Japanese people know some English, but do not suspect someone you meet on the street to be fluent in English, so it is a good idea to take a crash course in Japanese before traveling there. Another one of the big differences between Americans and Japanese is in how we communicate. When Americans want something they are very straight forward about it while the Japanese elude to what they want to get across, being straight forward is seen as being too blunt and clumsy. Both cultures use body language, but Americans rely to convey how they feel and what they want through worlds while Japanese believe actions speak louder than words, be it facial expressions, body language or the use of silence to get their point across, so it is ideal to be able to interpret these queues to prevent misunderstandings. In Japan respect and honor is key, with that in mind, there is also a strong sense of hierarchy and family. There are protocols when introducing oneself in Japan as well as to how to address someone, in America when meeting or greeting someone formally you would shake their hands and say “Hello Mr. /Miss. Smith” and when you are introducing others you go from most important to least important, seniority, or age. While in Japan when meeting …show more content…
The first thing is the Japanese pride themselves on being on time when they make arrangements like meetings and business deals. So if your guest has already made arrangements to visit someone or something it would be best to help them get there on time. But remember if they are not here on business from Japan, but instead enjoying a vacation schedules can be more lenient. Japan is more accepting of public smoking than America with many restaurants and public areas allow in Japan people to smoke cigarettes. Unlike how it is in America where you can’t smoke inside public buildings. Smoking in Japan is more of a social norm, unlike here in America, where there is a bit of a stigma associated with it, in the last few years japan have passed a few smoking laws preventing certain areas where one can smoke, like on trains and train platforms. To prevent any misunderstanding you should try to explain where someone can and can’t smoke in America. Finally, possibly the most important thing you can do for a guest from Japan is to try to learn some basic Japanese. Don’t assume that your guest will know how to speak English and plus it would be nice for them to know that there is someone that knows the area and can speak the same language as they do. This last piece of advice can be applied to every culture if you know how to speak your