WHEN WORLDS COLLIDEuntil consensus is reached. You have to be prepared for the long
haul if you do business in Japan."
It is also important, according to Cathy, that people of equal
rank sit next to one another at business meetings. The head of
the table with the seat of honor goes to the most important person.
"The seat of honor in a traditional Japanese meeting room," Cathy
notes, "is with your back to an alcove with a pleasing flower
arrangement, a must in any business setting. Americans would
think it more flattering to be seated facing the alcove so you
could see the flowers."
There are subtle nuances of speech you must be aware of at
Japanese business meetings, according to Cathy. When someone
says "We'll think about it," he or she is actually saying "No!"
At a table in a restaurant, when you are asked if you would like
another drink, you don't say "No, thank you." That would hurt
the host's feelings. Instead, if you don't want the drink, you say
"I'm fine."
In general, the Japanese culture uses politeness as a universal
subtext and as a mask. It is a very hierarchal society, and everyone
must know his or her place. Bowing, smiling, and mannered polite-
ness send out not-so-subtle subtexts necessary in a society where
crowding is universal. Oddly enough, in this crowded society,
touching is frowned on. The American habit of an arm around
the shoulder or a touch on the arm is abhorred.
I had always heard that women were excluded from business
in Japan, but Cathy assured me that this is not so. "If you're a
foreigner, man or woman, you won't fit into the system. But if
you're qualified, they'd just as soon deal with a woman as with a
man. I know."
As for Japanese women, it is not impossible for one to have a