JAPANESE CULTURE

its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia, Europe, and North America. The
inhabitants of Japan experienced a long period of relative isolation from the outside world during the Tokugawa
shogunate after Japanese missions to Imperial China, until the arrival of "The Black Ships" and the Meiji period
he Japanese culture is a multi-layered and complex system that has been developing within itself and forming new
layers for thousands of years. When Westerners think of Japanese culture, perhaps one of the first images that
spring to mind is one of an ancient Samurai warrior wielding his heavy sword, or perhaps they picture a young
Geisha, pouring tea and serving sushi. While these elements do play some role in the entire concept of Japan as a
whole, the entire meaning and history of the nation is larger than that.
This is a brief introduction to some concepts that would help define the role of public relations as practiced in Japan.
lthough the Japanese like to think of themselves as atune to nature, much of urban Japan is an industrialized, built-up
mess. This is the result of ad hoc redevelopment after the war(1). In Japan, there is a word, omote, which refers to the
public, formal, and conventional aspects of behavior(7). This can refer to ingrained patterns of behavior, such as how
close to one another people stand, or who shakes whose hand first at a meeting. It also can allude to behavior in
business affairs and events in a business setting. Ura, which is more valued, refers to the private, informal, and
unconventional aspects of culture(7).
Japanese people see this mode of behavior as more valuable and meaningful, however, one only acts this way with
close friends or family members.The Japanese value outside appearances very much. This is not to say that they do not
value what is private and hidden, but much importance is placed on one's presentation and appearance.
To demonstrate this point, the Japanese businessman is compared to a Samurai warrior or kamikaze pilot in "The Idea
of Japan," "The Japanese know that you never come to a negotiation showing your true nature. To deal effectively with
you, they must find this out...It's a game of masks at which the Japanese are adept."(3) The book goes on to cite Japan's
defeat in World War II as an open wound, and the Japanese are looking to reassert themselves through their new
economic power(3).
Social ranking and status play a part in many major institutions that one goes through in a lifetime. In Japan, everyone
is aware of everyone else's age. In some companies, newsletters that display the ages of employees are produced for
internal distribution(1). Vertical ranking, based mainly on age, determines everything from the location of desks in a
classroom to the order in which cups of tea are distributed. These rankings are even pervasive in the language, which
has different ways of addressing others in regard to their age, whether older or younger(1).
Orientation
Identification.The Japanese names,NihonandNippon,are alternative readings of written characters that mean
"origin of the sun" ("Land of the Rising Sun").
European names for the country probably originated with Marco Polo, who most likely adopted a name for
Japan used in a Chinese dialect.
The name "Yamato" is used by archaeologists and historians to distinguish Japanese artistic genres from their
Chinese counterparts. When used as a contemporary term, Yamato has strong associations with the imperial
system, and thus with conservative nationalist ideologies.
Contemporary Japan is considered a highly homogeneous society, but regional variation in social and cultural
patterns has always been significant. Pride of place and identification with local cultural patterns remain strong.
Japanese people often attribute personality traits to people from particular regions, and regional identity often
is expressed through local culinary specialties and dialects.
Location and Geography.TheJapanese archipelagoconsists of four major islands and over six-thousand
minor ones, covering approximately 234,890 square miles (378,000 square kilometers), and has enormous
climatic variation. The four major islands are Hokkaid, Honsh, Shikoku, and Kysh. The southern island
group of Okinawa (the Ryky Islands) is geographically, historically, and culturally distinct.
Japan faces the Pacific Ocean along the entire eastern and southern coastline. To the north and west are the
Sea of Okhotsk, the Sea of Japan, and the East China Sea. The Korean peninsula is the closest point on the
Asian mainland. Japanese life has always been oriented toward the ocean. The currents that converge offshore
create fertile and varied fishing grounds.
The climate is shaped by Asian-Pacific monsoon cycles, which bring heavy rains from the Pacific during the
summer and fall, followed by icy winds from North Asia during the winter that dump snow in the mountains.