Different Aspects of the Culture of Japan - Assignment Example

Japan consists of four main islands: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku. The terrain of Japan is made up mostly of mountainous terrain which is the primary reason why most cities are located in the coastal region.

The country lacks natural resources and arable lands. The population of Japan is 127.4 million people (CountryWatch, 2009). Tokyo is the capital of Japan. The main religions practiced in Japan are Buddhism and Shinto. The official language of the nation is Japanese, but English is taught in all secondary schools for business purposes (CountryGrams, 2009). Japan’s weather goes through four seasons. In the northern region, winters can be cold, while in the southern parts, tropical weather prevails.

The climate is mostly hot and humid. The time difference between Melbourne, Florida, and Tokyo, Japan is 13 hours. The monetary unit utilized in Japan is the Yen. The conversion rate in the foreign exchange markets of dollar to yen is 1: 93.62 (Xe, 2009). The address of the U.S. Embassy in Japan is 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Toyko 107-8420 Japan and the phone number is 03-3224-5000 (Usembassy, 2009). Japan’s society is group-oriented. Family is the foundation of Japanese society. Employees are very loyal in Japan and people that hold power are respected.

Whenever a person receives a favor or gift, they feel obligated to return the favor. Businessmen wear suits and ties in public, while women wear dresses and slacks. In Japan, the traditional greeting is a bow, but when greeting foreigners handshakes is the norm. Women are visualized as inferior to men in the workplace. Yawning in public is seen as impolite. Japanese people are very punctual and offended when people are late for appointments. The Japanese diet consists of rice, fresh vegetables, seafood, fruit, and small portions of meat most of which are seasoned with soy sauce or sweet sake (CultureGrams, 2009).

Other popular meals include sushi, miso, and sashimi. The most popular sport in Japan is baseball. Other popular sporting activities are soccer, volleyball, and jogging. Men are raised to become the head of the family. The men must take care of the elders and one's family. When eating a Japanese meal a person must eat from a bowl that must be held at chess level. Do not ever make slurping sounds when eating soup. The main meal of the day is in the evening. The Japanese culture is different than the American culture but the fact that English is the business language will help you communicate with the employees of the Japanese firm. A book that I recommend you read during the long airplane trip to Japan is The Economic History of Japan 1914-1955 by Nakamura Takafusa.