The Inscrutable Salaryman

For all who know anything of Japan, every Japanese wears a mask. The mask presents a face of sameness, where the many emotions and individual traits of self are hidden. Like all people the Japanese experience the whole spectrum of human emotion, but history taught them that concealment was the much safer option for survival in a highly hierarchical and harsh feudal system.

About Face

In the Japanese society the concept of “face” or kao is paramount. The word kao literally means the front of one’s head and also incorporates the appearance and condition of one’s physical face. Kao is the overarching concept of “face” in Japan, with two distinct meanings: 1) kao can be directly represented by the word mentsu meaning personal or even group face, and in turn mentsu has two distinct categories…

The Taste Of The Unattainable: When Food Porn Meets Sweets

Everyone knows what sweets are, and yet, it does not make it easier to understand their gastronomical position on our plate, and the high attachment that many people developed towards sweets regardless of culture, age, gender, and any other criteria. They are not part of the meal, they are not an aperitif one can eat before a meal, and they are not even the after-meal dessert since many desserts are not necessarily sweet. And yet, unlike other flavors, they are by far the most popular one. After all, nobody heard of a group called “the salties” or “the bitters”.

Nomikai Culture In Japan: The Liquid Approach To Building Bonds And Social Capital

In Japan, a drink or three temporarily flattens hierarchies and loosens tongues and inhibitions in all sorts of social environments, from companies to schools to clubs and beyond. What’s known as nomikai culture—which literally means “meeting to drink”—is most prevalent in business. The objective is to build up serious social capital with the boss and bond with the rest of the crew.

High Tech And Hanko In The Work-From-Home Era

Since 1995, ninety-six Japanese companies have dropped out of the Fortune Global 500. What’s important to note, however, is that the fastest rate of decline occurred from 1995 to 2005, after which the rate of decline slowed and now is almost flat, despite the large number of Chinese firms joining the list.