West Capital Group, Tokyo, Japan Review

2018: EXPATS IN THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN

“In 1600, Shakespeare’s London was a city of 200,000 people. At the same time, there were already over a million in Tokyo”. Simon McBurney
Expats have a longstanding love affair with Tokyo, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a city rich in contradiction with futuristic innovation living hand in hand with rich tradition. Modern skyscrapers overlook century-old tea houses. Efficiency and mannered politeness combine with unique cultural idiosyncrasies and charming quirks. It is a great place to live and has been ranked 1^st in terms of quality of life for three consecutive years by lifestyle magazine Monocle. Many things combine to make a city livable, like business climate, abundance of green spaces, transportation infrastructure, housing and a vibrant cultural scene. Safety is of increasing consideration and Tokyo ranks especially high by this metric. Street crime is low, it is unacceptable to scam visitors and security is top priority with the upcoming 2020 Olympics. The city has over 6,000 public parks, hundreds of museums and highest number of bars per capita. Whatever drum one marches to, there is something for everyone.

 “It’s marvelous when you visit Tokyo: they have these clubs, and they’ll have ‘Motown Night’ or ‘The Beatles – Totally Authentic and Live!’ You know it’s shrunk, but at least there’s some sort of youthful figure to it. Whereas, the blues scene in Europe is more like, ‘Here we go again.’ ” Robert Palmer

CULTURE SHOCK

Japan is fascinating to Westerners because it is so different. Expats should expect a period of acclimation where they will feel like a fish out of water. This is one of the most homogeneous societies in the world where conformity is prized. Americans in particular value individuality and will take time to adjust. Many benign factors of daily life will be shocking at first, like socially accepted drinking in public places, young children walking alone in the streets, people openly staring and the excessive politeness and punctuality. The good news is locals expect cultural gaffs from foreigners and are quite tolerant as long as they are pleasant and seem to be making an effort.

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENTS

Expats have additional pressure adapting to social differences because they need to fit in as quickly as possible at a new job, stressful even in the best of situations. That being said, the cultural difference are straight forward and simple to understand. In order to avoid faux pas early on, westerners must understand that there is a different social order and within the organizational structure of companies and business dealings social ranking and seniority will dominate interactions. One must defer to people who are older or in a senior position. Females arriving to management positions need to accept that sexism is part of life especially when dealing with older employees. Conforming to the group in another area where new foreigners trip up. Japanese do not like being singled out, even for compliments. Tone down assertiveness and understand that people will avoid having to say “no” outright. Keep these details in mind, be punctual and polite and dress businesslike at all times and things will run smoothly. Japanese are forgiving of newcomers as long as they are making an effort.

WEST CAPITAL GROUP BUSINESS ETIQUETTE TIPS

Kaizen is a Japanese concept whereby a person must continually work towards improving oneself. Outsiders must make obvious effort to conform to local business culture in order to be successful in their business dealings. Be polite and avoid challenging or embarrassing anyone in public, and other blunders will for the most part be overlooked, especially for a new comer:

• Always dress formally for the office and business meetings
• Do not introduce yourself – wait to be introduced
• Locals greet each other with a bow, although they expect westerners to shake hands
• Me mindful of non-verbal communication, especially posture and tone of voice
• Age and seniority are revered, and the eldest in a group will have their drinks poured for them and be served first both in socially and in meetings
• Always accept business cards with two hands, and hold onto them for the duration of the conversation. Do not put them in your pocket
• Giving and receiving gifts is common when establishing new business relationships

RELATIONSHIPS: BUSINESS AND PERSONAL

The key to a successful expat experience is finding balance in your new life. It is important to expand one’s network both professionally and personally and the same rules apply to both in Tokyo circles. Americans in particular generally need to learn to speak more softly, and all Westerners need patience to adjust to the seemingly excessive formality in polite society. One of the reasons people are able to function well in this dense urban area is respect for personal space. It is considered impolite to ask personal questions during initial meetings. Japanese are also more comfortable with silence than Westerners. All forms of direct confrontation are to be avoided at all costs, especially overt aggressiveness and publicly aired disagreements. To gain respect, practice humility and calm and remember to defer to people older or in a senior position.

“I’m not afraid to look like a big, hairy, smelly, foreign devil in Tokyo, though I do my best not to, I really do.”  Anthony Bourdain

www.westcapitalgroupinc.com is a Tokyo based wealth management firm, managing assets for clients from over 35 countries. Many of the team are expats themselves, and understand the complexities of expatriate financial matters.