The Japanese Have a Word for It

I'm going to use a game metaphor; in certain MMORPG games (Such as World of Warcraft), once your character hits the level cap and you no longer have to run the level treadmill, you focus on what is called "end-game" content. This book is the "end-game" content for players of "World of Japanese." I've been studying Japanese for a while now, and I lived in Japan for a few months. I can speak, read and write Japanese fluently. I am now focusing on Chinese, but I still like to learn new things about the Japanese culture I've come to know and love. It only took a couple minutes of reading this book at the local bookstore that I realized, this book is just what I needed to continue my studies. Interesting, nuanced and full of cultural insight. Check it out once you're no longer busting you brain over kanji or the JLPT.

This is a great book, comparable to a mini encyclopedia. What it does is take many important aspects of Japanese culture and it compresses it into a brief and enjoyable format. Very entertaining but also very informative and you really get insight into why and how the Japanese act, feel, behave, and how it all came about. If you are wanting to learn about the culture in general, get this. It also has many good tips for when you conduct business with Japanese business owners and that their aesthetic sense overrides outlines and rational on a first meeting.

If you ever wondered why the Japanese are so polite, or why they escort you out the door till you are gone; then you will enjoy the explanations in this book. It has in depth explanations to every little Japanese saying, and why they believe that. After reading this I had a better understanding of there culture. I regularly visit a Japanese home, and never understood why they did this or that. Or why they insist on doing something. Making oneself feel ackward, but after reading this book I felt relief and more comfortable around them. If you are around Japanese people, or planning to, this is a must read.

I bought this book last year in preparation for coming to Japan and enjoyed it greatly. Then, on arrival, I continued reading it and found it helpful in avoiding many of the pitfalls one experiences when trying to do business in Japan. Now, 10 months on, reading it again, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It's as if the author has been following me around and written about my daily experiences here. I have many books about Japan and the Japanese Way, but none express so succinctly or directly the day-to-day experience of working in a Japanese context. You must read this book if you are working or doing business in Japan.

This book demystifies the Japanese culture. What does it mean when a Japanese person offers to 'show you their stomach'? (P120) How do they 'take the pulse of the situation'? (p268) What is 'a life without a soul?' (p148) There's so much packed into the 394 pages to digest. Luckily each word or phrase is a short chapter. The reader can chew it over in a leasurely manner. Essential reading.