I was reading a blog by another guy that lives in Tokyo, and he told an interesting story. His story tells about how he wandered into an unfamiliar bar one night, which is normal for him, except this bar seemed particularly unfriendly. But this time, however, when he tried to order a drink, the bartender grabbed him by the arm, threw him out of the bar, and told him, “No foreigners”. Pretty hardcore racism, right?

This story got me thinking about the Japanese culture. Japan is really heavy on the “in-group” thing. Everyone is part of a group. This is why Japanese corporations are some of the strangest in the world. They never really fire their employees, because they are part of the family. Instead, they just give them a desk with no work to do, and wait for them to quit (according to what I have heard). It is a rare thing for a  Japanese salaryman to switch companies. If you get a job at a new company, they WILL have a hard time truly trusting you. They have an in-group mentality, so if you haven’t been working together with them in the same corporate family, you will be assumed to not really know anything. How could you? Your old company’s culture is guaranteed to be different from this new company’s culture.

I have no real experience of working for a Japanese company, I am just basing it all on hearsay and what I have read from books, but it is still interesting enough for me to develop a theory/explanation. My best guess/theory: The Japanese language and culture is very context-sensitive. It is so guarded by social rules and social etiquette that people commonly say that the Japanese are telepathic. They are able to guess and respond to the other party’s words before they speak, almost like playing a whole conversation in their minds. It is because of this “telepathy” that these in-group cultures easily form. If you can’t do telepathy with the Japanese (because you are an outsider) then they WILL not accept you as quickly as they would have otherwise.

Next time Japan confuses you, try thinking about this in-group culture. Maybe it explains why they love you, hate you, or ignore you.