Cultural Considerations: Japan

1. Holidays and Celebration -New Year's Day <1 January> -Adult's Day (Seijin no Hi) <2nd Monday of January> -Doll Festival (Hina Matsuri) <3 March> -Golden Week in <29 April to 5 May> -Bon Festival (Obon) <August> -Emperor's Birthday () <23 Dec>

2. Customs -Shoes are removed not only in homes, but also in many traditional ryokan(Japanese style inns), and also in other public buildings such as restaurants.

3. Religion -Religion does not play a big role in the everyday life of most Japanese people. -It's a country with one of the highest number of convinced atheists in the world.

4. Levels of Education -The literacy rate in Japan is 99%.

5. Business Etiquette

5.1. - Dress smartly . Business cards are exchanged :When giving cards, a persons posture is different for people with different ages. Business cards are given with two hands and a slight bow . The cards given are usually read very carefully.The business cards are given importance therefore their cards are printed nicely on quality materials and this is because it resembles your identity .

6. communication protocols -rely on facial expression, tone of voice and posture to tell them what someone feels. -turning down someone's request causes embarrassment and loss of face to the other person