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Japanese Business Culture Blog
A blog about communications between Japan and other cultures, particularly in business.
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My picks for best books on Japanese culture and businessRochelle KoppJan 23, 2010 06:55 PM I had a conversation yesterday with someone about what books would be our top recommendations on Japanese business and culture. I found it VERY hard to answer, as I have read so many and written one too! But here's what I came up with.
Personally I tend to think that some of the older ones got it down the best, so everything on my list is an oldie-but-goodie.
Although it's been a long time since I read it and if I were to re-read it again now I might feel differently, but The Outnation: A Search for the Soul of Japan http://bit.ly/6kPKYQ stood out for me at the time as very effectively explaining for Americans some of the real basics of the fundamental differences in outlook. I think it's significant that this book is not by a Japan expert, but by someone approaching Japan from a western perspective and trying to understand it from that framework. Am thinking this will be a good one to give my husband to read before I take him on his first trip to Japan this summer, I think it will be accessible for him and will lead to some good conversations.
The Engima of Japanese Power http://bit.ly/8YzmJn is of course a classic and anyone interested in Japan must read it! I still remember how I could not put it down when I first bought it. It articulated so many things I had been thinking/wondering about, backed up with lots of data. The fact that it's still in print after 20 years says something I think.
It's a shame that Mark Zimmerman passed away just before publication of How to Do Business with the Japanese http://bit.ly/7b9kHf, as I think it's one of the best basic books on this topic and he could have made other wonderful contributions if he had lived longer. I re-read it recently and although some parts are a bit dated, it still really nails it.
For those interested in anthropology, For Harmony and Strength: Japanese White-Collar Organization in Anthropological Perspective http://bit.ly/76trEF made a big impression on me when I read it in college and I think it has to be viewed as a classic that really explains how traditionally Japanese employees related to their firms (I notice it's still in print too...)
Oh, just one more I have to add, Japan's Managerial System by M.Y. Yoshino http://bit.ly/7jTKf3 . 40 years old but all the observations on how decision-making works in Japanese firms is still right on the mark!
The person I was talking with said his choice for best book on Japan was Ian Buruma's Behind the Mask http://bit.ly/7eeOop which I have never read but it's now on my wish list!
I've started a discussion on this topic in our LinkedIn Group, so if you have other suggestions on must-reads please post them there!
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