Concepts of Time

Japan is a monochronic culture with a long-term orientation tow

ards time. In other words, people tend to think linearly and prioritise dependin
g on importance. Attitudes towards punctuality are strict. When doing business i
n Japan, being early or on time for all appointments, regardless or their formal
ity, is a show of respect and therefore any event of being late requires forewar
ning and an apology. Furthermore long term time orientation translates to values
in Japan that include persistence and ordering relationships by status.
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Attitudes to time may differ between different cultures in often quite significa
nt ways. For example, being late for an appointment, or taking a long time to ge
t down to business, is the accepted norm in most Mediterranean and Arab countrie
s, as well as in much of less-developed Asia. Such habits, though, would be anat
hema in punctuality-conscious USA, Japan, England, Switzerland, etc. In the Japa
nese train system, for example, on time refers to expected delays of less than one
minute, while in many other countries, up to fifteen minutes leeway is still co
nsidered on-time .
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Japan is also an extremely time-conscious culture, although the Japanese probabl
y lay more emphasis on time management and efficient lifestyles than Americans,
and consequently may feel less constantly rushed and frustrated.
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The Japanese have a keen sense of the unfolding or unwrapping of time
this is we
ll described by Joy Hendry in her book Wrapping Culture. People familiar with Ja
pan are well aware of the contrast between the breakneck pace maintained by the
Japanese factory worker on the one hand, and the unhurried contemplation to be o
bserved in Japanese gardens or the agonizingly slow tempo of a Noh play on the o
ther. What Hendry emphasizes, however, is the meticulous, resolute manner in whi
ch the Japanese segment time. This segmentation does not follow the American or
German pattern, where tasks are assigned in a logical sequence aimed at maximum
efficiency and speed in implementation. The Japanese are more concerned not with
how long something takes to happen, but with how time is divided up in the inte
rests of properness, courtesy and tradition.
For instance, in most Japanese social gatherings, there are various phases and l
ayers marked beginnings and endings
for retirement parties, weddings, parent
cher association meetings and so on.

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In Japan s conformist and carefully regulated society, people like to know at all
times where they stand and where they are at: this applies both to social and bu
siness situations. The mandatory, two-minute exchange of business cards between
executives meeting each other for the first time is one of the clearest examples
of a time activity segment being used to mark the beginning of a relationship.
Another example is the start and finish of all types of classes in Japan, where
the lesson cannot begin without being preceded by a formal request on the part o
f the students for the teacher to start. Similarly, they must offer a ritualisti
c expression of appreciation at the end of the class.
Other events that require not only clearly defined beginnings and endings but al
so unambiguous phase-switching signals are the tea ceremony, New Year routines,
annual cleaning of the house, cherry blossom viewing, spring offensives (strikes),
midsummer festivities, gift-giving routines, company picnics, sake-drinking ses
sions, even the peripheral rituals surrounding judo, karate and kendo sessions.
A Japanese person cannot enter any of the above activities in the casual, direct
manner a Westerner might adopt. The American or Northern European has a natural
tendency to make a quick approach to the heart of things. The Japanese, in dire
ct contrast, must experience an unfolding or unwrapping of the significant phase
s of the event. It has to do with Asian indirectness, but in Japan it also invol
ves love of compartmentalization of procedure, of tradition, of the beauty of ri
tual.

To summarize, when dealing with the Japanese, you can assume that they will be g
enerous in their allocation of time to you or your particular transaction. In re
turn, you are advised to try to do the right thing at the right time. In Japan, fo
rm and symbols are more important than content.
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