Taste Japanese

Matsuri (Market)

Matsuri means Festival or Holiday and the Matsuri was historically sponsored by a shrine or temple as part of the practice of “Honouring Your Ancestors”. Most festivals are held annually and celebrate the shrine's deity or a seasonal or historical event. Some festivals are held over several days. Many festivals also feature decorated floats (dashi), which are pulled through the town, accompanied by drum and flute music by the people sitting on the floats. Every festival has its own characteristics. While some festivals are calm and meditative, many are energetic and noisy.

Here are some of Japan's most famous festivals and celebrations:

• Sapporo Snow Festival
• Omizutori
• Takayama Matsuri
• Sanja Matsuri
• Kyoto Gion Matsuri
• Chichibu Yomatsuri

Cuisine

Many Japanese restaurants specialise in one particular type of food. The best place to try Sushi (slices of raw seafood placed on lightly vinegared rice balls) and sashimi (slices of raw seafood dipped in soy sauce), is a kaiten-zushi bar. You sit round a conveyor belt and pick plates of it - you generally pay per plate eaten. But Japanese food does not stop with raw fish; other specialities include teriyaki (marinated beef/chicken/fish seared on a hot plate), sukiyaki (thin slices of beef, bean curd and vegetables cooked in soy sauce and then dipped in egg), and tempura (deep fried sea-food and vegetables). If you want a more general selection, then the best place to go is an Izakaya (Japanese pub) where you will find an extensive and pretty cheap choice of food and drink.

Doing business in Japan

When building and fostering business relationships with your Japanese colleagues, practicing proper business etiquette is very important.

Some facts:

• Bring informational company documents and have them translated into Japanese.
• Do not be alarmed if your Japanese colleagues are silent for long periods of time or close their eyes during a meeting. This shows they are thinking critically about something.
• Before beginning a meeting, first exchange business cards.
• Do not use language that could be considered abrasive or offensive. The Japanese value and trust business people who present themselves as reverent, appeasing and humble.
• If you are unfamiliar with a Japanese colleague’s name, ask how it is traditionally pronounced.
• Prepare yourself for, and answer, direct questions, such as "What is your salary?" or "How much did you pay for that?" In order to fully familiarize themselves with colleagues, Japanese businesspeople tend to be direct in their questioning and expect forward responses.