Some general pointers. 1) Japanese don't generally like confrontation or argument. They are uncomfortable with strong opinions and views, so they generally avoid this with people they don't know well or who are outside their family. Don't expect the kind of heated debates you might enjoy with close friends from your own culture, even when you do know someone well. And always remember to be diplomatic in how you express your opinion - never try to enthusiastically change someone's mind. All you need do is present your idea, and then let them think about it on their own. That is how persuasion works. Stating opinions strongly or emotionally only makes you seem childish and closed-minded, and people will stop communicating with you if you press them in this way. 2) "Thank you" and "I'm sorry" are very important to the Japanese. Always thank people for for all the little things, and give a small gift if someone has done something particularly nice to you. When there is a problem, be quick to admit fault, and be quick to apologize - even if you don't feel it is totally your fault. The idea is to apologize for the discomfort and trouble caused by the disagreement. Unlike other cultures, in Japan an apology is not necessarily to admit fault. And you will get much further in repairing the relationship if you acknowledge whatever small part you played. And never, ever, get angry or yell - that never works. 3) People will often say "no" so indirectly that you may not even understand it is a no. For example, "that's difficult" "I'm not sure" "maybe next time" or other answers that aren't a clear "yes" all mean no. And if you really press someone, they may say "yes" under pressure, but not follow though or else will simply not contact you again. Japan is a high context culture, which means you need to learn to "read the air" - look at body language, notice pauses and hesitations, and read between the lines.
@DataNotLore (love your handle^^v) I've learned point number 2 after a few years of living in Japan: first apologize lol
Communication with ppl, especially at work, can be really tiring to me when I try to respect the social rules. As a foreigner I don't want to stand out so I'm extremely careful with that, probably unnecessarily careful. Some of my friends (even natives) don't really make a big deal of these rules, I kinda envy them.
Japanese are very shy people. They like to learn English but hesitant to practice it.
Some general pointers. 1) Japanese don't generally like confrontation or argument. They are uncomfortable with strong opinions and views, so they generally avoid this with people they don't know well or who are outside their family. Don't expect the kind of heated debates you might enjoy with close friends from your own culture, even when you do know someone well. And always remember to be diplomatic in how you express your opinion - never try to enthusiastically change someone's mind. All you need do is present your idea, and then let them think about it on their own. That is how persuasion works. Stating opinions strongly or emotionally only makes you seem childish and closed-minded, and people will stop communicating with you if you press them in this way. 2) "Thank you" and "I'm sorry" are very important to the Japanese. Always thank people for for all the little things, and give a small gift if someone has done something particularly nice to you. When there is a problem, be quick to admit fault, and be quick to apologize - even if you don't feel it is totally your fault. The idea is to apologize for the discomfort and trouble caused by the disagreement. Unlike other cultures, in Japan an apology is not necessarily to admit fault. And you will get much further in repairing the relationship if you acknowledge whatever small part you played. And never, ever, get angry or yell - that never works. 3) People will often say "no" so indirectly that you may not even understand it is a no. For example, "that's difficult" "I'm not sure" "maybe next time" or other answers that aren't a clear "yes" all mean no. And if you really press someone, they may say "yes" under pressure, but not follow though or else will simply not contact you again. Japan is a high context culture, which means you need to learn to "read the air" - look at body language, notice pauses and hesitations, and read between the lines.
There is a typo in the headline up there - "Japanaese". You might want to fix that. :)