Japan's Cultural Code Words: 233 Key Terms That Explain the Attitudes and Behavior of the Japanese

by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

Japan's Cultural Code Words offers a study of Japanese society through analysis of key terms and concepts that define Japanese attitudes and behaviors.

Japan's traditional culture is so powerful that it continues to be the prevailing force in molding and tuning the national character of the Japanese, resulting in a society that simultaneously emphasizes both the modern and the traditional.

The best and fastest way to an understanding of the traditional, emotional side of Japanese attitudes and behavior is through their "business and cultural code words"--key terms that reveal, in depth, their psychology and philosophy. The book features 233 essays, arranged alphabetically from " Ageashi / Tripping on Your Own Tongue" to " Zenrei / Breaking the Molds of the Past," that dive into these code words. Long-term expatriate and internationally-renowned Japanologist Boye Lafayette De Mente offers personal insights into the extremes of Japanese behavior and the dynamics of one of the world's most fascinating societies.

Genres: Japan, Nonfiction, Japanese Literature, Reference, Travel, Asia

316 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2004

About the author

Boyé Lafayette De Mente was an author, journalist, and adventurer. He wrote more than 100 books, most of them about the culture and language of Japan, East Asia, and Mexico.

De Mente joined the U.S. Navy and began his career as a cryptographer based in Washington, D.C. In 1948, he joined the U.S. Army Security Agency and was a decoding technician stationed in Tokyo. While there, he he founded and edited the agency's newspaper, The ASA Star.

De Mente wrote the first English guides to the Japanese way of doing business ("Japanese Etiquette and Ethics in Business" in 1959 and "How to Do Business in Japan" in 1962). His other books run the gamut from language learning to the night-time "pink" trades in Japan, the sensual nature of Oriental cultures, male-female relations, and understanding and coping with the Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Mexican mindset in business and social situations. He has also written extensively about Mexico and his home state of Arizona.

Reviews

[Yuri Karabatov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally finished after more than a year on the “currently reading” shelf.

The book’s appearance is deceiving—it’s fairly thin and just over 300 pages. It even reads well, but it’s so dense with information that it was hard reading more that a few pages at a time.

Liberally referring to Japan’s history, De Mente explains why the Japanese are the way they are today. The book mostly talks about business, work and sales, but there’s also quite a bit about art and behavior, again backed by excursions into history.

I’m sure a lot is oversimplified for the uninitiated reader, and not as dramatic as De Mente paints it. Still, the book is worth reading even as the source of the “233 key terms” alluded to in the subtitle, as they are practically impossible to find (much less collect) for the casual reader and student of Japanese.

[Gesine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting overall but really repetitive and clearly not meant to read in sequence. Also very heavy focus on business dealings with Japanese companies which is not what I expected.

[Angeli · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Note: I could actually rate this up to 2.5, but I'm admittedly leaning toward the lower side of the rating.)

This book is a rather comprehensive compendium of mini essays that provide insights on certain aspects of Japanese culture. Taken individually, the essays are skillfully written; I commend the varied discussion of themes and how various historical and cultural tidbits are integrated in rather unexpected ways. Also, I can acknowledge that the fairly generous sprinkling of practical tips would be useful from a business perspective. However, taken as a whole, I find the book quite tedious in the sense that it isn't organized for continuous reading. Through the redundancy in themes seeming objective tone, it subtly presents the writer's biases; with all the ways some themes were discussed, one might end up unconsciously taxed with a cynical impression of the culture. Generally the book is informative and may even be considered an artifact of the time it had been written. However, it is not quite balanced in its approach, potentially rendering the culturally curious unsatisfied; one might even think the writer was trying to disillusion readers from enthusiasm over Japanese culture. That said, an updated and reorganized edition of the book would be welcome.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty well written outside of the occasional hyperbolic statement. Highly recommend reading this whilst travelling in Japan, great to dip into during a shinkansen ride or when resting your feet. Japan is known for allocating words or phrases to lifestyle philosophies, De Mente's short descriptions of these helped me understand their culture a little deeper whilst I was there.

[Elise Cather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely good insight but gets a little repetitive and a little too long. But, that also helps drive home the point!

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many of the terms were woefully outdated even in 2004, but the book may be worth perusal by non-native speakers interested in bubble-era context.

[Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I almost finish this book. It really packs many quotable reference for my dissertation, especially about life in Tokugawa Japan and how it may have affected the psyche of contemporary Japanese. But I'm afraid the author might have over-simplified things and many be his vision of the old Japan is only the Tokugawa Period. But overall, I would recommend it for anybody who seriously want to understand the Japanese people better. A must for foreigners planning to live or study in Japan. You can really use those 233 key terms in your daily living and at the same time understand the culture and implication behind it. Well, you can get by in Japan much better after reading this book, but don't hold it as the ultimate answer in everything Japanese. As I say, there are more to Japan than the Tokugawa period. Period.

[Ricardo · Rating 2 out of 5]

It would be a good book if someone had edited it and removed the repetitions that fill up at least half of the content. It is amazing how many times the author writes things like "during the Tokugawa shogunate the Japanese had to be extremely careful with their words and actions" and so on. There are two or three ideas and most of the topics are just a repetition of those same ideas. However the book has a good list of concepts that illustrate Japanese culture and those are nice things to learn.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a must read for anyone doing business in Japan, and also anyone who is interested in Japanese culture. The book gives a long list of Japanese words and phrases, with a long chapter describing the cultural and business implications of each one. There is a huge amount of information about why the Japanese behave the way they do, and potentials pitfalls for Westerners who are trying to interact with them.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best book by far to begin understanding Japan.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful and interesting if you're studying the culture and/or the language. I'd also recommend it as smart bathroom reading.

[Marija S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow read, mostly about the world of business in Japan, at times repetitive.