Are The Japanese Too Polite?

The Japanese have developed a reputation for being among the most polite people in the world. Perhaps this is related to the country's high population for its land area -- 834 people per square mile, compared with just 86 in the U.S. -- or perhaps it has something to do with living in houses with paper doors. Japanese tourists are consistently ranked the world's most polite, and the local version of the "men at work" sign expresses deep apology for the inconvenience the construction is causing everyone -- isn't that cool? But could it be the Japanese are too polite for their own good? When Japanese people have a problem with something someone is doing, they'll usually have a discussion among themselves about it and never, ever ask the individual to change their behavior. While at a stoplight, it's common to turn your headlights off to avoid blinding the person across the intersection from you, and the idea of leaving your car in the parking lot of the "coin laundry" while you run into the post office next door would be scandalous, so they park along the dangerous street instead. This strange politeness exists in the business world, too. When J-List contacts a distributor whose products we want to sell, they always ask if we've already got a relationship with another distributor in their industry, and will avoid doing business with us if the answer is yes. You'd think that companies would try to win customers from their competitors by offering better products and services, but Japanese distribution companies are sometimes too honorable for their own good.

Even the road construction signs in Japan are polite.