Polite Fictions: Why Japanese and Americans Seem Rude to Each Other

by Nancy and Reiko Naotsuka Sakamoto

日米両国民がコミュニケーションを進めるうえで生ずる様々な誤解例を具体的に語りながら、両国の国民性・文化の相違を簡潔に集約・説明。

Genres: Japan

124 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 1982

Reviews

[tatterpunk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating little book, even almost forty (!!) years after it was published, and still relevant. The only drawback (from my perspective) is that its intended audience is Japanese who are learning to better navigate American cultural waters -- I'm sure for anyone in that group this would be a four- or five-star book. Unfortunately I am an American trying to better understand Japanese norms, and while there is definitely some valuable insight, the Japanese text and assumption a reader's first language is not English doesn't help me in particular, so three stars.

(What polite fiction would my rating system fall under? Probably "you and I are original," since the individualism of my experience takes precedence over the book's overall usefulness or objective value. Wow. Really worth reading.)

[OrangeXenon54 · Rating 5 out of 5]

While it is written for Japanese people to better understand Americans, it works equally well for Americans trying to understand Japanese people (it's basically 3/4ths in English a 1/4th in Japanese).

It's short an succinct enough that I'd recommend it for anyone traveling to Japan for any period of time and especially if you're studying abroad there or going to work there.

The only "negative" is that it's a bit dated, but that only affects certain references. Overall, it's still applicable to Japanese culture in the 21st century.

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and practical. It really helped me understand the culture prior to visiting Japan.