Knowing when culture is the culprit - and when it's not!
I was recently asked to help with a situation where a staff member was not complying with instructions, their manager thought it might be because of a difference in cultural background. This staff member was habitually late or didn't show up to meetings in spite of explicit request by their manager to attend.
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Traditional Japanese home insurance: House Gods (Kami - 神)
In Japan, house gods, or Kami (神), are a big part of the culture. People believe these spirits help protect homes and keep everyone safe from bad luck and nasty spirits. I don’t have a fancy 'kamidana' shelf, but I do have a place in my apartment on my 'memory shelf' for a cute trio of bronze Jizo statues.
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Another fun Japanese drama series to check out this weekend!
I recently started watching The Inheritance Detective, and while the acting is a touch over-the-top for my taste, the storyline is both intriguing and fun. It’s about a disbarred, coffee-bean-crunching lawyer and his quirky team who dive into unraveling shady inheritance cases.
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Why are your Japanese colleagues so busy right now? It's probably because of the new fiscal year!
The fiscal year in Japan starts off on April 1st and wraps up on March 31st. This timing is closely tied to the school year, making it a busy period for both businesses and schools.
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Can you request staff to be available during time off?
I was recently asked to help a manager at a big Japanese company to help with providing messaging to an employee on extended leave who was not responding to phone calls or messages.
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It's Koromogai (衣替え) time again!
Even though the weather was a bit meh this weekend, I decided to change my wardrobe to its summer version. It took me about an hour to exchange the highly seasonal items like fleece pj's and fluffy winter socks for tank tops and dresses and shorts.
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