Close contacts between Japan and the rest of the world were created in the twentieth century. In the last forty years, business contacts between Japan and the West have become very important. Many foreign companies now have offices in Japan and Japanese businessmen do business around the world. Differences between Japanese and Western ways of doing business, however, often bewilder foreign businessmen and make doing business in Japan difficult for foreigners.

    The American businessman, for example, wants to start talking business immediately. He does not want to wait. The Japanese businessman, on the other hand, likes to arrive at decisions after giving them serious thought. Another thing foreign businessmen have difficulty in understanding is when a Japanese means "Yes" or "No". This is because of cultural differences between Japanese and Western society, which make it difficult for a Japanese to say "No" directly.

    In the USA, it is easy to say "No" to something one does not want to do. But in Japan, it is very difficult to say "No". To refuse an invitation or a request with "No" is felt to be impolite. It is thought to be selfish and unfriendly. So instead of saying "No" directly, the Japanese have developed many ways to avoid saying "No". These can help them avoid hurting other people's feelings. However, this often makes their ways of doing business rather difficult for foreigners to understand and follow.

My Favorite Sweater

——by Taylor Brown

My favorite sweater grew too small.

I love that sweater best of all.

My grandma made it when(当) I was three.

She made that sweater just for me.

I picked the yam(纱线), a special blue.

The color of bluebells, wet with dew(露珠).

When I was three, I was very small.

But now I'm five and much too tall.

I have a new jacket now that's green.

So I gave my sweater to our cat Queen.

Queen just had kittens out in the shed(小屋).

My favorite sweater is now their bed.

    Different gestures (手势)mean different things in different countries. Sometimes a gesture that is polite in one country is not polite in another and should not be used. Different meanings of gestures can also cause problems in understanding what another person is trying to say. A gesture that many people do not understand is one that uses the thumb. Most westerners will sometimes show that they like something by holding out a closed hand with the thumb lifting in the air. This is called give someone or something "the thumbs up". Often, only one thumb is used, so it should be "the thumb up".

    The usual explanation (解释)for the origin of this gesture is not really correct. It says that in ancient Roman times, when people were pleased with the way a gladiator (角斗士) had fought, they showed their thumbs up. When they were not pleased, they gave the thumbs down. When a gladiator was given the thumbs up, the emperor allowed him to live. When a gladiator was given the thumbs down, the emperor ordered him to be killed.

    The truth is, however, it was translated into a wrong meaning by mistake. If people wanted to save the gladiator, they put out their hands and hid their thumbs in their hands. If they wanted the gladiator to die, they pointed their thumbs straight at him.