6 Things You Need To Know About Doing Business In Japan:

1. If you need a fork, be careful not to ask for it.

Let’s say you’re out to dinner with business associates in Japan when you notice the only utensils on the table are chopsticks — only you’re not a chopsticks person. Well have no fear because most Japanese restaurants you’re likely to visit will have a fork you can use. But don’t ask for it

2. They do say 'no,' and they say it often.

You may have heard the Japanese say "yes" when they mean "no". If only it was that simple. In fact, the Japanese say "no" all the time. Just not in so many words, so to speak.

3. It's better not to bow than to bow badly.

Bows are so integral to Japanese behavior that you’ll see the Japanese even unintentionally bowing to the person on the other end of a phone call.

4. Meetings are not for brainstorming or decisions.

In Japan, meetings are primarily held to acquire information. But ideas are discussed and decisions made through a long and involved consensus building process–not in single meeting, no matter how far you've flown to get there. But beware: Attempts to do otherwise can harm relations.

5. When to add '-san' to a coworker's last name, and when to go sans '-san.'

Many who have worked with the Japanese have learned to append ‘-san’ to a person’s family name when addressing them. It’s actually just one of many Japanese honorifics used to identify the relationship and social hierarchy between two people.

6. If you've said "Sayonara" to someone, you might as well have said "Farewell."

There are a few words in Japanese that many Americans have heard at one time or another. And Sayonara is likely one of them. But it doesn’t exactly mean what most think it means.