[Nagoyankee]

This is something that one could write a whole chapter on. But I wll keep it brief because I'm no writer.

Unlike in Indo-European languages, in which the speaker can and probably should use as many pronouns as he pleases, in Japanese one is expected to use as few pronouns as possible. This is all cultural so you cannot really ask why but you must accept what's considered the norm in a particular language, or you will simply sound 'strange' even while being grammatically completely correct.

If I meet someone for the first time and he says "ジョンソンです。", I will know whose name he is telling me. I will not go "Who is Johnson?" So in Japanese, you will omit '私は'. If you don't omit it, you will sound 'unnatural' and 'unecessarily wordy'.

Of course the more formal way to say that is:

ジョンソンと申します。＝　I am Johnson. 申す= もうす

You would be expected to use that form in formal and business situations. In fact, it would be the only form acceptable. DO NOT try to be creative with these set phrases. You will always have a chance to show your creativity later on in the conversation, but not in the greeting/self-introduction part.

Now the two people know each other's names. From now on, use the other person's name instead of the second-person pronoun ('you' in English). Yes, you heard me right. Don't address the other person with any form of 'you' in Japanese. Add さん　or 様（さま） to the name depending on the occasion. If the other person asked you to use his nickname, then use it. If you get to know the other person well over some time, then you might start addressing each other　using second-person pronouns. But this will not happen in the business world.

Let me give you one example of how the difference in the use of pronouns between Japanese and English once shocked me. During the first or second year of my English studies, we had this sentence in our textbook.

"I wish I had more money in my pocket."

I was stunned. That sentence looked out of this world. That's like 'me' thrice in such a short sentence! In Japanese, there will be no pronouns in it.　None!

「ポケットにもっとお金があったらなあと思う。」　

Who could wish that but the speaker himself? Whose pocket could he be referring to but his own? Why I-I-my?? We use no pronouns in that kind of a sentence.

I'd like you to get shocked by these facts just as I was shocked and almost fainted when I saw the then impossible sentence, "I wish I had more money in my pocket". This is none other than culture shock. You can either get over it by practicing or let it stand tall like a wall in front of you forever.

Kanpai to Language!