Quote:
Originally Posted by Nemhy
If you wouldn't mind, could you please go into the detail about the "after-5" buissness culture?
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There have been books written about it. Basically, in Japanese business culture there is a sense of needing to know a person you are doing business on a personal level. This takes time and much one-on-one face time. Sharing food and alcohol is one way to speed up the process. You can know a person's true self after a few drinks, and the "social lubricant" can benefit or (or destroy) a business relationship.
Sometimes Westerners make the mistake of going to Japan to do business, and turn down offers of dinner, thinking "after 5 is my time". It isn't uncommon for the REAL business to start then. It isn't uncommon for important decisions to be made over drinks rather than in a boardroom.