Cross cultural communication in organizational contexts

Cross-Cultural Experience

The Japanese and American languages and cultures are quite different, so it is not surprising that I had some difficulty when traveling alone to an inn at a small Japanese village where the residents still do not speak any other language other than their own. During the time I stayed at the inn, with its traditional Japanese tatami mats, steaming hot baths, meals and decor, both the manager/owner of the establishment and I had to depend entirely on body language, hand signals and other similar means of communication.

Although Japanese youth must all take English lessons at school, earlier generations -- especially individuals over the age of 60 -- do not necessarily speak any English. Furthermore, considerably more people in the city speak other languages such as English and French. In rural areas, this is not as usual.

I heard about this Japanese inn from a friend of mine in Nagoya, a major urban area south of Tokyo. Because I had spent so much time in the crowded and noisy city, I wanted to head off to a more quiet and tranquil location. I was warned by my friend that language would be a problem, but I was not concerned. I figured that there are certain similarities with all cultures -- eating and sleeping, for example -- that I would receive proper attention.

When I arrived at the inn, the manager was quite surprised. Foreigners had not come there often. I also believe that she was immediately concerned because of the communication problems. However, a smile and low bow on both of our parts broke some of the tension. From there on in, we communicated primarily by gestures.

First, she showed me to the one room that would act as my bedroom and sitting room. She opened up the cabinet to point to the mat, which would be put out at night when it was time to sleep. She made a motion to signify eating with chopsticks and I responded by pretending to wash my hands. After going to the washroom, I went back to my room where a bowl of rice, pickles and chicken awaited me.

After lunch, I decided to take a walk. The manager became confused when I started away from the inn, but she understood when I aped the body language for hiking. That night after dinner, my hostess used my expression for washing. Many Japanese take baths in communal bathing areas, which was not high on my list. When I shook my head, she beckoned me to follow her to an inside single bath with the drain on the outside to wash myself. I laughed in acceptance and was honored to be the first to be able to use the hot water that night.

After the very hot bath, I was more than content. However, it did not take long for the very cool evening to make the residual heat disappear, despite the fact that I would be sleeping under a heavy cover. Holding my arms across my chest and pretending to shiver, she quickly nodded her head and retrieved a space heater. She "explained" to me that when I went to sleep, I had to turn it off. We were getting quite good with our nonverbal communication!

The next morning was very cold! The heater had been off for hours, and there was no hot bath. When my breakfast arrived -- cold rice, topped with a raw egg and fish with its head still on -- my grimace made the woman wrinkle her brow in concern. I apologized and took some of the rice with a smile and a "thank you" in Japanese (a couple of the words I knew.) stayed at the inn for a few days, and it became easier as we shared some words and became more comfortable with each other's actions. I know that she probably found many of the things that I did comical, but did not let on. This privacy and thoughtfulness is very indicative of the Japanese. There were some things, however, that we all understood. She and the other Japanese travelers enjoyed it when I took out my camera for photographs. Perhaps they did not speak English in the country, but they sure knew about the latest technology.

It was with some sadness that I left the inn. I was looking forward to getting back to my friends and being able to talk and laugh about my experiences. I also missed the hustle and bustle of the city. However, I enjoyed my stay and the opportunity to communicate with gestures and expressions rather than words.