"The nail that sticks up gets hammered down." This building metaphor illustrates the importance of harmony in Japanese society. She writes: "Due to the group-oriented nature of Japanese society, they often behave in a collective way. In contrast, Americans respect and value independent behavior, which also means that Americans celebrate and accept non-conformity. The different values that American and Japanese cultures give to conformity vs. non-conformity create special problems for Japanese residents in the U.S." (Choi, 2007). While in the U.S. we might be told "not to make waves," this metaphor carries more of a connotation of intentionally stirring up trouble, while the Japanese metaphor stresses the beauty of homogeny and harmony, and the uselessness and potential danger of the odd, protruding nail on a board, versus just going by one's own judgment as a rule of thumb. For an American national in Japan, the American, by reflecting upon this metaphor, can understand how open challenges to authority are not viewed in as positive a light as in the U.S. And self-expression is less important than showing consideration and reinforcing the value of community in Japan.

This metaphor stresses that one should be 'who one is' in society, and that a crow that tries to swim like a seagull (cormorant) will die, not thrive, and will not realize his or her independent dream.
Works Cited

Choi, Diane. (2007). "The nail that sticks up...The difficulty of adjusting to American culture for Japanese business executives." Cyberwrite: English 103. Retrieved 8 Aug 2007 at http://www.snorko.org/cyberwrite/eng103/students/dianec.html

Cut to the Chase." (2007). The Phrase Finder. Retrieved Aug 8, 2007 at http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/107300.html

Dumitru, Maria. (1998). "World Tour in 100 Proverbs and Sayings." Retrieved Aug 8, 2007 at http://www.geocities.com/petrud98/ptreasure/tour.html

Rule of Thumb." (2007). The Phrase Finder. Retrieved Aug 8, 2007 at http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/307000.html