Boye Lafayette De Mente has been involved with Japan, China, and Korea since the late 1940s as a member of a U.S. intelligence agency, student, trade journalist, editor, and author working out of Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He is a graduate of Jochi University in Tokyo and The American Institute for Foreign Trade (now Thunderbird: The School of Global Management, in Glendale, Arizona). His 70-plus books include Japan's Cultural Code Words, Business Guide to Japan, and Japan Unmasked. Geoff Botting has lived in Japan for more than a quarter century, long enough to witness Japan's economic bubble, its bursting and the changes that came in its wake. He is a freelance translator and print and broadcast journalist, specializing in business issues. He has a degree in economics from the University of Victoria in Canada and a diploma from Kai Japanese Language School in Tokyo.
If you'll be visiting Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics, this guide to Japan makes a good travel companion, ensuring you're up to date on polite behavior and customs. It's not enough just to know the language; an etiquette guide helps make sure you aren't accidentally using rude gestures, impolite slang, or insults. -Trips to Discover An absolutely essential read for anyone who wants to learn more about Japan's culture...I give this book five enthusiastic stars! -Nix the Norm blog Etiquette in Japan is very important. When should you bow and how deep should it be? This guide will help avoid social blunders, providing helpful advice on proper behavior in a variety of situations, such as on public transportation and in restaurants, temples, and more. -Library Journal The chapters in this book are nice and compact and often preceded by a black-and-white page-wide photograph of the topic discussed. This makes the book easy to read, also because the clear writing style of the book makes it easy to digest the often complex etiquette of the country. -The Travel Tester blog The material is, for the most part, very well-written and researched, which is not surprising given the extensive experience of both the author and the editor. [...] Their writing exemplifies a certain type of professionalism which is absent in many informal blogs on Japanese culture. -Self Taught Japanese blog Quick read with lots of interesting tidbits. Not only are rituals explored but also the ideas behind the rituals, so you learn about the behavior and the spirit of the Japanese. -Goodreads A good guide to the often complex rules of Japanese etiquette. -Book Mice blog