CHAPTER 13Mixed Messages
Most international businesspeople know that when you exchange business cards in Japan, you are expected to offer the card with two hands and to receive it with two hands. A business card in Japan is an extension of the person offering it, so it cannot be casually pocketed, as is often done with business cards in many Western countries. Flipping someone’s business card into your pocket in Japan would be similar to an American showing someone a photograph of his child, saying, “This is my daughter,” and the recipient responding, “Great, thanks,” and shoving it in their jacket pocket. What an insult!
Of course, we normally treat a photograph of someone—especially a family member—respectfully, as an extension of who they ...
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