5 ways Japanese work culture is drastically different from the US

Many Japanese companies adhere to a mantra called ho-ren-so, according to a paper from Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. Ho-ren-so is a mnemonic device that combines the first syllables of three verbs: Houkoku (report), renraku (contact), soudan (consult).

This means that an employee in Japan must always keep their superiors informed about what they are doing. Every decision, no matter how small it may seem, should go through the chain of command and get the stamp of approval from the boss. Employees should immediately report any problems to their bosses before trying to take care of anything on their own.

In his book "When Cultures Collide," British linguist Richard Lewis charted the differences among leadership styles around the world. He found that American workplaces generally follow a system of "structured individualism."

"American managers … are capable of teamwork and corporate spirit, but they value individual freedom and their first interest is furthering their own career," he said.

East Asian countries, on the other hand, are more focused on the group. "[They] tend to have a Confucian hierarchy, where the group is sacred and leaders are seen as benevolent," Lewis said.

Whenever my friends and I went out for karaoke or a nomikai — a drinking party — we often saw groups of salarymen drinking and socializing.

Japanese coworkers often hang out as a group after work. While it is not necessarily required, it is socially expected to a certain degree. Plus, it can be a helpful way to forge strong relationships and work your way up the ladder.

As different as the countries' work cultures are, there is one key similarity — both Japanese and American employees work long hours and do not take many vacations compared to other developed countries.

Japan is notorious for its long work hours. There is even a phenomenon in the country where people have died from working too much. It is called karoshi, which literally means "death by overwork."

But according to data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, American workers clocked in more average annual hours than Japanese workers in 2016.

Furthermore, the average American employee only takes about half of their allotted paid time off or vacation time, according to a 2017 report by Glassdoor. And over 60% of respondents reported working during vacations.

Similarly, a survey by Expedia found that Japanese workers only take around half of their vacation days, and many workers reported feeling guilty whenever they took time off.