CHAPTER 10: A METAPHOR IN DEPTH: THE JAPANESE GARDEN
1. Narrative Summary
The metaphor used to describe Japan is the wet garden. The fluidity yet essentially
unchanging nature of the water in the pond’s garden illustrates how the Japanese perceive their
2. Chapter performance objectives
At the conclusion of this chapter, students should be able to:
a. describe Japan’s cultural characteristics and dimensions in terms of the wet garden
1. Description of the metaphor
Key Points to Cover:
a. The Japanese garden consists of three basic elements: water (usually a pond with
a waterfall) stones and plants.
one of the two cultures.
2. The country’s history and current economic political situation
Key Point to Cover:
a. The Japanese are a fairly ancient people who have become very homogeneous;
they were geographically isolated until 1858 from outsiders for 11,000 years since the last Ice
the 6th century.
f. The Shogun system of feudalism reinforced the Japanese subjugation of the
individual needs and talents to the common good of the group, and the shoguns’ absolute power
3. Cultural dimensions
Key Points to Cover:
a. Cultural characteristics
(1) Perception of the individual:
(a) The Japanese believe that it takes a great deal of self-discipline to
have also come to understand this self-discipline in the form of martial arts training.
(b) The Japanese tend to “flow with the current” over and around
small obstacles or differences in opinion, which makes them more tolerant of other; viewpoints
and gives them a more relative, less rational view of right and wrong. The Japanese view
physical pleasures such as sex and drunkenness as natural enjoyments and therefore encourage
ensure that they are living life in a way that promotes wa. Be certain that students understand
that kata comes from an overriding desire for harmony; the Japanese strict adherence to kata can
easily be confused with a need to dominate, rather than to live in harmony with the natural
world.
(3) Personal relationships: Japanese children are raised to identify themselves
same direction in a waterfall in a Japanese garden or by a tsunami approaching a Japanese
fishing village.
(4) Activity: As noted in the sections above, the Japanese believe that they
can proactively improve themselves and thereby contribute to the welfare of the group through
kaizen and by strictly adhering to prescribed kata. The Japanese are therefore more of a “doing”
directional flow of water.
(b) The Japanese place a slightly greater emphasis on both the present
and the future than the past as evidenced by the careful planning of their gardens to take into
account future seasons and changes over time.
(6) Space:
in the private space of one’s own Japanese garden, great attention and care is given to spatial
relationships between objects. However, the tiny country is very crowded and public space is
not at all respected in mass transit or on the streets.
b. Cultural dimensions of work behavior (Hofstede 1980)
(1) Power distance: Japan scores above the median, higher than the United
the other nations surveyed by Hofstede.
(a) The Japanese depend on the group, usually their employer in their
adult life, for their physical and emotional security. They are not inclined to take risks or deviate
from the prescriptions of kata, since such actions might result in the group’s ineffectiveness or
failure.
for approval and physical security. They are therefore much more concerned with the
accomplishment of group goals than the pursuit of individual ambitions.
(b) The Japanese appreciation of the individual, however, is higher
than in many other Asian cultures, and is evident in the concept of self-mastery and in the
Japanese employment of isolated periods of contemplation in their gardens.
a. How should a foreign visitor to Japan modify their behavior in light of the
importance of kata to the Japanese?
b. Is the concept of honesty defined the same way in Japan as in the United States?
Do differences in the concept of honesty mean that the Japanese cannot be depended upon?
c. Are expressions of gratitude expected or appreciated by the Japanese?
of education and child raising have on the future economies of the two countries?
How well can an American expatriate expect to be assimilated into Japanese culture and
accepted by the Japanese? What steps can they take that will contribute the most to the success
of their assimilation?
4. Religious values
Key Points to Cover:
a. Zen Buddhism emphasizes self-mastery or seishin training as the way to divine
5. Personal lives and relationships
Key Points to Cover:
a. Just as the Japanese identify themselves primarily in terms of the groups to which
they belong, so too objects in a Japanese garden are also placed in groups with careful attention
Do they agree with the parallel drawn in the chapter between shame and guilt?
d. Explain the dramatic difference in Japanese behavior in public and in private
using the values illustrated in the metaphor.
6. Professional lives and working relationships: motivation, leadership decision-making,
planning accomplishment, communication style, business strengths and business weaknesses.
Key Points to Cover:
a. The Japanese seek individual improvement and achievement to increase their
contribution to the welfare of the group, as the Japanese gardener gives careful attention to every
c. Deviation from the conformity of the group disturbs its harmony and detracts
from its success; therefore incorrect behavior and self-promotion are discouraged in the same
way that objects in a Japanese garden are designed to blend in with rather than stand out from the
overall design. The value is embodied in the dual concepts of tatemae and honne, which are,
respectively, the accepted public face and one’s personal viewpoint that is subjugated to it.
c. How long does decision-making take in Japan? Once a decision is made, will
implementation go quickly and smoothly? How reliable are the Japanese in keeping their
commitments?
d. How do Japanese prioritize work and leisure time?
e. Which of the typical Japanese employee’s attitudes towards work and
The following activities can be used in any combination to help reinforce the wet garden
metaphor for Japanese culture with visual, hands-on and/or multi-sensory learning experiences.
1. Role Playing
Have students act out ordinary business situation such as a group project meeting, a job
2. Tour a Japanese Garden
Show videotape demonstrating Japanese gardening techniques or have the students visit a
Japanese garden outside of class. Ask the students to discuss their opinion of the garden’s
3. Case analysis
Choose a case that illustrates a cross-cultural problem involving a Japanese worker or
organization. Ask the students to complete a case analysis, either as part of their homework
4. Guest speakers
Have a native of Japan, preferably someone involved in management who has had
experience in cross-cultural business settings, come and relate their experience to the class. If
1. Students’ review of their previous and current perceptions of the culture
The following questions will help students assess the progress they have made in
2. Review the chapter performance objectives
The following questions will help the instructor evaluate student contribution to class
discussion to determine whether or not the chapter objectives have been met.