Virtually essential when travelling to Japan for business (or visiting relatives) and extremely helpful for the casual tourist. In spite of its brevity, it covers nearly all of the essentials and provides a weath of historical and cultural background for many of the customs. Even though this is the only one I have read so far, I would imagine that other books by De Mente are well worth reading.

the authors time tested phonetic system is great and I think he should write a complete English-Japanese and Japanese-English dictionary using romaji and true Japanese characters. a complete dictionary with all four systems: english, romaji, japanese, and the authers phonetic system.

I'm reading this book from beginning to end, and I must say it is very interesting. It has improved my understanding of Japanese people and how they think in general; why Japanese often tend to respond to situations the way they do, differences between the Japanese' way of thinking and the western etc.

Highly recommended; I'm glad I chose to buy this book.

Is there a more comprehensive and well laid out guide into how the Japanese think and, more importantly, what their emotional turn on and off buttons are than this? The book should, however, be read more as a guide to Japanese root words, idioms, and philosophical expressions. For instance, WA meaning HOLY HARMONY is not commonly used. It would be like saying BENE means GOOD in English when it is a root for many words that have something to do with good - like benevolent, benefit, benediction ect... . But WA can be found in HEIWA (peace) and WAFU (Japanese style) amoung others. The book is full of stereo-types, both good and bad, which should not be taken too seriously or read like a Bible. Japan is a complex country undergoing constant change and it is full a wide variety of individuals with varied interests and talents and prejudices. But the book contains some general insights that one can explore on their own and judge for oneself whether they agree or not with it. Some of the expressions are not popularly used and if one were to say them to Joe Yamamoto on the street they would have no clue what you were talking about. But again, however, the roots, or part of what is being said in the book, can be found in other expressions. You would need the help of a native speaker to truly make good use of this book, a dictionary would do some good.

I find that many Japanese people I know are interested in the expressions contained in the book, as they are deep and abstract in nature, important, but not always thought about. I find it lends to people helping me learn Japanese as they also have something interesting to explore, and many Japanese enjoy talking to me about these terms and ideas. It serves as a great ice breaker.

If you are just interested in the world of ideas, or how language helps formulate or reflect those ideas and the sources by which they came, then the book could serve as something of value and interest. Again, is there a better book?

The book gives a Japanese expression, or word, and then discuses, in English, the significance of it and how it reflects the Japanese psyche and sometimes how it can be found in other words. The author writes in a mature style and has a world of knowledge and experience about and in Japan.

I feel foolish praising such a small book to high heaven. But, I must say that this book is a fascinating read. I bought it during my first business trip to Japan and couldn't put it down.

The book's author, an American, has lived in Japan for 50 years. It's clear that he knows the language and the culture. Moreover, he also has kept in touch with the States, and still has the ability to communicate with an American audience. As I said, the book is small. It's only half the physical dimensions of an ordinary book. It is about 170 pages in length. There are 64 chapters, so each chapter is only 2-3 pages long. Each chapter is like a short essay on some minute but nonetheless important detail about Japanese business culture, or advice on how to successfully interface with it. Some of the chapter titles are : The Role of the Greeting Ritual, The Name Card System, How to Recognize "No," The Importance of Going to Japan, Making the First Contact, Seeing Behind the Facade, The Importance of Following up, How to Use Interpreters, Dealing at the Negotiating Table, More Mistakes Foreigners Make, and Mastering the Art of Business at Night. Each of these short chapters is very well written.

The author has obviously advised many foreign companies on how to approach the Japanese and how to get past all the suspicion and barriers that prevent the Japanese from establishing a formal relationship with a foreign firm. His descriptions of how the Japanese protocol functions, how the Japanese company functions, the importance of etiquette, the all-important socializing between potential business partners, the Japanese sense of caution, their fixation on outward appearance, their "group think" mentality, their concern that everything be right and that everyone be comfortable with any new venture before it can begin, and even his description of how Buddhism affects the Japanese business mentality, singularly and in toto indicate that the author really knows what he is talking about.

I've lived a year or more in four different countries, and written about the culture of three of them. It's hard to write about a culture in a way that does not sound like criticism or like proselytizing. Yet, Boye De Mente manages to do so. The reader becomes far more sophisticated in a couple of hours than (s)he was before picking up the book. I was so impressed that after reading this book, I ordered another by the same author. I'll definitely read this book again before my next business trip to Japan.

this book is awesome. it is designed for the businessman in China--but i would suggest it for any and all who are interested in china or its culture. or even who seek to understand their friends better.

I found this book to be extremely helpful in properly pronouncing japanese words and phrases. I've purchased several books on learning to speak Japanese and find myself constantly referring to "Instant Japanese" by Boye De Mente when I'm unsure of the correct pronounciation. In addition, the size is perfect to carry around in your purse or pocket!

Highly recommended!

This is one of the best beginning books on Japanese that I've seen. Mr. Demente's "learn 100 words" theory is fantastic. If you're going to Japan and don't intend to spend hours in serious study of Japanese but would like to communicate basic ideas, I'd recommend this book. Plus, like others noted, this book easily fits into your pocket.

I just got back from a two-week vacation in Japan, where I used several books in an attempt to improve my miniscule knowledge of Japanese. This book was the best of a good lot; the word selection is excellent, and the book teaches sufficient grammar almost effortlessly; most important, it's small enough to finish fairly quickly. Of course, it's only a start--for a second book, I recommend "Japanese Made Easy" by Tazuko Ajiro Monane.

Even if you thoroughly learn the content of this book, though, you still want to carry around a phrase book for those (frequent) times when 100 words just isn't enough. De Mente's book will teach you enough Japanese so that you can make simple sentences without looking up every word, but you will still need words not in this book.

[Minor complaints: he spells the word "o" (pronounced "o") with the old spelling "wo" throughout the book, for no apparent reason. Also, an index would have been nice.]

In short, the book is superb for its one intended purpose, which is teaching a very basic, careful selection of Japanese--an "instant" introduction.

Content: DeMente seems to know what he's talking about (this author was recommended to me by an instructor in Chinese culture). Although I've dealt with Japanese business people for many years, I've not been to Japan, and therefore have no basis to completely judge the book's content. Based on what I do know, though, this book is best read as instruction in how to deal with Japanese business people when doing business *in Japan* (as opposed to doing business with Japanese companies and their representatives in the U.S.).

Structure: Overly repetitive, poorly structured and in some places, clearly outdated. The last criticism is to be expected given the dramatic change of status Japan has undergone in the past decade. The first two criticisms might be ameliorated by two factors: One, my own preferences are certainly playing a large role here. I prefer to have information delivered in a logical (to me) and concise manner. This is especially true for an instructive book -- one would expect creative writing to contain flourishes. Two, perhaps this *is* creative writing, and DeMente is showing the reader what dealing with a Japanese mindset is really like.

This is one of the best books I have read on Japanese Business and Ethics. The author gives an explanation on the character of the japanese. Explains the differences between doing business the japanese way and the western way.The author gives a history of the japanese and gives stories on how the japanese think and act. You will gain so much knowledge from this book about the japanese. I will recommend this book to anyone that is going to do business in Japan or with the japanese in their own country. A must read.

Not only is the author knowledgable about the topic, but I like the manner in which he makes his points through real life anacdotes. I use the same technique in my book: The Constant-Sum Approach to Business Success".

He may not be Reischauer but Mr. De Mente packs enough cultural and historical background into this book to make it a worthy read for Japanese scholars or anyone with an interest in Japan. The author presents the reader with about 150 Japanese words and phrases that have special meaning for the Japanese. For example, he translates the word "kamatoto" into English as "The Dumb Blonde" i.e the Japanese propensity to feign innocence in order to gain the upper hand in a relationship or business deal. "Wa" or "harmony" is succinctly though brilliantly explained and would be something any foreign businessperson dealing with Japan should appreciate. I have read other books by Mr. De Mente but this is by far his most informative and well written. Recommended!

Knowing that Japan uses it language differently than English, but not why, I found this presentation provided numerous insights.

I took this book to a city in Kyushu on a business trip with the goal of accomplishing some basic communication in taxis, hotels, and social situations. With it, I was able to introduce myself, ask for things and communicate basically in my hotel, figure out where to go when lost at Haneda, and communicate with taxi drivers. Where it lacked was the section with unclear conjegation of common verbs (it wasn't clear to me how to use most in sentences). A glossary of nouns would have been a key addition to build your own sentences, along with proper sentence structure information. Aside from that, the phrases were very applicable and useful, and the book was small and well organized-- easy to use. It contained fewer useless, overly-specific phrases than you often find in other phrasebooks.

This book is all you need to get started speaking real Japanese in a short amount of time! This compact guide is ideal for those who need quick words and phrases which will help them communicate in real-life situations. I have travelled extensively, read many foreign language guides and I find that most people do not have the time to learn the linguisitic rules of pronunciation or complex grammar explanations. Most people are looking for some basic words and phrases that will assist them when reaching out to a speaker of another language not only to communicate needs and wants, but also to show respect to Japanese hosts and colleagues.

I cannot tell you how many foreign language "survival guides" I have come across which contain such arcane phraseology as "Could you please tell me how to get to the green grocer?" C'mon! All you need to know (for survival purposes) is "Market, please" or "Lettuce, please".

I highly recommend this guide for those who are making a short business trip or vacation to Japan or even just want to share a few words with Japanese friends. It contains short useful phrases (such as "just a moment" and "I don't mind"), variations of common expressions (there are several ways to say "thank you" depending on context) and the basic verbs already conjugated ("I understand", "I don't understand", "I understood"). It also has the bare bones vocabulary necessary for situations at hotels, restaurants, telephone, taxis, stores, train stations, post office, bars, etc.

This is a book from which you can learn the vocabulary and structure basics and then continue to build on from there. Highly recommended!

The content if fine, BUT it is identical to
"NTC's Dictionary of Mexican Cultural Code Words";
they didn't even bother to change the title page,
they just slapped a new paper cover on it. As
interesting as the book may be, I certainly didn't
need two copies!

On a one year assignement in Guadalajara, Mexico, this book was one of the greatest prepatory tools I bought. Great two page descriptions of commonly used words that don't translate directly. I can't count the number of times I heard something during conversation and thought back to this book.

Most people do not realize that the country of Mexico is a very different place than the United States. Probably because the two countries are next to each other, those in the US think they pretty-much know how Mexico is and what's it's like. Basically, they cannot be further from the truth. Mexican culture and thought are very different on a very fundamental level, and Norte Americanos who travel to Mexico or deal with the Mexican people on a personal and/or business relationship need to know this.

This book is a great help in understanding these differences. Basically, if you do not want to stick out like a silly-looking gringo when you are there, you should read this book.

I wouldn't pay too much attention to that very strange negative review listed. There seems to be a hidden agenda there that doesn't have a whole lot to do with the contents of the book.