I must confess I spent two days in the hotel where the Aviation conference was being held and despite not having gone out I managed to draw an idea as to what some Japanese characteristics are about based on the way the Hotel staff and the Japanese colleagues attending the conference adressed us. Politeness is clearly one of those. I would even risk saying that sometimes they are too polite ... or better said, we as Westerners are not used to such a strict way of approaching our peers, whether they are older and hierarchical or socially above and thus get a bit uncomfortable.
Bowing is I believe a sign of respect and not submission. I was impressed by the beauty of the small garden-like smokers' place, as if being a smoker somehow allowed me to be nevertheless privileged. The concept of not wasting time was something I was expecting, but not to the point of eating in the conference room so as to soon be ready for the the next series of conferences, I must say. Meticulousness, beauty and tradition were among other aspects I was soon made aware of and which I absolutely fell for.
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