This is a must read before going to Japan. The author does a great job of highlighting salient facets of Japanese culture. I read the book before going to Japan and re-read most of it while traveling in Japan for a month. Japan really is a world unto itself. Understanding the Japanese culture and mindset helped my wife and I have a wonderful time in Japan. We used a little Japanese, politeness, civility and approached Japanese people we met in a way that worked for them. The result was a treasure trove of excellent connections with people in Japan. For example, after reading Japanese mind how to respond to compliments. I received numerous compliments on my Japanese language. Each time I knew to respond with humility and downplay my skills. This was actually easy because I only have a very limited Japanese vocabulary. However, I responded appropriately in Japanese culture. Another example, we had a female guide for a day in one of the cities we visited. At first I was bothered that she never made eye contact with me. When I would ask her question, she would look at my wife and respond. Quickly I remembered reading how men, age, professional levels are viewed as authorities and how this affects communication patterns between men and women. In the U.S. we think of parking our social status at the door on holiday. Not how it works in Japan.
Bottom Line: Loved the book. I found the essay style chapters very appealing. Each chapter appears to be authored by someone different and some of the chapters over lapped which was actually helpful. I found the repetition and approaching it from different angles helpful. I also really liked the discussion questions and the cross cultural issues at the end of each chapter. It provided interesting discussion points for my wife and I.
Highly recommend this book. Well done!!!