Here’s some good material focusing mainly on the challenges and characteristics of the Japanese market compared to the US and UK, for those considering business there. Note that this ends in a promotional piece for Eurotechnology, but the rest of the information does not seem promotional in any way.

I just discovered how-to-bow.com, a highly amusing and informative site that has so much more to offer than its namesake suggests. It takes you through the whole Japanese business ritual (and many other tangential cultural bits) with a combination of flash animations and text explanations of what is going on. Worth a look even if you don’t plan on doing business in Japan any time soon.

A handy guide to the whole business card exchange ritual in Japan contains essential tips for anyone who expects Western ways to fly in Japan. If that all seems a little too complicated, however, you may fare better with a simpler list of essential do’s and don’ts.

Some highlights:

Bow slightly and present your business card with both hands, the non-English side up.

Do not write on people’s business cards (at least, not in front of them): it is considered a direct insult.

The underlying theme covering that last one and a host of other taboos is simply this: the business card is considered an extension of the person. Thus, it is to be treated with the same level of respect you wish to convey to the one whose name it bears.

Here are a few handy guides on gift giving practices in Japan: a list of the basics for business gifts, some ideas on good and bad gifts, and a good writeup on gift etiquette not specific to business, would be worthwhile reading for anyone doing business in Japan. There is some overlap here, but every article offers worthwhile information of its own.

If trying to keep all the do’s and don’ts straight is cause for concern, settle down and keep this is mind:

As a non-Japanese, the visiting foreigner is understood to be unfamiliar with the minutiae of Japanese cultural practices and is often granted considerable latitude.

Most of the rules apply to choosing a gift and other things that can be prepared well ahead of time. After that, just making a decent, respectful effort should do fine, even if you don’t get things exactly right.