Adjusting to American life isn’t always easy.
Most Japanese executives arrive here with good English skills but many never really deal with the language on a day-to-day basis, which limits their depth of learning.
At the same time, they must also adapt to the intricacies of American business, and the style of being up-front. In Japanese culture, it’s unkind to say “no” or to be confrontational. American colleagues will often take it upon themselves to coach the new arrivals on how to “just say no.”
“They’re not highly entrepreneurial or aggressive risk takers,” said one American executive with a Japanese-owned company. “They might see something and then want to improve it first. They don’t necessarily like to be at the cutting edge. Once they are committed, though, they will stick with the project or product well beyond what’s typical within an American business environment.”
Some Japanese executives who move here also have to learn another lesson,this one in real estate. For many, Orange County’s relatively high real estate prices can be shocking.
“Rent here is very high,” bemoaned one Japanese executive who had just been transferred from high-priced Tokyo,one of the world’s most expensive cities,to Newport Beach.
“The one big challenge is the cost of living, primarily that of real estate, although everything else is generally reasonably priced,” said Kim Custer of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America Inc.
