For a country with no natural resources, you may wonder how the Japanese have come to have the highest GDP per capita and the second largest economy in the world.

The simple answer is: they work harder… and more.

According to one study I read, 12 hours more per week than the average American and 16 hours than the average Swede.

Work is taken very, very seriously in Japan. They are diligent about doing their jobs no matter how menial. Take the Elevator Ladies, for example. Their job is to wear a cute pink uniform with white gloves and cap, greet you, push the button, announce the floor, and show you the way on to and off of the elevator all while acting as if they are soooo happy that you decided to take their elevator. Really.

One of the most important aspects of Japanese work life is the name card (business card). You simply do not exist as a person without it. Cards are presented with two hands, text right side up to the recipient, and treated as delicately and respectfully as a newborn baby.

People often comment to me that it must be hard to be a working women in Japan with the prevalence of male chauvinism, but this has not really been my experience. I feel I fall under the category of gaijin (foreigner) not woman. In fact, a study by social psychologists found that foreign women working in Japan were successful because they were viewed as foreign and not as women.

Westerners can often rise quickly to the top at work, for those willing to make decisions, take risks, be a leader. Effectively brainwashed into following orders without question, the Japanese at work do as I tell them, exactly as I tell them. A power rush for sure. Until you realize that if you are in charge everything is also your fault if you were involved or not.