Writing about Boye Lafayette De Mente's classic book, "Japan's Cultural Code Words," Alex Kerr, noted bilingual and bicultural author of “Dogs and Demons,” and other books on Japan, said: “This book offers keen insights into the Japanese character, and more practical advice on dealing with the Japanese than dozens of other business books on Japan combined—and it reads like a bestseller!”

Kerr added: Boyé Lafayette De Mente is a legend among writers on Japan. Other writers have directed their wisdom toward those who want to know something about Japan. De Mente’s contribution has been to help those who want to do something in Japan.”

During his years as a trade journalist in Japan, De Mente was often called upon by visiting Western businessmen to explain attitudes and behavior of the Japanese that they found incomprehensible.

As a student of the Japanese language, De Mente quickly realized that the fastest, most definitive and most effective way of explaining the Japanese mindset was through key words that were pregnant with cultural meaning—words that clearly revealed the how and why of Japanese behavior.

"Japan’s Cultural Code Words" is a series of definitive essays on 233 of these key words—essays that explain in detail the cultural nuances of the terms, how they are used in business and everyday life in Japan, and how they exercise control over the attitudes and behavior of the Japanese.

The essays also provide practical advice for dealing with the influence of the culturally pregnant terms, making the book a treasure trove of insights and guidelines for interacting with the Japanese in culturally approved ways—including when and how the outsider should require them to change their ways.

De Mente was the first to introduce such now famous Japanese words as kaizen, nemawashi, tatemae and omote to Western businessmen—in his book Japanese Etiquette & Ethics in Business, originally published in 1959.

His books are available from Amazon.com and major book dealers worldwide.



####