Over the past few months, I’ve noticed a recurring theme in my company: attention to detail, and I’ll be honest… it’s not exactly my strong suit. Coming from a Western background, some of the things I see here feel overly meticulous, even nitpicky. Sometimes they frustrate me. Sometimes I have to laugh. But all of them have taught me something about how deeply rooted this cultural trait is in Japanese workplaces.

Here are a few moments that stood out.

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1. My Handwriting… or Lack Thereof

I’ve known since childhood that my handwriting isn’t great, but in Japan, that’s not just an aesthetic issue—it’s seen as a reflection of how carefully you work. My coworkers never hesitate to tease me about it.

Bad handwriting in Japan doesn’t necessarily mean you’re sloppy, but it does imply you didn’t take enough time. It’s viewed as a lack of attention to detail, even if everything else about your work is fine.

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2. The Box Incident

One day, I ordered samples from our warehouse and they arrived in three big (and very heavy) boxes. Naturally, I nudged one out of the way using my foot. My boss immediately scolded me:
“Don’t touch the boxes with your feet. These are our products, and it’s disrespectful.”

At first, I thought, But no customers are here watching? How would they know?
But then it clicked:

• In Japan, feet are considered dirty.

• Touching items with your feet is culturally associated with disrespect.

• Even if no one sees it, it’s about the mindset and the feeling toward the product.

Once I realized that, it made much more sense. It wasn’t about the action—it was about the respect behind it.

(Special thanks to my editor, Meghan, for helping explain the historical background behind this!)

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3. The Crooked Hanko

Ah yes, the hanko. In my previous post, I mentioned how hanko (personal seals) are the Japanese equivalent of signatures—but honestly, they’re taken much more seriously.

Every time I stamped a document, my boss would look at it and say,
“Your hanko is crooked. Be more careful next time.”

Every. Single. Time.

It took months before I finally got the hang of stamping straight. I chalk this up to the fact that I didn’t grow up using a hanko and never learned the unspoken etiquette behind it. A signature can be messy—your hanko cannot.

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4. The Envelope Label Disaster

This one still makes me laugh.

I was preparing an envelope for my boss to deliver to a customer. Because my handwriting and kanji skills aren’t the best, I decided to print the address and cut it into a label. But I was in a hurry, and the first attempt looked… terrible. Slanted edges and all. My boss immediately told me to redo it.

Fair enough.

I printed it again and cut it neatly with a paper cutter. Proud of myself, I stuck it onto the envelope and handed it over.

Rejected. Again.

My boss and a coworker from sales both agreed it wasn’t “good enough,” even though it looked perfectly fine to me. The sales rep then took the label, fixed it herself, and explained why it mattered:

“It’s about the customer’s feelings.”

My boss added,
“Would you want to receive something like that?”

Did I care about the tiny difference? Honestly… not really. But I understood their point. It wasn’t about perfection—it was about showing care in the way we present something to a customer, even if they never consciously notice.

Japanese attention to detail truly is both a blessing and a curse.

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Final Thoughts

Working in a Japanese company has taught me that attention to detail is woven into everything—presentation, manners, even the smallest physical actions. Sometimes it challenges me, sometimes it frustrates me, but it always teaches me something new about this culture.

Go to Part 4 | Go to Part 6

*Revised November 2025 for Grammar and Context