Kata: The Key to Understanding & Dealing with the Japanese!

Table of contents :
Foreword
Contents
Introduction
1: The Kata Factor: Japan's Secret Weapon
Mental Training
The Shikata of Harmony
The Feeling of Rightness
The Uniqueness Factor
Kata Comes First
The Coming of Foreigners
2: The Kata-ization of Japan: The Way of the Gods
The Way of Wet-rice Farming
The Country of Wa
The Mother Kata
Handicrafts and Art
Shikata of the Samurai
Shikata of the Swords
The Ritual of Tea
The Shikata of Sumo
The Shikata of Poetry
Behind the Masks of Kabuki and Noh
The Beauty Cult
The Art of Bowing
The Art of Ambiguity
The Importance of the Apology
Big Brother and Groupism
The Way of Suicide
The Kata-ized Mind
3: Kata in Japan Today: Continuing the Kata Culture
The Role of Martial Arts
Survival Linked with Kata
The Compulsion for Quality
Japanese-style Sincerity
Building Trust
Winning by the Numbers
Traveling by the Numbers
Reconfirming Japaneseness
Baseball the Wa Way
Copying as a Cultural Attribute
Dressing the Japanese Psyche
Cuteness and Infantilism
The Shikata of Being Japanese
Behind the Bamboo Curtain
Dealing with Foreigners
Kata in Politics
The Layered Culture
Becoming International
4: Kata in Business: Learning the Roles and Rules
Risk Factors in Building Consensus
Managing without Giving Orders
The Japanese Way of Working
The Dangers of Speaking English
Coping with a Humble Mode
Etiquette as a Weapon
Avoiding Emotional Blocks
The Kata of Rank
Sitting in the Right Place
Calling People Names
Exchanging Name-cards
The Structure of a Japanese Office
Dealing with the Consensus Kata
Following the Chain of Command
Behind-the-scenes Management
Inter-company Relations
The Advantages of Illogical Thinking
Designing as a Cultural Expression
Production as a Religious Experience
Packaging Makes Perfect
Seeing Kata in Action
5: Weaknesses of the Japanese System: The New Playing Field
Right-brain V s. Left-brain Influences
The Downside of Speaking Japanese
Speaking in Tongues
Channeling Competitive Power
Japan on "Clark's Curve"
Waves in the World of Wa
Personal Failings
Might is Right
6: Can Japan Survive without Kata?: Japan Vs. the World
The Dwindling Kata
Inroads of Westernization
Will the Japanese Remain Number Two?
Japan Today