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