GOD is in the details

As fun as my job is, one thing that gets-my-goat is a typical meeting run by the Japanese. So far I've been lucky to be in meetings with lots of gaijins, these meetings pretty much run the usual way and we leave on schedule. Having been lucky, I've also had the joy of experiencing a couple of Japanese meetings...

A typical japanese meeting involves asking everyone in the room their opinion... and I mean everyone. If the tea lady came in with her geriatric husband they would be asked "what do you think?"

An example of what I mean...

Do you think this font is too bold?
Kagawa-San, what do you think? Iijima-San, what do you think? Uchida-San, what do you think? Takama-San, what do you think? Mark-San, what do you think?

"I think you guys are nuts" Now, here's where it pays to have a good translator, she would re-interpret my exact words to fit within Japanese parameters, "I think you should decide amongst yourselves".

Do you think this red is too red?
Kagawa-San, what do you think? Iijima-San, what do you think? Uchida-San, what do you think? Takama-San, what do you think? Mark-San, what do you think?

"I think open heart surgery is more enjoyable at this time", my diplomatic translator would say, "That red is the colour of passion."

Can we try moving that picture 3mm?
Kagawa-San, what do you think? Iijima-San, what do you think? Uchida-San, what do you think? Takama-San, what do you think? Mark-San, what do you think?

"I'd like to move to Afghanistan", my lovely translator would reply, "A move of 2mm would be better."

And so it goes, a one hour meeting can take two-and-a-half hours. At the end of the meeting, in most cases, nothing is decided...

Oh... and they like to schedule meetings at 7.00pm.