Oseibo is a gift sent at the end of the year. It thanks people for their help, including people who have helped in one’s work.
In summer, ochūgen is sent to relatives and to people who have helped, as a seasonal greeting of thanks. It goes back to the Chinese festival of Zhongyuan, which merged with the Japanese festival of Obon.
Japan’s Economic White Paper of 1992 described the ties between parent companies and their parts suppliers. These relationships, it said, tend to be long-term and continuous, unlike ordinary spot market trading. Out of cooperation, a relationship of trust is thought to emerge that does not rest on an explicit contract. Shareholdings and the dispatch of directors reinforce the ties.
The paper called the keiretsu system very efficient for the buyers and sellers involved. It also noted its costs, such as the burden on subcontractors.
To visit an ochaya, a traditional teahouse in Kyoto, a guest needs an introduction from someone the house knows. The custom is called ichigen-san okotowari, no first-time guests. Some teahouses are also homes where young maiko live.
Bills were traditionally settled on credit, twice a year, around Obon and New Year. A guide to Kyoto describes this as credit sales between people who know each other, a system that survives in the teahouses today.
Akinai wa ushi no yodare (商いは牛の涎): business is like a cow’s drool. Success in business comes from persistence and steadiness, not from quick profit.
A wide range of Japanese contracts contain a seijitsu kyōgi jōkō, a good-faith consultation clause. A typical version reads: “Matters not provided for in this contract, or doubts about its interpretation, shall be resolved by the parties through consultation in good faith, in accordance with the purpose of this contract.”
Muzukashii desu ne (難しいですね): that is difficult. A common way to refuse a request politely without saying no.
Maemuki ni kentō shimasu (前向きに検討します): we will consider it positively. Sometimes used to avoid an immediate answer or to decline gently. It is not a promise.
Kekkō desu (結構です): that is fine. It can mean acceptance or refusal, depending on the situation.
In July 1964, Matsushita Kōnosuke, the founder of Matsushita Electric, met the sales companies and dealers that sold his products at Atami. After the meeting, he gave his conclusion: Matsushita Denki ga warukatta, kono ichigo ni tsukiru. Matsushita Electric was at fault, and that says it all.
In August, he took over the duties of head of sales himself. A new sales system started in February 1965.