Having been intimately involved with Japan since the late 1940s, I am forever wondering what it is like for Westerners, especially Americans, to experience present-day Japan for the first time.

I have witnessed such experiences thousands of times, have made a point of asking hundreds of individuals to describe their experiences to me, and have travelled around Japan with dozens of people from the moment of their arrival in the country - and still I have the same intense sense of wonder. The problem is that I want to be them - to have the experience myself, over and over, and that, of course, is impossible

Nearly half a century of observing the reactions of Westerners to Japan has taught me a number of things - one of which is the extraordinary impact that traditional Japanese manners have on Americans. While Americans generally take great pride in their casual, informal ways - in effect, in their lack of manners, their reactions when they encounter the formal, highly stylized etiquette of the Japanese suggest that they are suddenly embarrassed and feel awkward. This reaction is partially valid; a lack of a relatively high standard of manners often relates directly to one's character and attitude toward other people. But some foreigners go overboard in their praise of Japanese etiquette because they cannot see beyond its facade.

The problem with Japan's traditional eitquette is that it went too far and was eventually divorced from moral or humane feelings; etiquette alone became the standard of morality, making it an end unto itself and often masking the most inhumane and immoral behavior.

Traditional Japanese etiquette had its origins in ancient Shinto rituals, in court ceremonies adopted from Korea and China between the years 300 and 700, and in the ritualistic practices of Buddhist priests. Japan's samurai warrior class, which rose to power in the late 1100s and which drew its spiritual and practical philosophy from Zen Buddhism, was to lut the finishing touches on Japan's traditional etiquette, spreading it among the general population by example and edict, and thereby preserving it down to modern times.

The essence of Japanese etiquette is described in the term akanukeshita (ah-kah-nuu-kay-sshtah), which literally means "what is left after all of the dirt and grime has been removed" and in practical terms refers to refined, elegant manners and speech.

Few Japanese families today have the motivation, patience, or time to condition their children in the physical facets of traditional Japanese etiquette, much less its underlying philosophy. Most young Japanese first encounter aspects of the country's traditional eitquette in a structured and disciplined setting in school, where it is imposed upon them as part of the educational system. But because it is no longer the foundation for all interpersonal relationships, much of the etiquette they learn in school is ignored outside the classroom.

The weakening of Japan's traditional etiquette between 1945 and 1965 resulted in a dramatic spurt in the crime rate and in social disturbances in general. By the 1980s, corporate managers had become deeply concerned about the lack of manners and discipline in their new employees, and many companies began sponsoring intensive training programs designed to "remove the dirt and grime" from them. Since that time, behavioral standards set at the workplace have played a more significant role in preserving Japanese etiquette than the home and school combined. Businesses that serve the public directly are especially strict in their standards for employee behavior.

Most Westerners continue to find Japanese eitquette both impressive and intimidating. Americans in particular are uncomfortable in the presence of akanukeshita people who also speak a different language. All too often Westerners go too far in their attempts to accommodate the Japanese and not appear ill-mannered; they praise the Japanese too highly and lower their expectations of what they originally hoped to get from the Japanese.

Not surprisingly, however, many present-day Japanese feel inhibited and abused by the etiquette demands they must live up to and in their homeland, and envy the casual manners of the West. They often note that both sides will be better served when the Japanese are subjected to a little less akanukeshita scrubbing and Westerners to considerably more.

Excerpted from Japan's Business Code Words, by Boye Lafayette De Mente