From what I have studied of their culture, it is a culture where shame goes a long way in keeping order and structure in society – for example, when someone commits a crime, oftentimes, it is enough for them to write a handwritten note of apology to the person that they committed the crime against, because the very act of apology is seen as embarrassing and reason enough to never commit the crime again – police, in Japan, are supposed to be looked to for support, not fought with…in terms of societal relationships, it’s all about hierarchies and your greeting is to indicate your proper social order, elder above young, man above woman, etc. Gift-giving is also an essential part of Japanese culture and there are whole centers set up to make sure you properly gift wrap a present according to your place in society…this is infused into everything…their culture is very interesting, the Japanese are good at taking elements from other cultures and making them ‘their own’...they are also famous for their baseball but play it differently from us…read this book it’s called “You Gotta Have Wa” by Whiting if you want to learn more
http://www.amazon.com/You-Gotta-Have-Robert-Whiting/dp/067972947X