Do you have a business card? If not, how many people you know have one? Does your children’s teacher have a business card? What about your fitness trainer? Have you ever seen the greengrocer’s business card?
While we’re used to people in certain professions, such as lawyers and estate agents, having business cards, there are professions today in which people are less likely to have business cards.
But in Japan? Everyone has a business card. How do I know?
During one of my trips to Japan, sometime in 2013, I volunteered in the decor team for a music festival in order to enjoy free food and lodging. Just like any festival, I met people, chatted, and wanted to stay in touch after the festival ended and we all went our separate ways. At the end of the festival I found myself with a decent stack of business cards listing the person’s name, profession and contact details. The professions, if you were wondering, were: masseur, macramé artist, coffee roaster, itinerant singer, and marijuana grower. By the way, on the last business card, which was decorated in the style of a tie-dye T-shirt, the way to get hold of the person was: “I’m normally near my tent somewhere in nature”.
This may sound farfetched, but in Japan it’s quite common for everyone to have a business card. It’s simply a standard – the accepted thing is to give a business card, and that way it’s easier to remember your name, and people know how to get hold of you more easily.
No Comments