1. Lauren Harris
Geography 374
September 27, 2016
Shall We Dance? Paper
Shall We Dance? is a wonderful movie that portrays the life of Japanese families. By
watching the film, I noticed many cultural differences between American and Japanese cultures.
It is always good for a person to notice that there are many different ways that culture is
expressed, and we should not judge the differences between cultures. We are all different and we
each believe in different things that is partly dictated by our culture. It is important that we learn
to respect each individual. When we explore and learn these cultures it helps us become diverse
and knowledgeable. The film Shall We Dance shows the differences in dancing in America and
Japan, the differences in the office and the describes different characters who stand out in each
society.
In America many people love to dance, people like to display their dances in competition,
at parties, in public and they especially like to dance with their spouses to show affection. It is
very common in America to see people dancing, because it makes people happy and it is fun to
do. In Japan you do not see a lot of people dancing. At the beginning of the film they say “In
Japan couples do not go out arm in arm and don’t say “I love you out loud”’ (Shall we dance?).
In Japan, ballroom dancing is considered embarrassing and would be against all values if they
were caught dancing with someone else, especially if they are married and they are caught
dancing with another person. In Japan, people are very serious about how they want things done.
They work hard and focus on the tasks at hand. In America people are a little more lenient and
they like to have fun, especially when it comes to dance. They dance in groups and with people
other than their spouse, in fact they will dance with anyone willing to dance. They laugh and

2. joke more and do not stress over tasks as much as people in Japan. In Japan many people like to
play by the rules and they do not like to take risks that would be embarrassing. In America
people like to do their own things and make a name for themselves. For example, in America one
of the biggest shows is called Dancing with the Stars. It is so popular many people want to dance
because of the show. When people in Japan think about dancing and would like to try it they
keep it a secret from their family and shield themselves from the embarrassment. Dance lessons
and costumes are expensive in Japan because dancing is viewed as a negative talent. In the
movie, Mr. Sugiyama was embarrassed that he wanted to dance so he did not tell his family.
When he finally told his family, he had a since of relief. He started to love dancing because he
said it was fun and very therapeutic.
Another big difference in cultural norms is the work place. In America and Japan work is
very important. Much of our lives are dedicated to working so we can have a better life for
ourselves and our family. In the movie Sugiyama’s office was laid out very organized and all the
desks were close together. His desk was facing away from the window and the desks in front of
his were close together and facing the same way. All of their desks were very organized with
nothing out of place. Japanese working people act like a big family. They all work together so
they have to get along with one another. When they go on vacation they have to get everyone in
the office a present because that shows respect for them. The Japanese society is a very
particularism society whereas the American society is Universalistic as we like to see things in
writing and in contracts. Japan is into guanxi relationship building and they are more into
networking with others and they like to pass out business cards to show how important their
work is. When Japanese work, they are very dedicated to one company and try to provide the
best work that they can. They promote themselves by the business they work for because they

3. are very grateful to the business because it is providing for the family. In the film Sugiyama says
“I pledge my soul to the firm” (Shall We Dance?). This is a very interesting statement because he
is saying he is so dedicated to living his life for the company. All he does is work and come
home and go to bed. He doesn’t have much of a life outside of work because he is working so
hard. Sugiyama also said “It’s not a matter of like or dislike it’s my job” (Shall we Dance?). He
feels like his job is his whole life. It is what is providing for his family so whether he likes it or
not he has to stick to it and get the job done. Japan is also a very collective society meaning they
are always part of a group. They are not an individual society like Americans because they all
like to work together. This movie also describes Trompenaars dimensions of culture:
Relationship to time very well because Sugiyama is a future-oriented person. His life was very
organized. He got married at 28, had a child by the time he was 30, and at the age of 40 he
bought his first home. He longed for a happy life and he did his best to plan for a better future for
his family. In the United States many people are present oriented because many people do not
save and plan for the future as well as Japanese people.
The family life for Japanese people is much different from that of American people.
American families are very open with one another. For example, American couples will let the
other spouse know when something is wrong. They are not afraid to say anything to one another
because they want to work the problem out. In Japan the wa or harmony is what rules private
lives. Many people do not like to disturb the wa because they like everything peaceful. No one
wants to cause any conflict or problems. We see this portrayed in the movie very well because
Sugiyama’s wife noticed he was acting different so she did not want to ask him so she decided to
hire a private investigator. When she told him what she had done she said the reason was because
she was afraid to ask him. She didn’t want anything to go wrong, especially if he was having an

4. affair. It would have been easier and cheaper for her to just talk to her husband and not hire a
private investigator. Also, when they went to bed they slept in two separate beds as opposed to
one bed. It was probably because Sugiyama woke up before his wife and daughter so he did not
want to disturb anyone.
Two of the characters portrayed in the film that fit the saying “raised nail” very well was
Toyoko and Aoki. Toyoko is a single mom with three jobs. She is definitely showing the signs
that she is an individual in a collective society because in Japanese society they all work together
and they do not like someone trying to become their own self because they are “one” society.
Toyoko is very outgoing and a hard working women trying to give her daughter the best that she
can offer and that is looked down upon in Japan because the man is supposed to be the bread
winner of the house and the main care giver. This is why many CEOs in Japan are elderly men.
They fit the profile that people in Japan like. Mr. Aoki is also a great example of a raised nail
because he is a single male who dances. Dancing is already looked down upon in the Japanese
society and it doesn’t help that he is also single. Mr. Aoki was so embarrassed by the dancing
that he had to wear a wig because he did not want to be the center of the work gossip. When the
workers found out that he was a famous Latin dancer he was so embarrassed that he was
standing in the corner. He did not want to bring any more attention to himself. He is very
passionate about dancing and that is why he chose to dance, but it is hard to be the person you
want to be when you are in a society that frowns upon the sport.
Shall We Dance is a wonderful film displaying the differences in culture between
societies. It opens the eyes of millions of people to realize that there are many ways people go
about their day to day lives. It is always nice to see how people show different forms of respect. I
think this film was full of cultural differences that we need to take into consideration. Watching

5. this film helps me realize that people could do things differently because it is how they were
taught or it is a part of their culture. Just because something looks abnormal to us may be normal
to them. This film brought the saying, “you can’t judge a book by its cover,” to my attention. I
say this because I used to be one to judge someone for doing what I think is wrong when it could
be right to them in their eyes. Everyone has different cultures, or norms, and we should all have
an open mind and learn about different cultures so we can respect them.

6. Works Cited
Shall We Dance. Directed by Masayuki Suo. Performed by Kôji Yakusho,Tamiyo Kusakari.
Accessed 1996.