Deep Cultural Rift: Presenting in Japan, the US and Europe―Polar Bear in an Office Chair (Episode 6)
![Cool new year's resolution](/2021/01/images/Image%20from%20iOS%20%289%29.jpg)
A few years ago, I left my public sector job in Switzerland and moved to Japan. From there, I drifted around from language learning to a few part-time gigs, until finally landing my first full-time job here at the Japanese tech firm Cybozu, the parent company of U.S. software provider Kintone.
Moving from the highly-regimented slow-moving public sector to the ferocious breakneck world of start-ups was in and of itself a fish-out-of-water experience. Doing so in Japan added a thick layer of mystery to the bedrock of unknown. Now that I'm finally starting to get used to my surroundings, I wanted to share with you some of what I've been through. Here are a few—perhaps slightly exaggerated—examples of what I've seen and felt in my life as, essentially, a polar bear in an office chair.
Europe: Preached from the altar of Hegelian dialectics
![the professor introduces himself as Alex Icebjor of the Business and Enterprise Academy of Reykjavik](/2021/01/images/a7352f32c802266b3ca2aec34d6b0d0fba88009e.jpg)
![Alex says he will start by explaining the mechanisms by which teamwork enhances productivity](/2021/01/images/1a4e169d39ea17d08f7eccbb727c7cc48bfa67c7.jpg)
![next, Alex breaks down the importance of teamwork in 12 points](/2021/01/images/75c92edf9262f96077cd02301331a0b4842c770f.jpg)
![Alex presents the caveats to his theory](/2021/01/images/6b2c8df0e8925809b3bea82ec739c4e08b1eea26.jpg)
![Alex concludes without a clear answer](/2021/01/images/9c1e79089650b5bc01d7bde422d7afc32611016d.jpg)
![after the presentation, Japanese presenter Dan is confused and American presenter Chad is bored](/2021/01/images/667fb63bd9d72903403600a1d0744196d55ca239.jpg)
![Alex](/2021/01/images/PBear%20head.png)
America: Clear, concise and star-spangled awesome
![Chad starts in front of a big slide with the word TEAMWORK](/2021/01/images/ep6%202-1.jpg)
![Chad has been thinking about teamwork since he was 3](/2021/01/images/ep6%202-2.jpg)
![Chad gives a vivid example of a poultry farmer from Kentucky](/2021/01/images/ep6%202-3.jpg)
![Chad explains that the three Ts of Teamwork are Trust, Truth and Together](/2021/01/images/ep6%202-4.jpg)
![Chad lays out a vision of greater teamwork for all](/2021/01/images/ep6%202-5.jpg)
![after the presentation, Dan is entertained and Alex is unconvinced](/2021/01/images/ep6%202-6.jpg)
![Alex](/2021/01/images/PBear%20head.png)
Japan: See the whole mountain before looking at each stone
![Dan, mic in hand, greets his audiences](/2021/01/images/ep6%203-1.jpg)
![Dan introduces himself with his CV on the slide behind him](/2021/01/images/ep6%203-2.jpg)
![Dan shows a cluttered and confusing slide](/2021/01/images/Image%20from%20iOS%20%2810%29.jpg)
![Dan begins to explain the difference between Teamwork and each of its synonyms](/2021/01/images/ep6%203-4.jpg)
![Dan returns to his initial slide](/2021/01/images/ep6%203-5.jpg)
![after the presentation, Alex is confused and Dan is overwhelmed](/2021/01/images/ep6%203-6.jpg)
![Alex](/2021/01/images/PBear%20head.png)
Written by Alex Steullet. Illustrations by yummi. Edited by Mina Samejima and Ade Lee.
Writer
![](/mt-static/support/uploads/7e50c9318ea1f91875f06beaa65444e7179a525f.jpg)
Alex Steullet
Alex is the editor in chief of Kintopia and part of the corporate branding department at Cybozu. He holds an LLM in Human Rights Law from the University of Nottingham and previously worked for the Swiss government.
Photographer
![](/mt-static/support/uploads/yummi%20%281%29.jpg)
yummi
After gratuating from the Nihon University College of Art, yummi began working as a freelance artist. In 2015, she received an honorable mention at the 2nd The Gate competition for her work "Sanpei-sensei No Jikan" (In Her Class), as well as an excellence award at the 69th Tetsuya Chiba competition for “Himitsu No Hanazono-san” (“The Secret Girl”).