No matter your goal, it is important to remember that, if you are contacting an individual in Japan, that person is definitely linked to a network of other people. Assume that this network is organized hierarchically; it is incumbent upon you to learn where the individual you meet sits in this social network. Treat every introduction to an individual as an introduction to a large organization that has the potential to affect your research as a whole. In other words, assume that the first impression you make on any one person will be reported to a network of people.

There is no single standard that can be applied to approaching human networks, but it has been my experience in multiple situations that the best way to be introduced to a group of people or institution in Japan is through a personal connection to someone from the middle to the bottom of the organization’s social hierarchy.

In other words, initiating connections with a group by starting at the top and working your way down may lead to constrained relations with the people who run the organization’s day-to-day activities.

By the way, this is one of many good reasons to hang on to meishi, Japan’s ubiquitous name cards that foreigners are wont to discard. Do two things with meishi that you receive: 1) record the name and contact information about the person in your fieldnotes along with a brief description that contextualizes that person in your ongoing research, and 2) file his or her card in a folder designed for meishi.

Take advantage of the fact that, in Japan, the scholarly profession is held in high regard by almost everyone, and that attention from researchers is usually perceived as a contribution to the social capital of a group that is the object of study.

There is no absolute rule, but in my experience the ideal interview is often with the friend of a friend.

In short, aim for maximum specificity in making requests to organizations.

Many organizations or subgroups will have keitai mailing lists, email lists or even private websites of which you may not be aware. Ask if there are networks of this nature and whether you can be added.

Leave the most controversial or critical issues until you have gained a high level of trust after considerable time spent with the people you are researching. Start with the innocuous and the positive, and work your way toward weightier topics gradually.

Make yourself useful.

Be prepared to volunteer to do the most basic grunt work that is perceived as undesirable within the organization. Get your hands dirty in a visible, non-complaining way.

This is why you must always remember a useful rule that applies to dealing with institutions of all types: the more specific your request, the easier it will be for people to help you. There also tends to be a direct relation between the specificity of your request and how much you can ask for: the more detailed your request, the bigger it can be.

Make yourself a tool; find a role for yourself in the community that you research, and take on the responsibilities that accompany this role. Then others in the community will, in turn, become responsible to you. Keep in mind that commitment can take many forms, from full-scale membership to demonstrating one’s sincerity through consistent attendance at community events. In every case, do your utmost to not only observe but take part actively.

One of the best ways to gain a position of responsibility is to place yourself in the role of student or trainee where you are responsible for learning how to perform a role within the organization.

So, don’t say you want to “interview” someone. Avoid loaded words like mensetsu or intabyū when you bring this up. Instead, tell them you would appreciate a chance to talk to them about X and ask if they could spare some time (moshi jikan ga areba, X ni tsuite chotto ukagaitai koto ga arimasu ga, or the like). Of course, the same rules that govern confidentiality and other ethical matters still apply (see below), but keep the tone light and everything will go smoothly.

most people realize rather quickly that they enjoy talking about themselves, especially when they come to understand that they do not have to stand in as a representative for an entire group but can instead expound on their own life history at their leisure.

At the beginning of the conversation (see, I didn’t call it an interview), tell the person that Japanese is not your native language, that you have difficulty following the details of Japanese conversation, that your memory is not the best, or other plausible reasons you may have to record your conversation.

Be sure to follow up every interview with a thank-you, either in writing or by phone.

…and it will be a dialogue. Be prepared to answer a lot of questions about yourself. Unless the people you are talking to are somehow involved in public life, chances are that they have never been interviewed before. You may also be the first non-Japanese person they have ever had a conversation with. This is a big deal and is something you should not take lightly.

Do not start the discussion by launching into your questions. Begin by asking about mundane things – work, family life, the nature of the connection that brought you together. T

Go to the basement of a department store and select something in a box that costs between 1000 and 3000 yen, like senbei or manjū; if they don’t like it, at the very least they can regift it, so they will be pleased to have it. In general, wine or other alcohol is a fine gift for men, especially professors, but it can be an inappropriate gift for people you do not know well. Go with something nicely wrapped, don’t spend more than five minutes of your life picking it out, and don’t spend less than 1000 yen (you’ll look cheap) or more than about 3000 yen (you’ll look desperate to please).

It is worth spending a little bit of money on these, i.e. not printing them by yourself on your computer, unless you can do this with professional proficiency. All homemade meishi look bad.

When someone offers you a meishi, do the following: whip out your own meishi (make sure it is clean and unbent), offer it with two hands and bow. Receive your opponent’s meishi with two hands, read the name carefully and then treat it with great caution; leave it on the table in front of you for a while or put it away carefully in a folder or book. Treat it like an extension of the person’s body. Do not write any notes on the meishi while the person is present.

If you are dealing with on-the-ground research or networking with people outside of an institutional framework where you seek to foster horizontal social relations, introduce yourself using your non-Japanese academic affiliation rather than bandying about a Japanese affiliation such as Tōdai, Kyōdai or Waseda. No one will really care where you’re from (unless you invoke Harvard or Oxford) and you will be able to have an ordinary conversation.

On your computer, on flash memory, on an external hard disk, and uploaded online, have the following prepared before you leave for Japan: Curriculum vitae and rirekisho

The jikoshōkaisho