Companies also have special programs and classes for the employees, who are the children, to make them feel at home. There are company athletic clubs and cultural classes, such as flower arrangement and the tea ceremony. Since everyone is a member of the "family" in Japan, decisions that the company must make are circulated among the lower echelons of the work force for their opinions and continue until they reach the executives, who decide the final outcome (Morton, 213-220). With all of this "training" in their younger years, the Japanese are hard workers. And with their math and science skills and hard work combined, they are one of the world's leaders in high technology. .
Over half of Japan's total economy is represented by the exports of this high technology. Automobiles and electronics (televisions, stereos, video games) are among the goods that Japan sells to other countries for high profit, thus high economic gain. Therefore, it can reasonably be said that Japan is a rich country. The Japanese people have this wealth divided fairly evenly among them. Most families are in the upper-middle class. But there are still social differences between different people within this culture. Japanese people are very fad-oriented. They want the newest and the best in every thing they have. As a result, they only buy name-brand clothes and goods. Having name-brand things is a sign of their social status. If they can afford "better" things, then their status is higher. Social status is very important to the Japanese. For example, the depth of one's bow when meeting depends upon the other person's status comparative to one's own. If it is higher, then one's bow must be deeper, bending at the waist. If it is lower, then just a slight nod of the head may suffice. But that is to be judged the instant one meets someone for the first time. There is also a language, called "keigo," within the Japanese language that is specifically used when addressing someone of a higher social status.
