What to wear
Over the years, Japanese business attire has become less and less formal. Although you may notice one thing that never goes out of trend of businesspeople here — black suits. In the winter men usually wear formal coats, this goes one from December to February, and transitions to shorter raincoats in March and April. You may also consider dark suits when attending meetings over a nice pair of semi-formal to formal trousers. Lastly, men should take note that most companies do not allow the wearing of beards and shaving of heads. For females, you are expected to look a little formal in the office. A longer skirt and or a pair of trousers matched by a neat pastel-colored shirt is advised. You may also consider wearing dark colored blazers to top your shirt. Females are advised to not look too glamorous in business meetings nor wear anything that is bright in color. Women should also tie back their hair and wear sandals with appropriate height. Lastly, it is recommended for both males and females not to wear too much perfume as local people you may be transacting with are not used to strong odors.

What to bring
Always bring your business card. You will be surprised how often it is exchanged among business people, especially those you are meeting for the first time and the ones you may not be able to meet again. Along with your business cards, should you be presenting any documents, it is preferred that you have a Japanese version of it. Local business people would appreciate a card or a document that is already translated. If you are to make a presentation, always bring one that is translated to Japanese. Executives in Japanese companies expect presentations to be understandable in their own language with ease, thus never using English slides. Along with the soft copy of your translated presentation, always provide printed copies to be distributed to the locals you will be meeting. Finally, if you are not yet comfortable in using a small Japanese language and everyone in your meeting is a local, bring with you an interpreter. The locals will appreciate your initiative in bringing someone who will help them understand your presentation.

What to expect
Punctuality is very important in Japan. Make sure you arrive 10 minutes before your meeting or even 20 minutes early if executives will be meeting with you. Face - to - face meetings are preferred in Japanese business dealings and you should expect that it can happen several times before a single decision is made. If the one you are meeting expects that you end the discussion at a certain time, you should take note that it matters to them that you end on the time you are expected to finish. Make sure you use your time wisely, and plan the agenda of the meeting beforehand so you can cover the subject matters required of you.

What you should know
The idea of having females as executives in Japan now has a faster evolution than before. The government is in continuous promotion in encouraging women to join the workforce. Although greater business opportunities usually come along more often to men, the country has been welcoming the idea of bringing females to different corporate levels too.

Females, like males are also given consideration when it comes to corporate leaves. Below are the different types of corporate leaves if you will be working under a Japanese work contract: