2025 Emilija’s Blog

For my final research, I used The Culture Factor’s country-comparison tool, which presents Japan and Lithuania as contrasting countries across Hofstede's dimensions: Power Distance, Individualism, Masculinity, Uncertainty Avoidance, Long-Term Orientation, and Indulgence. I compared Japan (PDI 54, IDV 62, MAS 95, UAI 92, LTO 100, IVR 42) versus Lithuania (PDI 42, IDV 55, MAS 19, UAI 65, LTO 49, IVR 16) and below I plan on explaining what those numbers mean for each country, comparing them, and giving my honest take on which parts I trust and which I’d question. Japan’s profile is pretty extreme in places. MAS 95 suggests a very achievement-oriented culture where competition, hard work and success matter a lot. UAI 92 means people and organizations prefer rules, predictability and planning, which fits the stereotype of careful procedures and formal business etiquette. LTO 100 shows the site views Japan as obsessively long-term: saving, planning for the future and valuing persistence....

  Hofstede’s sixth dimension is basically about whether a society gives people free rein to enjoy life (Indulgence) or pushes them to suppress desires through strong social rules (Restraint). I’d suggest that both Lithuania and Japan sit closer to the restraint side: people tend to prioritise duty, save more, and keep emotions fairly controlled. That shows up in everyday stuff, restrained cultures often associate professionalism with seriousness, as an example. If we were to analyse deeper, we could notice some differences. For one, Japan pairs restraint with highly ritualised customer service and polished public behaviors (as we mentioned in our previous classes - omotenashi and obsessively neat packaging) - a structured, service-oriented restraint.  Lithuania, as part of Eastern Europe, reflects restraint through frugal spending habits and stronger social norms shaped by history and economic caution, that being more plainspoken and less performance-driven than Japanese publi...