Smile. Take a deep bow. Then drop that damn bomb.

To say that the Japanese are courteous would be an understatement.
Each and every person you interact with either at work or at the hotel or on the
metro trains are amazingly courteous. On making eye contact, they smile and
almost simultaneously bow.

While I find this a good behavioural trait, I am surprised that it was these same
people who many decades ago (till the end of WW-II) were so aggressive that
they had invaded most of their neighbours. And even shocked the mighty
Americans by bombing the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbour.

How did they suddenly turn into such courteous people ? Or is it that they were
courteous then also, inspite of the activities they indulged in ? Maybe they invade
a country and then, you know, smile and take a deep bow before looting the place
or harassing the citizens ? And maybe the Jap kamikaze pilots took a deep bow
before lobbing bombs on the US navy. You know, keeping courtesy and business
separate.

Their old aggression on the battlefield has given way to aggression (in a good, positive
sense) in the market. They are usually at the top in anything they do (thanks to the
emphasis on quality and attention to detail), which results in dominating world trade
and giving the jitters to the competition.

And again, that is done with courtesy still intact. They do not forget to smile and bow
as they send the competition scurrying for cover.