What was the most confusing “unspoken rule” you encountered at work in Japan?

Hi everyone,

I've been working in Japan for a while, and one thing I've noticed is how many workplace rules are never actually explained.

Things like:
• When your boss asks you to stay late but doesn't explicitly say it's required

• Meetings where nobody disagrees but the decision somehow changes later

• Emails that sound polite but actually mean something completely different

• Trying to figure out whether leaving before your boss is okay

For people who didn't grow up in Japan, these situations can be really confusing.

Sometimes it's not about language ability — it's more about understanding the "unspoken rules."

So I'm curious:
What was the most confusing workplace situation you've experienced in a Japanese company?

Was there a moment where you thought:

“Wait… is this normal in Japan or am I doing something wrong?”