Paul del Rosario was flabbergasted when he was reprimanded for being too loud at a language school where he was teaching English, and had to confront a Japanese boss there. The boss came to him and said, "Maybe it's a good idea not to talk so much (with other teachers between classes)."
"Do you mean it's bad?" del Rosario replied. "Not good," the boss would repeat. Del Rosario asked her over and over again whether she meant that it's bad, yet he kept on getting the same answer: "Not good."
Del Rosario, 42, couldn't understand why his boss wasn't saying exactly what she meant, but he eventually learned how to come to terms with the Japanese mentality.