For the american coming to work at, or even visiting, a traditional Japanese office, it’s a shock. Rather than the individual offices or cubicles that are typical of american offices, in a traditional Japanese office layout there are no walls between desks. Desks are pushed close together, so that each section forms a shima (island). The desks are turned to face each other, and the desk of the head of the section is at the end, so that it appears that the whole group is sitting down to a formal dinner party.