Abstract
Ishii (1984)'s Enryo-Sasshi Communication model characterizes Japanese-style communication. This paper attempts to discuss the applicability of this culture-specific sasshi (sharp guess-work) ability to multicultural settings. In Japanese culture, sasshi communication has a mechanism through which people gradually acquire the ability to guess what others really mean from indirect or subtle verbal and non-verbal expressions. Also, it allows people to nurture the ability to sympathize with and understand others' feelings and positions. These abilities, as long as they go hand in hand with knowledge of cultural diversity, can be converted into the ability for many Japanese not only to sympathize with and understand multiple positions of culturally diverse people but also to create mutually beneficial relationships in multicultural contexts.
