Japan I think might be tough for that. As an example of culture shock for me, I remember being introduced to X where they would name the most immediately recogn

Japan I think might be tough for that. As an example of culture shock for me, I remember being introduced to X where they would name the most immediately recognizable company which X had worked for. That was the default. As opposed to say, who they worked for now, or their talents or achievements. More knowledgeable HNers can probably chime in here, but my impression is that in Japan particularly, respectability and credentialism are played very hard.