Westerners’ gestures are showy regardless of their failure or success in conveying their message. On the other hand, Asians are generally are not very expressive with their faces and thus don’t show much emotions. This is a big difference between Asian and western people.
Japanese people are not very vocal. As we know, all individuals have different characters and opinions. The Japanese listen to all kind of opinions but don’t want to argue. Of course, if it’s business or study, it’s a different story. But just for chatting they don’t argue most of the time. They don’t want to persuade others and vice versa. Japanese people want to avoid any frictions at human relations. So, for them, avoiding arguments is a kind of wisdom.
Another reason for the idea of Japanese people as being cold or distant, is that some Japanese tend to freeze up when being addressed in English by foreigners. Many Japanese people feel insecure about their English skills, even if they can manage it well. Thus, knowing the country’s language is the only key to unlock its culture, especially when it comes to Japan.