Don't travel to Japan without business cards. It's really awkward when everyone gives you one and asks for one back, as I think exchanging them is an important part of meeting someone there.

Indeed. Remember: accept them with both hands and briefly inspect them. It's the polite thing to do.

Absolutely. You can also ask about the name pronunciation, etc. This is Japanese small talk.

Really interesting business cards, simply cannot look like a business card, and the direct communication features (contact details) are secondary.

If a business card can delight people who receive it, then it has a point.

In this epoch, if sharing contact details requires a hardcopy, I'm of the opinion that it's of very limited value. Although it's useful to have business cards for many locales, since they are a customary item. (In many parts of Asia, it's essential)

So, if a card can communicate some meta information (sense of creativity, problem solving, good humor etc.) That's going to have value. It will create an interesting memory.

I think it's worth having a few designs made, but it's a matter of ROI.

If you think you need a business card, think about why, where and who they are for.

> If a business card can delight people who receive it, then it has a point.

The first rule of the advertising club is AIDA: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. A business card should draw attention, if only to distract from the terribly clichéd action of handing over a business card :)

I think the answer is, it depends. In the circles where I vend stuff, if you don't have one, people look at you as a grade-A idiot. Like you showed up to a meeting without pants/a skirt on.

Heck, even when I go to startup meetups, everyone asks for a card (medium-sized Pacific Northwest city).

If they're going out of style, they're still fashionable here.

> Is that just me, or are business cards going out of fashion in general?

Because you don't do business obviously.

When you go to events, business shows, networking events, conferences, hiring fair... you give business cards to your contact so they can remember who you are and contact you back. It is very important.

I hand them out frequently. Sometimes to people I already know who want my contact information. It's easier to hand someone a card versus disrupting an interesting conversation to exchange details.

What sort of opportunity are you imagining?

I trade cards with vendor sales reps and support people who visit. They have my info so they can let me know about new products or obsolescence issues, and I have their info so I can call them for support and product information.

We got our first big break 4 months ago by giving out a business card. You have to make a connection first before you slip the card. I think your experience is more a reflection of your selling skills than anything.

As other poster said, business cards are important in Asia (not only Japan). Hand it over and receive it with two hands, inspect it carefully, hold it or leave it on the table for a while (don't just stuff it away immediately).

Having said that, I have for a while now used a dedicated email address for business cards to track its effectiveness, and extremely rarely receive anything on there.

I regularly hire and contract out work based on business cards hauled from conferences, travel, et cetera. At the end of the evening I make notes on the back. (Right after meeting someone interesting, I crease a corner.)

Just out of curiosity, what do you do with a card which has one of its corners creased already?

I'm guessing that you don't live in Japan. There, opportunities may or may not come after you have executed your card exchange, but don't leave home without them.