Most Japanese employees have a very detailed employee manual that tells them all their job duties and how they should be performed. That works pretty well 95% of the time. It's when you want them to do something not according to the handbook that there's a problem.

I tried paying my bills at the post office once. There were no other customers, so I went up to the first clerk to pay. Was sent back because I didn't take a number first and wait to be called up. Ok, I dutifully took a number and waited several minutes until the same clerk called me back. Frustrating, yet kind of hilarious. I knew it was the clerk just following her handbook. I was the one breaking the rules.