People - Part IV

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• Name order
• Suffixes to names
• Meanings in names
• Customs when greeting others

Customs when greeting others

• Bowing

This is what most people in Western worlds are confronted with when meeting with someone from Japan. As a general rule, even if you don't usually bow, you should return theirs, as it is considered impolite and rude not to do so.

Bowing is done when trying to be polite, asking for something, to say sorry, or respectful. It is also good practice to bow when saying 'thank you', 'good morning' and other words to that effect. A typical bow is done from the waist, at a 15 degree angle for one or two seconds. Men keep their hands at their sides whilst women place their hand over their thighs, touching their fingers. The bow will be deeper and longer the greater the importance the person you are bowing to.

• Shaking hands

Japanese people are not comfortable with physical contact with other people, however they have grown to accept this method of opening communications with tourists and foreign businessmen. Still, care has to taken when shaking hands, crushing the other person's hand would be considered rude, as is shaking it violently. A simple light handshake, with around two to three 'shakes' should suffice.

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