The Japanese greeting

Today we are travelling from the luxury hotel in Spain Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa to Japan to find out about Japanese greetings.

The most common Japanese greeting is the bow or ojigi. This is a slight bow of the upper body. The interlocutor shows respect to the other person with this gesture. Both people don´t tend to stare at each other. This fact accentuates more if there is a social difference between both parties.

The bow, besides from a greeting, it can be used for several purposes such as saying goodbye or showing appreciation or apologizing. There are also different ways of bowing. The degree of the bow depends on the situation and the person you bow. If the other person is an elderly one or an individual from a higher hierarchical level, the bow will be more leaning. Men keep their hands on their sides, while women put their hands together on their thighs with their fingers touching.

There are three types of bows depending on the grade of the bow and the level of formality: eshaku, a light bow of 15 degrees which is used for greeting somebody hello; keirei, a general bow of 30 degrees for showing appreciation; and saikeirei, a bow of 45 degrees for asking for something important or apologizing.

If the person is sit down, he must stand up for bowing, however if the greeting takes place on tatami floor, he must get on his knees to bow and put both hands in front of them keeping the back straight.

Between Japanese people is not a common thing to shake hands. It is normal to avoid physical contact. An example of it is the lack of tokens of love in public, such as kisses or hugs between couples.

The verbal greeting konnichiwa is used in most contexts. It can be used by everyone no matter which is his social status. It means hi, but it is also used for wishing good morning or good afternoon.

Greetings are learnt and practiced by kids at schools. They are very important for Japanese culture. An apathetic greeting is considered as a lack of education, as with passing by without bowing.

If you want to find out more about the different ways of greeting in Asia, come see us at the 5 stars hotel in Spain Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, where you will be welcomed with the typical Thai greeting Wai.