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Bowing in Japan
In Japan, people greet each other by bowing. A bow ranges from a small nod of the head to a long, 90 degree bend at the waist. If the greeting takes
place on tatami floor, people get on their knees in order to bow.
Knowing how to bow in Japan might help you while you are travelling. Bowing (ojigi) is a very important custom in Japan. Japanese people bow all the
time. Most commonly, they greet each other by bowing instead of handshaking. It is impolite not to return a bow to whoever bowed to you. Japanese people
might be uncomfortable with any physical forms of contact although they might be used to shaking hands with westerners.
Bowing has many functions in one. It expresses the feeling of respect, thanking, apologizing, greeting, and so on. It's a convenient and important
custom for you to learn. You can bow, when you say, "Thank you", "Sorry", "Hello", "Good bye", "Congratulations",
"Excuse me", "Good night", "Good Morning", and more.
 Let's begin learning how to bow properly in Japan. Bowing seems simple, but there are different ways of bowing. It depends on the social status or
age of the person you bow to. If the person is higher status or older than you are, you should bow deeper and longer. It is polite to bow, bending from your
waist. If the other person bows longer and deeper than expected, it is polite to bow again. This may lead to a series of bows which get lighter and lighter.
In heirarchy, an inferior bows deeper, more frequently and longer than a superior. Bows of apology also tend to be deep and frequent, depending on the severity
of the offense. In the worst cases, a kneeling bow is offered where the bow is so deep that the forehead touches the floor. This bow is called saikeirei (most
respectful bow).
Men usually keep their hands in their sides, and women usually put their hands together on their thighs with their fingers touching. If it is a casual
situation, you can bow like nodding. The most frequent bow is a bow of about 15 degrees. You might feel strange to do it, but try to bow in Japan. You will be
considered very polite.
Most Japanese do not expect foreigners to know proper bowing rules and so a nod of the head is usually sufficient.
Shaking hands is uncommon among the Japanese, but again, exceptions are made for foreigners.
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Asian Guides
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