| Japanese Culture |
| #1 - Bowing |
Did you know that bowing is the gesture of respectful feelings towards the other party?
Why do we bow?
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| Take a look at this : |
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| 1. |
Nodding |
- Tilt your head |
(Upon Passing various people) |
| 2. |
Bow |
- 15 degrees |
(Encounter Guest in Corridor/Lift) |
| 3. |
Normal Bow |
- 30 degree |
(To Welcome, Apart/Greet) |
| 4. |
Best Salute |
- 45 degrees |
(Thank you/Sorry) |
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* The difference in bowing degrees shown here are as per standard situations. |
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How low should you bow? |
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The more junior the rank, the deeper the bow. Usually up to 45 degrees. |
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The more senior person may only give a slight nod or a less inclined bow. |
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In case of a doubt about hierarchical rank and seniority, both sides will play it safe and incline deeply. |
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When to bow? |
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When you meet your superior/colleague/client along the corridor. |
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When they’re leaving the company. |
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When you receive a gift and want to thank…etc. |
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Do they ever shake hands? |
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Yes, many westernised Japanese people will offer their hands as they know of the Western believe that a hearty handshake is a sign of manly trustworthiness. |
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Bowing and Shaking Hands -They may also bow at the same time, which seems to risk heads bumping together! |
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How to Shake Hands -If you’re offered a hand to shake, make it short and gentle, avoid shaking tightly unless it is for the cameras. |
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One Point Japanese |
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| Ohayō gozaimasu |
Good Morning |
| Konnichiwa |
Good Afternoon |
| Konbanwa |
Good Evening |
| Arigatō gozaimasu |
Thank You |
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| #2 -
KIMONO |
For whom?
Many different types of kimono are worn to differentiate between men, women (young/matured), children, and geisha according to four seasons.
According to Seasons and One’s Age
This is done so formerly.
For Young Japanese Women;
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| Spring |
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Red and Pink with Floral patterns in Spring. |
| Summer |
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Soothing feel of water. |
| Autumn |
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Floral designs or chrysanthemums. |
| Winter |
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Pine trees, plum blossoms and bamboo. (Japanese Good Luck symbols are worn especially for holiday season.)
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| How is it worn? |
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For Japanese Women/ Japanese Girls |
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| Young Women |
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Kimono with long sleeves and an Obi (12feet long, 12inches wide), which is used as a belt to hold the Kimono together. Obi is wrapped around the waist where it covers ribs and is tied at the back in a very special fascinating way, holding as many as 15 girdles of silk and other materials worn around the middle of the Obi.
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| As she gets older |
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The Kimono designs become smaller and colours get deeper and richer meanwhile Obi is worn lower and made narrower.
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| For Men |
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| HAORI/HAKAMA - A divided skirt-trouser worn over the kimono. Obi is also used for men; however, it is usually of a dark colour, loosely tied around the waist. |
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| Colour |
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Usually dark-blue, brown, gray, or black. |
| Summer |
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Cotton material. |
| Winter |
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Silk or hand-woven wool. |
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| For Children |
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| Children’s Kimono comes with patterns such as gold fish and flowers. |
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| Growing children |
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To fit the fast-growing body, there are tucks along the shoulders and around the waist to let out from time to time to widen and lengthen the Kimono. Isn’t that convenient? |
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| On Feet |
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| Tabi |
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Japanese socks with one socket for the big toe. |
| Colour |
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White for women and black and sometimes white for men. |
| Shoes1 |
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Zori is a thin or thick soled sandal with a V-shaped thong which comes between the big toe and the rest of the food and so keeps the sandal in place. |
| Shoes2 |
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Geta is the wooden sandsl with a raised strips across the sole. |
| Note: |
It is easy to slip on and off because of the culture of taking off shoes before entering the house! |
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| For Summer |
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| YUKATA |
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Informal Kimono for summer made of cotton and worn with a narrow sash. |
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For relaxation: It is usually worn to the bath, or in summer evenings. Due to its simple and easy construction, it has been popular among modern Japanese. It is a Must Wear item for famous Japanese summer festivals. |
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| #3 -
GESTURES |
Body language is used quite widely in Japan.
: To show your state of mind.
: To make your story more interesting.
Now, take a look at these examples of typical gestures seen in Japan;
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| Gesture 1 |
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Scratching your head. |
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- Shows confusion. |
| Gesture 2 |
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Touching index fingers like crossing swords |
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- Shows that some people are fighting. |
| Gesture 3 |
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Waving an outstretched hand downwards. |
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- Gesture of asking someone to come over. |
| Gesture 4 |
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Raising the little finger of a fisted hand. |
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- “Girlfriend” |
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Interesting? |
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| #4 - USEFUL JAPANESE WORDS TO KNOW |
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| Hai |
Yes |
| Iie |
No |
| Ima nan-ji desuka? |
What time is it now? |
| …doko desuka? |
Where is…? |
| Ikura desuka? |
How much is it? |
| Dō shimashitaka? |
What’s the matter? |
| Kore wa nan desuka? |
What is this? |
| ogenki desuka? |
How are you? |
| Hai, genki desu |
Yes, I am fine |
| Iie, genki ja arimasen |
No, I’m not fine |
| sumimasen |
Excuse me |
| Arigatō (casual) |
Thank you |
| Dōmo arigatō gozaimasu (formal) |
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BUSINESS EXPRESSIONS |
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| (Tokyo)Keiki wa dō desuka? |
How is business? |
| (Osaka)Mōkari makka? |
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| okage samade |
It’s doing fine |
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EXCLAMATIONS! |
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| Sō desuka! |
Oh I see! |
| Sō desune! |
You’re right! |
| Oshī desune! |
What a pity!
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| Ikemasenne! |
Too bad!
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| Chikushō! |
Darn it!
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| Kamaimasen! |
Never mind!
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| Hontō desuka? |
Really?
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| Yame nasai! |
Cut it out!
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| Sore wa subarashī! |
That’s wonderful! |
| Mochiron! |
You bet!
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| Ganbatte! |
Good luck!
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| Itai! |
Ouch!
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| Oya oya! |
Oh dear! |
| Taihen desune! |
It’s tough isn’t it! |
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NUMBERS |
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| Numbers |
Floor numbers |
Time |
| 1 ichi |
ik kai |
ichi ji |
| 2 ni |
ni kai |
ni ji |
| 3 san |
san gai |
san ji |
| 4 yon |
yon kai |
yo ji |
| 5 go |
go kai |
go ji |
| 6 roku |
rok kai |
roku ji |
| 7 nana |
nana kai |
shichi ji |
| 8 hachi |
hak kai |
hachi ji |
| 9 kyū |
kyū kai |
ku ji |
| 10 jū |
juk kai |
jū ji |
| 11 jūichi |
jūik kai |
juichi ji |
| 12 jūni |
jūni kai |
jūni ji |
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MEASUREMENTS |
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| Ookii |
Big |
| Chiisai |
Small |
| Motto ookii |
Larger |
| Motto chiisai |
Smaller |
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| Takai |
Expensive |
| Yasui |
Cheap |
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| Sukoshi |
A little |
| Takusan |
A lot |
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| Migi |
Right |
| Hidari |
Left |
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| Ototoi |
Day before yesterday |
| Kinoo |
Yesterday |
| Kyoo |
Today
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| Ashita |
Tomorrow |
| Asatte |
Day after tomorrow
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