by Louanne Cox

Created on: April 23, 2008

The Japanese culture is based on harmony and respect and personal politeness is a very big part of that. The Japanese are very respectful of others and have an expectation that others will be respectful towards them.

When meeting someone for the first time you must never introduce yourself. It is important that someone introduces you. A bow is used instead of a handshake as the Japanese value their personal space. It is because they value their personal space that slapping them on the back, putting your arms around them and kissing their cheeks are all no nos in Japanese society.

When bowing, bow from the waist. The lower the bow the more respect you are showing the person you are meeting. If you are being introduced to a business person then you would exchange business cards. There is a ritual for this as well. Cards should be presented in both hands with your name facing the correct way up for them to see. When accepting their business card you must also take it in two hands and it is important that you read it before putting it away. If you merely take it and put it in your pocket you are insulting the person who gave it to you.

When you are having a conversation with someone in Japan you must take care not to criticize them as it is taken as an insult. Shouting is also considered to be disrespectful. Unlike in Western society's where you are told to maintain eye contact to show interest in Japan it is considered impolite.

If you see someone you know when you are outside you must never call out to them, instead you should try and get there attention with a wave. As for wolf whistles, well they would be extremely frowned upon.

One of the things the Japanese are well known for is their punctuality. It is considered to be extremely disrespectful and rude to be late in Japan. In the workplace an eight am start time means that you should be starting work at eight, not arriving to work at eight.

When visiting a Japanese home it is seen as polite to take a small gift with you. When taking gifts they should always be gift wrapped simply. As an aside, please never use white wrapping paper because this symbolizes death so would not make a good impression!

When you enter a Japanese home it is important that you take your shoes off, most Japanese homes will have a porch for you to do this in. Shoes are worn outside and therefore are considered too dirty to be worn inside and will cause disharmony in the home.

Other miscellaneous forms of Japanese etiquette involve leaving the room if you need to sneeze. This is very respectful as you are keeping your "germs" away from everyone else, if you were to sneeze in front of them it would be rude because you are saying here I hope you sneeze too.

Eating and drinking in the street are also considered taboo in Japan and something that a respectful person just would not do.

There are many, many more rules of etiquette, but as long as you keep your voice on a calm level and respect people's personal space you can navigate your way through a social situation. If in doubt observe what others do and hopefully you will be able to avoid a social "hara-kiri."

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