My short presentation on Japanese etiquette.

Here is a short presentation on Japanese etiquette I made for my Japanese class a long while back. I thought it would be helpful for others. 

Japanese Etiquette Presentation
Japanese Ettiquette Power Point Version (you can thank me by donating! :3)

Below is a long article I wrote on Etiquettes, Non-verbal Communication and Paralanguage in Japanese Culture. Feel free to click on the link and read the article.

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Stanley Janoski III

Speech 1318

February 02, 2015

Etiquettes, Non-verbal Communication and Paralanguages in Japanese Culture

A friend of mine walked into a common restaurant in Japan. The waitress, who was very polite, served them coffee with what seemed to be bamboo designs on the top using cream. Surprised and fascinated by the restaurant’s service, when they finished drinking their coffee, they tipped the waitress and she immediately began to feel very emotional. It wasn’t long until the waitress could no longer hold back her tears and began to cry uncontrollably. Now why do you think this is? Well, in Japan tipping a waiter implies their service was unsatisfactory. To add to that, tipping them with a smile on one’s face makes one seem like more of the bad guy. Now why am I telling you this? It’s because of the various forms in which a culture can be different than one’s own. In this presentation, I will peek into Japanese etiquette, non-verbal communication and paralanguage within the Japanese culture.

To begin, Japan has a system of etiquettes that is extremely unique compared the rest of the world. The use of etiquette derives from their Confucian, Tao, and Buddhist origins in ancient history. Since there are hundreds of forms of etiquette, I will address the most important and basic forms of etiquette. To begin, the most popular form of Japanese etiquette is bowing. The bow is Japan’s traditional greeting. The depth of the bow demonstrates the status or relationship one has with another. This is also due to Japan’s unseen hierarchal status system. More than often this will be done with a handshake if one is a foreigner. With businessman, or sarariman, a bow can also be used to exchanged business cards, or meishi. When receiving a meishi, one should demonstrate a tremendous amount of respect by bowing, receiving the meishi with both hands, and reading the information carefully. When disengaging or leaving the individual, it’s advisable to bow three times as one is backing away. Another form of common etiquette is with the use of small talk. Often throughout the day using small and simple phrases to greet others, such as “lovely weather today” is admirable in Japan. It’s important to remember Japan has a huge respect for their elders; therefore, it’s polite to bow or to reply kindly in return. When formally addressing another person in Japan, one should make use of the name forms, such as “san” after a person’s last name. It’s common for people to go out after work. There’s usually a person who acts as a host and treats others by going to a place of their choice. The host is responsible for paying for all his members, choosing everyone’s drinks, and even giving a toast to all his members. There is also etiquettes on what one should do while in or around a restaurant. As mentioned before, one should never tip a waiter or waitress. It’s also impolite to walk around while eating food. Another major form of disrespect is sneezing or blowing one’s nose around others. Doing so should be done strictly in private.

Moving on to house etiquette, to be invited to one’s home is a tremendous honor.  It’s because of this one should take off their shoes at the genkan which is a traditional entrance area. Often there are slipper, wabaki, one can wear around the house. Sometimes there are even separate slipper one should wear when going to the bathroom. When invited to another’s home, it’s admirable to bring gifts, preferably gifts from one own country. When dining with a Japanese family, it’s more than likely a family member will serve their elders first. This is also because Japan has a huge regard for respect one’s elders. More than likely, the oldest or head of the household will be served first. Before engaging in a meal, it is right to say the phrase “Itadakimasu”. This is like a blessing, giving thanks and an indication one will start eating. It’s polite to pour for others. Never pour for oneself. When one does not desire to drink anymore, it’s polite to turn one’s cup 90 degrees. It is alright if the cup is full. More than likely a person will pour for you even when you don’t desire to drink anymore. When wanting to rest your hands from using chopsticks, always use the chopstick holder. Never place your chopstick in the food, because this is commonly used in Buddhist funeral traditions. When eating ramen, it’s important to note that slurping noodles is acceptable; however, it’s unacceptable use more than one condiments per meal otherwise it may be an insult to the chef. When one is finished with their meal, it is also polite to say “gochisousama deshita”. Which is also a blessing that indicates one is satisfied, very appreciative and finished with the meal. In addition to home etiquette, it’s also important to know that if one is served something, it’s polite to never simply accept it the first time, wait until the individual serves their dish again to accept. If one takes what is being served the first time, it may seem one is being desperate, impolite or inconsiderate. Moving on to Japanese society, Japan has a social ethic called a public face, this is to keep harmony and structure within their society, because of this Japan uses honorific words and over polite sentence structures, and retain from being direct when engaging in conversations with others. It’s also important to note that all personal opinions are held back or set aside when in conversation. A Japanese person will only be open to speaking their mind when he or she is in the company of friends, family or maybe intoxicated. When not in the company of friends or family, it is best to talk using the highest form of politeness and respect. The Japanese also have a distinct form of attire. To the Japanese, one’s image is highly important. It’s known that a Japanese person would rather spend money to purchase clothes than to purchase food. Noticeably, exaggerated fashion trends like Harajuku, Visual Kei, and the various forms of Gyaru are not common dress in Japan. The most common form of dress is of course the business suit and formal-casual dress. In further detail referring to non-casual dress, the Japanese have no regard to what is gender specific. Genders can dress interchangeably with the clothes of another gender. Referring to females, when in public skirts and shorts are permitted to be exaggeratingly short; however, it is considered indecent to show a moderate amount of cleavage. The Japanese also make use of traditional dress such as summer and winter kimonos for females and yukatas for males. However, some Japanese dislike the use of kimonos or yukatas on foreigners attempting to fit into the origins of Japanese tradition.

Now I will be discussing non-verbal communication within the Japanese culture. Japan uses an exaggerated amount of non-verbal communication cues. In this section I will discuss oculesics, proxemics, heptics, and kinesics. Looking at oculesics, the Japanese refrain from having direct eye contact. Doing so is seen as rude, disrespectful or conflicting. Often when talking, a Japanese individual will look downwards or away to be polite. When bowing one will also lower their eyes, this is to show even greater respect. Referring to proxemics, Japan has a much shorter personal space radius than that of Western society. However, when using mass public transportation, The Japanese will submit to touching and cram each other into a rail car as they try to get home or work. This form of physical contact is called skinship (sukinshippu) and is only used in mass public transportation, bath houses and among family members and friends. Moving on to heptics, The Japanese refrains from touching or showing any sign of public affection. The Japanese also do not touch when in conversation. Doing so is considered inappropriate or unnecessary. However, often students attending grade schools will disregard from not touching because they see it as being friendly. Finally, I would like to discuss kinesics. The use of body language or the understanding of communication without words is large in a high context society such as Japan. There are some specific body gestures that are well known or specific to Japan. I shall briefly state the most commonly used gestures. The Japanese point at their nose to indicate themselves; make a circle with their thumb and forehead for money; turn the palm down and wave with the fingers to gesture someone or something to come; point with the palm of their hand and not their finger; hold their hand vertically and wave or swat back and forth to gesture no; wave their hand back and forth or with their hand in front of their face to gesture excuse me; raise a thumbs up to indicate authority; lightly tap on one’s chest to indicate leaving the task to them; use a circular motion around the ear or forehead or flickering the middle finger with the thumb to indicate something or someone is crazy. In addition to gestures, the Japanese refrain from the use of awkward or very quick movements. The reason being is because even slight gestures carry a significant meaning. Now that I have addressed the different characteristics of non-verbal communication, I will describe the differences in paralanguage within the Japanese culture.

In this section, I will discuss paralanguage. I will describe the differences in intonation, pitch, speed, hesitation, and facial expression. The Japanese use intonation when speaking much like that in western society. However, when speaking formally, the Japanese also express intonation using particles that can also be seen in their writing system. For example, the use of desu ka at the end of a sentence to form a question. Normally when a Japanese person speaks they remain at a single flat tone. In addition to intonation, there are some words that make use of pitch. There are words such as hashi, which means chopstick, but elevates in pitch at the end. This is due to the Chinese forms in which the word derived from. If one says hashi with a down pitch, this means bridge and can be very humorous when asking for a pair of chopsticks by the waiter at a restaurant. The speed in which the Japanese talk is commonly very passive, soft spoken and often at a steady pace; nevertheless, males are known to speak faster than females. When it comes to hesitation, the Japanese differ from western society. In Western society, the use of pauses is usually considered awkward and is best to be avoided; however, in Japan pauses are very much accepted as it gives a person time to digest information, recollect one’s thoughts, and demonstrate respect. The use of hesitation can also be seen in their work ethic. The Japanese in business can be seen as slow to make decisions on behalf of their companies, and depending on the occupation, the Japanese can also be seen as laid back as they work at a synchronous and steady pace. Finally, I will discuss facial expressions. The Japanese refrain from the use of facial expressions. It’s possible that when one smiles or laughs in Japan, it may convey embarrassment, confusion, shock, or feeling of being upset. Therefore, even simple facial expressions should be closely considered and observed.  

Now that we’ve covered the details of etiquette, nonverbal communication and paralanguage, one can be more insightful in what to look out for when interacting with an individual from the Japanese culture. So if you see an individual from Japan, bow, maybe make small talk, and if he or she is a waiter remember not to tip them. In conclusion, understanding the use of etiquette, non-verbal communication and paralanguage will prepare an individual for understanding the cultural behaviors and norms in Japanese society.

References:

Japan Country Review. (2012). Etiquette. Etiquette. 3. 199-201. Retrieved from Country Watch.

Takada N., Lampkin L. R., (1997). The Japanese Way. New York. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Schmidt-Fajlik, R. (2007). Introducing non-verbal communication to Japanese university students: Determining content. Journal of Intercultural Communication, (15), 2.

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