(way-toe-ray-suu)
Young woman (single)—o-jō-san (oh-joe-sahn), or “Miss Young Lady”
Your husband—Go-shujin (go-shuu-jeen)
Your wife—Oku-san (oak-sahn)
Titles are especially important in Japan’s business world. The way Americans might refer to the president of their country as “Mr. President” is a good illustration of how the Japanese use titles in business and in the professions. Here are some examples of business titles.
Chairman of the board—Kaichō (kye-choe)
President—Shachō (shah-choe)
Vice president—Fuku-shachō (fuu-kuu-shah-choe)
Senior (executive) managing director—Senmu (sem-muu)
Executive managing director—Jōmu (joe-muu)
Department manager (general manager)—Būcho (buuchoe)
Deputy general manager of the department—Būcho dairi (buu-choe die-ree). When addressing a deputy manager, only use dairi.
Section manager—Kachō (kah-choe)
Deputy section manager—Kachō dairi (kah-choe die-ree)
Supervisor—Kakari-cho (kah-kah-ree-choe)
It is not essential that foreign visitors to Japan conform to the custom of using titles instead of names in business situations, but by doing so they demonstrate knowledge and appreciation of Japanese customs and are able to communicate more clearly. There is also the personal satisfaction of doing things the “right way,” not to mention that using titles often allows you to politely address someone directly and personally without knowing his or her name—or avoid misusing it if you can’t pronounce it properly.
8
When & How to Bow
The bow (o-jigi / oh-jee-ghee) is the traditional Japanese method of expressing greetings, saying farewell, paying respect, apologizing, showing humility, and indicating understanding and acceptance.
The custom of bowing, which is common to many societies, probably derived from the animalistic behavior of demonstrating submissiveness by lowering the head or dropping to the ground to avoid conflict with stronger adversaries. In any event, it became an institutionalized form of etiquette in religiously oriented societies where such behavior was considered proper when in the presence of deities and their earthly representatives.
As with so many other behavioral traits, the Japanese took the practice of bowing much further than most societies, developing it to a fine art and making it the only acceptable act in many different social situations. During feudal times, failing to bow at the expected time or bowing improperly to a samurai or lord could result in a death sentence, sometimes carried out on the spot.
Historically, training in bowing began before babies could walk; their mothers would push their heads and trunks down repeatedly on the numerous daily occasions when bowing was the proper protocol. By the time children reached school age, bowing was automatic, almost instinctive. The educational system and the maturing process honed bowing know-how, making it an integral part of the Japanese personality and character.
There are three specific types of bow: the light bow, the medium bow, and the deep bow.
The last, called sai-keirei (sigh-kay-ray), or “highest form of salutation,” was commonly used during the feudal period but has grown increasingly unusual ever since. After the downfall of the last shogun it was for the most part used only toward the emperor. And with the democratization of Japan following World War II, the emperor renounced his divinity and the use of the sai-keirei to pay obeisance to him gradually declined. Except for traditionalists—who are usually elderly—the emperor is now treated like any other dignitary by most Japanese people. When greeting him a medium bow has come to be entirely proper.
In the medium or formal bow the arms are extended downward with the hands resting on the legs above the knees. The body is then bent to about a 45-degree angle. The longer the bow is held the more meaning it has. In a normal situation it is held for only two or three seconds.
During the light bow, the bow most often used today, the body is bent to an approximately 20-degree angle and the bow is held for only a second or so. The hands should be down at the sides when executing the light bow, but there are numerous occasions when this is impractical, such as when you are carrying something. The position of the hands has thus become more or less incidental, although it is polite to make an effort to bring them down to your sides.
Generally speaking, the medium bow is used when greeting dignitaries, when meeting those who are significantly senior to you and to whom you want to show a special degree of respect, and when expressing especially strong feelings of humility, sorrow, or apology to someone.
If you are in a situation where you encounter the same dignitaries or highly placed seniors several times in one day, you should greet them with a medium bow the first time you meet them that day and a light bow thereafter.
The influence of the bow in Japanese society is so powerful that foreign residents studying the language and associating frequently with Japanese are susceptible to picking up the custom by osmosis. I sometimes catch myself bowing when I am talking to a Japanese person on the telephone!
Years ago, young Japanese mothers virtually gave up the custom of teaching their children how and when to bow from their toddler days. Nowadays, children are required to bow in school and on numerous other social occasions, but the practice is not being instilled into their reflexes or psyche as it was in the past. Young people entering the work force after the 1980s, especially those entering the retail service industries, had to be taught to bow as part of their company training.
But the bow remains a vital part of daily life and work in Japan, and it is not likely to disappear within the foreseeable future even though the younger generations are assuming a much more casual attitude toward it. There is, in fact, a pronounced tendency among Japanese to gradually revert to traditional attitudes and forms of behavior as they age. They find many of the old customs more satisfying and fulfilling than practices copied from the West.
Most foreigners, particularly new arrivals, aren’t expected to bow, unless in the most formal situations. Even long-term foreign residents who have picked up many of the customs, still feel self-conscious bowing since getting it wrong is easy to do, and they know that the sight of a foreigner—particularly a Westerner—bowing will draw some degree of interest among the Japanese present. Many non-Japanese get around this by offering a nod, sustained for a couple of seconds, which is entirely acceptable, and it’s also a gesture the Japanese use themselves.
For a fully assimilated foreigner, meaning a very long-term resident who speaks the language flawlessly and is seen as an expert in the country, this probably won’t do. But as Tokyo becomes more of a center for global business, the most common type of foreign resident seems to be a kind of “tweener,” neither a neophyte nor a wizened master. He or she speaks decent Japanese, has an appreciation for most things Japanese, but is far from being assimilated, and probably never will be.
Customers at department stores and other public places are not expected to return all of the bows of store employees, but the bows of receptionists in company lobbies should be acknowledged with a slight nodding of the head. A casual nod of the head is also all that is usually called for in more traditional
