dress etiquette: Japanese people pay great attention to their clothes, whether in formal or informal occasions. On formal occasions, men and most young and middle-aged women wear suits. Men usually wear ties when they wear suits. Kimono is a traditional Japanese costume, which is characterized by being sewn from a piece of cloth. Nowadays, except for some special professionals, men rarely wear kimonos in public places. Japanese women like to stroke their eyebrows, and they generally like to draw thin eyebrows with a slight curvature, which they think is the most modern feminine temperament.

basic etiquette

1. Japanese is the common language in Japan, while English is popular in hotels and department stores.

2. Japan has the habit of taking off shoes when entering the house, so it is necessary to wear clean shoes and socks in Japanese hotels or restaurants.

3. Generally, public places are non-smoking. Please smoke in the designated smoking area with ashtray or the place marked "Smoking Place". Don't smoke while walking. Smoking while walking in some places will be fined.

4. Japan has the habit of using common greetings. Please learn simple greetings and answer with drivers and others.

5. Hot spring hotels are forbidden to wear swimsuits into public baths. Before entering the public bath, you should go to take off your coat in the rest room, put your clothes in the basket and put a spare towel around to enter the bath. The way to take a bath is: first sit on the stool in front of the shower and wash your body clean; If you don't have a shower, you can use a small bathtub to wash your body and take a bath.

6. You should arrive 5 ~ 11 minutes in advance for your appointment with the Japanese, and you can't miss the appointment. You should notify in advance if you have something to visit, and it will be considered extremely impolite to come to the door unexpectedly.

7. When going up and down the stairs, especially when taking the escalator, please be sure to follow the habit of going left (Tokyo area) or right (Osaka).

8. formal attire is required when attending business activities, and gifts and business cards should be exchanged in advance.

9. Please ask more questions when participating in discussions and exchange activities to avoid silence.

11. If you want to exchange business cards, distribute information and take photos separately on official occasions, please follow the instructions and proceed in sequence.

social customs

The general characteristics of Japanese social customs can be summarized in the following sentences: being polite to others, smiling and welcoming with joy; Say hello when you meet, bow and salute, be humble and polite, and pay attention to rules; The language civilization speaks politely, and the conversation is willing to whisper; White and yellow are loved by people, while green and purple are taboo among the people; Turtles and cranes live a long and auspicious life, while foxes and badgers are rejected by everyone.

There are the following characteristics in the details of life:

In social activities, Japanese people love to use self-deprecating language and are good at degrading themselves. "Please pay more attention", "poor food, poor care" and so on are the pleasantries they often use.

They attach great importance to the beauty of their clothes and appearance. In public, they usually wear formal dresses, especially suits. Their favorite clothing is kimono.

They have the custom of worshipping and admiring "7", which is said to be related to the light, warmth and life brought by the sun, the moon, mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.

Japanese people have the habit of drinking tea, and generally like to drink warm tea. When pouring tea, their polite habit is to pour it to 81% full as the most respectful guest. When they drink tea, they like to pour tea between the host and the guest, and they are not used to pouring tea themselves, that is, the guest immediately takes the bottle and pours tea for the host after the host pours tea for them. It is believed that pouring tea to each other in this way can show the equality and friendship between the host and the guest.

Japanese people are not used to entertaining guests with cigarettes. When they smoke by themselves, they generally don't respect their guests. Because smoking is harmful to health, it cannot be used to entertain close relatives and friends.

Japanese people have a strong sense of hierarchy, and the boundaries between the upper and lower levels, and between the older and younger generations are clearly divided. Women generally have great respect for men.

They'd better give gifts in social interaction, and pay attention to the benefits and pay attention to the color of the gifts. They often give small gifts to others; Generally speaking, yellow and white or red and white are preferred in gifts for auspicious events, and black, white or gray are commonly used in gifts for unfortunate events. They have deep feelings for white and regard it as a pure color; The Japanese still love yellow, thinking that yellow is the color of sunshine, which gives people the joy and security of survival.

They like animals such as turtles and cranes. It is believed that these animals give people the impression of auspiciousness and longevity.

Chrysanthemum is the national flower of Japan, but their favorite is cherry blossoms, which are pure, elegant and noble. Love cherry blossoms brings people a beautiful spring; I like the generous character of cherry blossoms without hesitation. They regard cherry blossoms as the pride of the Japanese nation and as a symbol of the hardworking, brave and intelligent Japanese people.

Bowing etiquette

Japanese people usually bow when they meet each other. It is advisable for familiar people to bow to each other for two or three seconds when they meet; If you meet a good friend, it will take a little longer to bend over; When you meet people with higher social status and elders, you should wait for the other person to raise his head, and sometimes even bow several times.

They also shake hands in social occasions.

There are also many manners and manners in rural areas in Japan, and women usually kneel down when sending their relatives and friends farewell. A man's farewell ceremony is a shaking ceremony (that is, shaking his clogs in the air). The etiquette for Japanese Xiayi (Ainu) people to meet is to put their hands together first, then slowly raise them to their foreheads, palms outward, with men patting their beards and women patting their upper lips, and then shake hands with each other.

Bowing is a traditional greeting in Japan, which has been gradually replaced by shaking hands. When traveling in Japan, if the host holds out his hand, shake hands. If the host bows, it is best to return with a bow. When bowing, the hands are hung down and the body is bent to waist level. If the Japanese go home, they usually bow first when they open the door, and then bow again when they come back. Not necessarily. For example, in Japan, there is a clear distinction between men and women. Generally, women bow to men first.

In Japan, bow and return to sub-station bow and kneeling bow:

Standing bow: The "true ceremony" is prepared by standing posture, and then the two hands that will be joined are gradually separated, sliding down against the two thighs until the fingertips touch the upper edge of the knee, and at the same time, the upper body is tilted from the waist, and the head, back and legs are arched at nearly 91 degrees (don't just bow and don't bend, or just bend and don't bow), and pause for a while. Bowing should be coordinated with breathing, exhaling when bending down, and inhaling when standing up straight, so that the du meridian of the back midline of the human body and the ren meridian of the brain can circulate in a small week. The speed of salute should be consistent with others as far as possible to avoid embarrassment. The main point of "salute" is the same as "true ceremony", just reach the middle of the thigh with both hands, and the head, back and legs are arched at about 1.21 degrees. The "grass ceremony" only needs to lean forward slightly, and put your hands on the root of your thigh. The head, back and legs are about 151 degrees arched, and the rest is the same as the "real ceremony".

if the host is standing and the guest is sitting on a chair (stool), the guest will respond by sitting. The "real ceremony" is prepared by sitting posture. When saluting, move your hands forward along your thighs to your knees, lean forward at your waist and bow your head, but your head, neck and back are flat and arc-shaped, pause for a moment, and slowly straighten your upper body to restore your sitting posture. When "saluting", move your hands to the middle along your thighs, and the rest is the same as "true ceremony". "Cao Li" only puts his hands on the thigh root and leans slightly.

In the same salute, the movements should match the breathing, exhale when bending over, inhale when straightening up, and keep the speed consistent with others. The method of "salute" is similar to "real ceremony", but both hands only touch the ground with the first half (the second hand can touch the ground above the knuckles), and the body leans forward about 55 degrees; When performing the "grass ceremony", only two fingers touch the ground, and the body leans forward at about 65 degrees.

salutation

The usual meeting etiquette is to bow deeply without shaking hands. Be prepared to exchange business cards. Never address the Japanese by their first names. Only family members and very close friends are matched by their first names. When addressing each other as "Mr. XXX", add the word "San" after his surname.

note;

The topic that Japanese people are forbidden to talk about is World War II.

hospitality gifts

Japanese businessmen often invite their business partners to banquets, which are almost always held in Japanese hotels or nightclubs. They are very rich and often last for several hours. It is rare to entertain guests in a private home. If you really go to a Japanese home, take off your hat and gloves as soon as you step into the door, and then take off your shoes. It is customary to bring a box of cakes or sweets to the hostess instead of flowers.

If the Japanese give you a gift, thank him, but don't accept it until he insists on giving it again and again. When receiving gifts, you should take them with both hands. Japanese people like others to give them gifts. Gifts should be wrapped in soft-colored paper, without ring decorative knots. They especially like brandy and frozen steak. Paired gifts are considered as a sign of good luck, so the chain buttons on shirt cuffs and matching pens and pencils are particularly popular. Don't send four pieces of anything, because the pronunciation of the word "four" in Japanese is the same as the word "death".

Belief taboo

Most Japanese believe in Shinto (an inherent religion in Japan, that is, worshipping the emperor's ancestor, the God of Heaven and the Great Shinto) and Mahayana Buddhism; There is a teaching of "no food after noon".

They don't like purple, and think purple is a sad tone. Most taboo green, think green is ominous color.

Japanese taboo "4", mainly because the pronunciation of "4" and "death" is similar, which is very unlucky; They are especially afraid of "9" when giving gifts, and they will mistakenly think that you regard your host as a robber. It is also taboo for three people to "take a photo" together. They think that being sandwiched between the left and right people is an unfortunate omen.

Japanese people have many taboos about sending flowers: giving or decorating lotus flowers is taboo; Avoid camellia, cyclamen and pale yellow and white flowers when visiting patients. Because when camellia withers, the whole flower head falls to the ground, which is unlucky; Cyclamen flower is pronounced as "Xi Ku Lamian Noodles" in Japanese, while "Xi" is similar to the pronunciation of "death" in Japanese. Pale yellow and white flowers, which are traditionally disliked by the Japanese. They are wary of chrysanthemums or things decorated with flower patterns, because it is a symbol of the royal family, and generally dare not and cannot accept such gifts or courtesy.

Japanese people are disgusted with things decorated with foxes and badgers. They think foxes are greedy and cunning, while badgers are cunning.

They also hate cats with gold and silver eyes. I think it will be frustrating to see such a cat.

They are afraid to touch other people's bodies and think it is impolite.

They are afraid to give them containers that have been filled with things for reuse; Avoid putting hot water in the wash water; Taboo to cut nails at night; Avoid washing things to dry at night; Don't sleep or lie with your head facing north (it is said that your head faces north when you are dead).

Japanese people generally don't want to ask about the price of things bought by their friends, because it's impolite. Similarly, it's impolite for you to evaluate the cheap things bought by the other party. Because the Japanese don't want the other side to think that their economic strength is low, they will only buy cheap goods.

business etiquette

To engage in business activities in Japan, it is advisable to choose February-June and September-October. At other times, local people take more holidays or are busy with festivals. Japanese people pay great attention to the role of business cards in business activities. They think that business cards show a person's social status, so they always carry them with them. Japanese businessmen pay more attention to establishing long-term cooperative partnership. They pay great attention to maintaining each other's face in business negotiations, and hope that the other party will do the same. When giving gifts, local people attach great importance to class or rank, so don't give them too expensive gifts, lest they mistakenly think that your status is higher than theirs.

By car

When taking the tram, passengers should queue up in order at the entrance (marked on the ground). When the bus stops, passengers will be divided into two lines on both sides of the door, and then get on the bus after getting off. Whenever the tram arrives at the station, the passengers on the tram should be careful not to stand at the door of the car, so as not to hinder other passengers from getting on and off. In case of rush hour, passengers standing at the door should get off the bus for the time being, and then get on the bus after getting off the bus.

when you take the bus, you should prepare the change or ticket in advance and put it into the ticket vending machine when you get off the bus. You can also buy a "time coupon" and show it to the driver when you get off the bus. Most shopping malls sell time coupons. The buses in Japan are all from the back door to the front door.

the way to take a taxi (taxi) is the same as that in Chinese mainland, Hongkong and Taiwan Province. It's just that the taxi door is controlled by the driver, so passengers don't have to close the door themselves when getting on and off.

Taking the elevator

Escalators are very common in Japan. When Japanese take escalators, they usually stand on the left side (in Tokyo, Kanto, while in Osaka, Kansai, they are used to standing on the right side and rushing on the left side), leaving the right side to those who are eager to move forward. If two people stand side by side in the escalator at the same time, it will block the channel and prevent others from moving. When you take the escalator, you should generally keep a step away from the person in front (especially when there are women in front of men) and keep a certain distance to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding.