Japanese Etiquette

GREETING ( About the Japanese way of Greeting )

In Japan, people greet each other by bowing. A bow ranges from a small nod of the head to a long, 90 degree bend at the waist. If the greeting takes place on tatami floor, people get on their knees in order to bow.

When bowing to someone of higher social status, a deeper, longer bow indicates respect. Conversely, a small head nod is casual and informal. However, most Japanese do not expect foreigners to know proper bowing rules and so a nod of the head is usually sufficient.

It is also common to bow to express thanks, to apologize, to make a request or to ask someone a favor.

Shaking hands is uncommon among the Japanese, but again, exceptions are made for foreigners.

HOW TO VISIT A TEMPLE OR A SHRINE ( How to behave at a shrine or Temple )

This page briefly describes the most important steps and manners with respect to visiting Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in Japan.

How to visit a temple

Behave calmly and respectfully. Show your respect by making a short prayer in front of the sacred object. Do so by throwing a coin into the offering box, followed by a short prayer.

At some temples, visitors burn incense (osenko) in large incense burners. Purchase a bundle, light them, let them burn for a few seconds and then extinguish the flame by waving your hand rather than by blowing it out. Finally, put the incense into the incense burner and fan some smoke towards yourself as the smoke is believed to have healing power. For example, fan some smoke towards your shoulder if you have an injured shoulder.

When entering temple buildings, you may be required to take off your shoes. Leave your shoes on the shelves at the entrance or take them with you in plastic bags provided at some temples. Wear nice socks.

Photography is usually permitted on the temple grounds. It is forbidden indoors at some temples. Watch for signs.

How to visit a shrine

Behave calmly and respectfully. Traditionally, you are not supposed to visit a shrine if you are sick, have an open wound or are mourning because these are considered causes of impurity.

At the purification fountain near the shrine's entrance, take one of the ladles provided, fill it with fresh water and rinse both hands. Then transfer some water into your cupped hand, rinse your mouth and spit the water beside the fountain. You are not supposed to transfer the water directly from the ladle into your mouth or swallow the water. You will notice that quite a few visitors skip the mouth rinsing part or the purification ritual altogether.

At the offering hall, throw a coin into the offering box, bow deeply twice, clap your hands twice, bow deeply once more and pray for a few seconds. If there is some type of gong, use it before praying in order to get the kami's attention.

Photography is usually permitted at shrines. Watch for signs.

NAMES ( ABOUT JAPANESE NAMES AND TITLES )

Name order :

In Japan, like in China and Korea, the first name follows the family name. A person with the first name "Ichiro" and the family name "Suzuki" is, therefore, called "Suzuki Ichiro" rather than "Ichiro Suzuki".

Family names :

Most Japanese family names consist of two kanji (Chinese characters). The meanings of many of the kanji used in family names are related to nature, geographical features or locations, for example, mountain (yama), tree (ki), rice field (ta), island (shima), village (mura), bridge (hashi), between (naka), below (shita) etc. Some of the most common Japanese family names are Sato, Suzuki, Takahashi, Tanaka and Watanabe.

First names :

Japanese first names also commonly consist of two kanji. The meanings of those kanji are often positive characteristics such as intelligence, beauty, love or light, names for flowers, the four seasons and other natural phenomena, or the order of birth (first son, second son, etc.).

Since quite a few kanji have identical pronunciations, first names that are pronounced the same, are not necessarily written with the same kanji. For example, there are about five common versions for the popular female first name Yoko, depending on the kanji for "Yo".

Not seldomly, the gender of a person can be guessed by the ending of his/her first name. First names ending with -ro, -shi, -ya, or -o are typically male first names, while names ending in -ko, -mi, -e and -yo are typically female first names.

The names of foreigners are usually written in katakana.

Titles :

The Japanese commonly address each other by last name. Only close friends and children are usually addressed by first name. In addition, people rarely address each other just by name, but usually attach an appropriate title to the name. There is a large number of such titles depending on the gender and social position of the person you are addressing. Some of the most frequently used titles are:

• San: (for example Sato-san)
  This is the most neutral and famous title, and can be used in most situations. Only in formal situations, san may not be polite enough.
• Sama: (for example Sato-sama)
  This is a more polite form of san, commonly used in formal situations and letters, but too polite in a casual context.
• Kun: (for example Yusuke-kun)
  This is an informal title used for boys and men that are younger than yourself.
• Chan: (for example Megumi-chan)
  This is an informal title used for young children and very close friends or family members.
• Sensei: (for example Sato-sensei)
  This is a title used for teachers, doctors and other people with a higher education and from whom you receive a service or instructions.

Seimei Handan :

Seimei handan or name diagnosis is a type of fortune telling concerning names. Its theories center around the number of strokes that are required to write the characters of a name. (Note that there is a defined number of strokes for every Japanese character).

Depending on the total number of strokes, and the sums of strokes for different parts of a name in relation to each other, a name is considered more or less auspicious. Some people consult seimei handan when selecting their child's name or their own artist name.

CHOPSTICKS ( HOW TO USE JAPANESE CHOPSTICKS )

Chopsticks are used to eat most kinds of Japanese foods, with some exceptions. Some of the most important rules to remember when dining with chopsticks are as follows :

• Hold your chopsticks towards their end, not in the middle or the front third.
• When you are not using your chopsticks, or have finished eating, lay them down in front of you with the tips to left.
• Do not stick chopsticks into your food, especially not into rice. This is only done at funerals with rice that is put onto the altar.
• Do not pass food directly from your set of chopsticks to another's. Again, this is a funeral tradition that involves the bones of a cremated body.
• Do not spear food with your chopsticks.
• Do not point with your chopsticks.
• Do not wave your chopsticks around in the air or play with them.
• Do not move plates or bowls around with your chopsticks.
• To separate a piece of food in two, exert controlled pressure on the chopsticks while moving them apart from each other in order to tear the food. This takes some practice. With larger pieces of food such as tempura, it is also acceptable to pick up the entire piece with your chopsticks, and take a bite.
• If you have already eaten with your chopsticks, use the opposite end to take food from a shared plate.

Knives and forks are used for Western food only. Spoons however, may be used with certain Japanese dishes such as donburi or Japanese style curry rice. A Chinese style ceramic spoon is sometimes used to eat soups.