In my opinion, Japanese people are very polite and well-mannered. The main reason is Japanese people always greet each other when they meet especially they will bow. By now, most people are familiar with the idea of Japanese people bowing to each other in Japan, and though it has been greatly exaggerated in movies and television, it is the method used when Japanese great each other. I feel that this Japanese Culture is very unique because very few people of the world adopt this bowing culture nowadays, but the Japanese people still keep bowing as one of their cultures. Besides, bowing in Japan is distinct from other East Asian cultures when done in more traditional settings such as during a tea ceremony or during the beginning and end of a traditional martial arts match. Like me, a Chinese, sometimes, I also bow, but bowing is normally reserved for occasions such as marriage ceremonies and as a gesture of respect for the deceased. It is practiced at funerals, ancestral worship, and in the religious ceremonies. Unlike Japanese people, bowing is not as formalized and we greet by shake hands or nod head.
Later, I found that bowing culture is known as Ojigi in Japan. Ojigi (bowing) is an essential part of Japanese daily life. Ojigi is the Japanese way of greeting, i.e. a simple bow from the waist. It is also common to see Japanese people bow when saying hello, thanking someone, apologizing, saying good-bye and introducing themselves. It is a sign of respect given by the person bowing to the person bowed before. Although shaking hands (akushu) has become accepted as a form of greeting, many Japanese still are not used to it. I think that we should adopt this bowing culture to show our respect to others especially young generation nowadays.
I found that it is very interesting to know that there are different ways of bowing. Generally speaking, older women bow very politely. There are many who bow deeply while shaking hands at the same time, and there are others who bow many, many times. However, greetings between friends are fairly informal. They would casually raise their hands or slightly lower their head (eshaku). Men bow with their hands held at their sides, palms facing inward. Women bow with their hands crossed in front of them. If they are sitting in a chair, they stand up to bow. If they are sitting on zabuton (a cushion for tatami mat), they move from it to bow with legs under the body (heal touching buttocks)and put both hands lightly on the tatami in front of their body when bowing. Foreigners, like us, are not expected to bow, but it is considered impolite not to return a bow or at least nod.
In conclusion, I am very fond of Ojigi. Although Ojigi just a simple bow, how many people are willing to bow like Japanese people. In Malaysia, we feel uncomfortable and weird when people bowed to us, so we seldom bow to each other. If I have a chance, I would like to practice Ojigi. Ojigi- a simple bow, but a wonderful practice.
