Bowing Protocol

I had a really interesting conversation with some of the students the other day and I thought I'd share it.  As you might know, bowing is very common in Japan.  What you may not know (I certainly didn't) are the rules of said bowing.  It all started when one of the students addressed me as "Brittany sa ma."  I was somewhat confused by this because they usually call me "Buri chan."  When I asked them about it, they told me that "sa ma" is the polite form. 

Of course this led into an entirely different conversation about the levels of politeness and formality in Japan, which is seen in how you address people and how you bow to them.  Buri is kind of a nickname.  They pronounce my full name Buritany because in Japanese every consonant must be followed by a vowel sound.  The "chan" is just a way of addressing someone (like Miss, Mr. Mrs., etc.) except it's a very casual way of doing so.  You only use it if you are talking to a friend.  The next level is "san."  You would use this if you were talking to someone a little bit older than you, a co-worker, or someone else you are familiar with, but is not exactly your friend.  The highest level is "sa ma."  You would use this form when addressing a politician or your boss...someone you must be very respectful to.

There is a somewhat similar concept for bowing.  You should ALWAYS bow to someone that is not your friend when you greet them.  If it is at the acquaintance level, you may just nod your head a little bit as you pass them.  If it is someone that your are a little less familiar with, you should bow at a 45 degree angle.  Males should keep their hands at their sides and females should put their right hand over their left hand.  NEVER look at someone while you are bowing to them.  It's considered rude.  The highest level of bowing, which is of course reserved for those you would refer to as "sa ma," is a very deep bow, almost a 90 degree angle.

I really admire the immense respect that is present in Japanese culture.  While I also admire the concept of individuality in Americans, I think that sometimes we take it too far and forget to have respect.  The way the Japanese treat each other and really anyone they come in to contact is...well, classy.  They thank me for things that don't even deserve a thank you.  I'm very humbled by it and I've started to think twice about my actions.  I think I'm generally a polite person, but these students blow me out of the water.

Anyway, I hope you find this as interesting as I did.  I challenge anyone who reads this to bow to the next person that they thank.  It'll definitely throw them off.  ; )