Since the 2010s, Japan has actively welcomed inbound tourism, and today the number of foreign visitors to the country has reached nearly 40 million per year. When the media interviews these visitors, one comment is heard repeatedly: “Japanese people are very polite.”
I personally believe that polite people can be found outside Japan as well, and especially in business settings, few people intentionally try to make others uncomfortable. In that sense, Japan is no different from other countries—there are polite people and less polite people everywhere. That said, there may be something like an internal “protocol” of politeness among Japanese people. Perhaps it is this shared, implicit understanding that makes Japan appear particularly polite to outsiders.
Still, it would be hard to say that most Japanese people have fully mastered this protocol. One area that is emphasized in both business and daily life is greetings, yet people who fail to greet properly—or whose greetings are barely audible—are by no means rare.
I am one of them.
There Are Ups and Downs in Work, but Not in Greetings
Compared with neighboring Koreans and Chinese, Japanese people tend to be very shy. Even when they understand that greetings are important, some hesitate to raise their voice out of embarrassment.
As mentioned above, I fall squarely into this category. What prompted me to reconsider this tendency was a phrase spoken by a Japanese comedian, Kunihiro Matsumura.
The phrase was: “There is no slump in greetings.”
In the video embedded above, Matsumura appears seated on the right. On the far left is Hikaru Ota, a member of the comedy duo Bakusho Mondai, and between them is Shinya Ueda of the duo Cream Stew.
Matsumura is best known for his skillful impersonations. At a time when some comedians in Japan make one wonder whether what they do can truly be called “art,” he unquestionably delivers real performance. Among his impersonations, he is especially famous for portraying Takeshi Kitano, known internationally under his real name.
Now, back to the point.
In the video, the discussion leading up to the key moment includes an anecdote about how Matsumura has impersonated many famous Japanese figures yet has rarely been scolded by them. He also explains that he consistently sends seasonal gifts—ochugen in summer and oseibo at year’s end, a traditional Japanese custom—to the people he impersonates.
Then, when Ota prompts him with, “What was it again? ‘In greetings…?’”, Matsumura explains his personal motto: “There is no slump in greetings.”
In any job, performance inevitably fluctuates. Some days are good; others are not. Greetings, however, are different. They are unaffected by such ups and downs. Anyone can greet properly, at any time. And if one does that, good human relationships can follow. That, I believe, is the idea Matsumura expresses through this phrase.
When I heard it, I experienced what we call haraochi in Japanese—a deep, intuitive understanding. Since then, I have made a conscious effort to greet others loudly enough for them to clearly hear me.
The Meaning of Greetings in Japan
The way greetings are perceived varies greatly from country to country. Still, there is one common thread: greetings function as a signal to begin communication. In Japan, greetings serve this purpose as well, but they also carry additional meanings related to courtesy, human relationships, and basic social conduct.
Despite this, many Japanese people struggle with greetings. Or rather, “struggle” may be the wrong word—one does not need to greet skillfully. Simply speaking at a volume that reaches the other person is enough to be regarded as someone who can greet properly. Yet even that proves difficult for some.
I believe what Matsumura implies is that, as long as one can greet properly, one can at least function in society.
Therefore, when doing business with Japanese people, simply remembering to greet them can already leave a positive impression. In the morning, say ohayō gozaimasu; in the afternoon, konnichiwa; in the evening, konbanwa. If your counterpart knows that you are not a native Japanese speaker, they will likely appreciate the effort even if the greeting is not perfectly accurate.
There is no slump in greetings. I hope this proves helpful.
