Don’t forget to bow
Bowing is the traditional form of greeting in Japan. The bow can range from a small nod to a deep bow, although for foreigners the former suffices. The longer and deeper the bow, the stronger the emotion and respect expressed. Bows are performed with the back straight and the hands at the sides (boys or men) or clasped in the lap (girls and women), and with the eyes down. Bows originate at the waist. Children normally begin learning how to bow at an early age and companies commonly provide training to their employees in how to execute bows correctly. If the other person maintains his bow for longer than the generally expected two or three seconds, it is polite to bow again, upon which one may receive another bow in return. This can lead to a long exchange of progressively lighter bows.