Bowing is an important part of Japanese culture – if meeting someone, thanking someone, taking leave of someone, asking for something or just being polite, one should bow. It's important to incline one's head with hands at the sides – the deeper the bow, the greater the respect being shown. It is considered impolite for a Japanese person ever to come out with a direct 'no’. Even a tiny hesitation or any vagueness in the response could actually mean 'no'.