Ojigi

Ojigi, which is the Japanese bow, is the western equivalent of the handshake. This is a technique that Japanese people of all ages use to greet, depart, and express their gratitude to each other. There are differences in the way the males and females use ojigi. Males tend to leave their arms positioned to their sides, and bow at about a thirty degree angle. Females bend at about a thirty degree angle as well, but with their arms flat against their bodies in a "v" shape pattern in front of them. One's hands should cross one another as well when doing ojigi. The number of bows that are performed all depend on the situation and to who exactly you are using ojigi to. If it is to your friends or close family, a single bow will suffice. If to someone of a higher social staus than you, such as your boss, teacher, clients, or even the elderly, several bows should be performed, with the final bow being one at about fifty to sixty degrees. The final bow, to those of the higher social staus, should be held in position if they are departing, until the person has left your sight.

Using ojigi can be very complicated at first but anyone can master it, even foreigners. One might be surprised to know that most Japanese people will greet westerners with a handshake, but try a bow next time when you meet a Japanese person and you will be showered in compliments of being well-cultured about Japan. Do not worry about using ojigi incorrectly with a Japanese person, most of them will very happy to see that you are at least trying to be respectful, and they will truly see it that way. It is funny to look back to a few months ago when Obama visited the emperor and empress of Japan, in which they both have absolutley no sort of political power today, to the amount of uncultured remarks that many Americans made regarding Obama's ojigi towards the emperor and empress. They simply did not know that this was just a part of Japanese culture, and of the way that they greet one another. It was just a simple handshake, and Obama even shook hands at the same time while bowing to them. If you think about ojigi, it really is a more sanitary means of greeting one another, considering that one never really know where someone else's hands have been.