Includes index

Whether you're in Japan for business or pleasure, spend a few hours with Etiquette Guide to Japan - not only will you save yourself a world of embarrassment, you'll find the answers to a plethora of puzzling protocols: Why is no one using their phone on the train? ; Why is half the population wearing masks? ; Why do my Japanses colleagues still use a fax machine? From name cards, bowing, and bathrooms to the latest in mobile phone manners and contemporary workplace etiquette, this revised and updated guide to Japanese cultural expectations will ensure a farewell to faux pas both inside and outside the office. -- from back cover

Origins of Japanese etiquette -- Role of harmony -- Vertical society -- Samurai legacies -- Language in Japanese etiquette -- Use of names -- Using titles -- When & how to bow -- Shaking hands the Japanese way -- Protocol of seating -- Dining etiquette -- Japanese way of drinking -- Paying bar & restaurant bills -- Public etiquette -- Electronic etiquette -- Using (& surviving) public transportation -- Bath & toilet protocal -- Importance of gift giving -- Japan's home-visiting etiquette -- Tea ceremony protocol -- Japan's festival culture -- Importance of the apology -- Expressing appreciation -- Dating in Japan -- Wedding customs -- Wakes, funerals & memorial services -- Shrine & temple etiquette -- Inns as portals to Japan's past -- Art of arts & craft -- People-watching -- Japan's greening -- Business in Japan -- Business etiquette -- Younger generation -- Changing role of foreigners in the workplace -- Introductions & relationships -- Name cards & how to exchange them -- Vague language -- Criticism taboos -- Pitfalls of praise in Japan -- Sayonara -- "If it must be so!"