Japanese

The country where handshakes, kisses and hugs did not get spread is Japan. In Japan, physical contact is considered impolite and even offensive. At the first meeting, the Japanese bow to the interlocutors. The highest-ranking man bows his head only slightly. The one whose status is the lowest bows much lower. At the first meeting, business cards are exchanged, so that all participants immediately understand each other’s status and can determine the depth of the bow.

In Japan, you should carefully monitor the condition of your shoes. Shoes must be new and immaculately cleaned. Every time a Japanese man bows to you, he pays attention to shoes.

The Japanese way of listening to the interlocutor is an endless series of smiles, nods and polite sounds, which have no equivalent in other languages. The role of these signals is to encourage the interlocutor to continue the conversation, but residents of Western countries often mistakenly take them for consent. A nod almost everywhere means consent. Only in Bulgaria is it a symbol of denial. In Japan, the nod is just a sign of politeness. If you say something that the Japanese cannot agree with, he will still nod and say “yes” (in Japanese - “hi”) so that you can continue. The Japanese "yes" means "yes, I am listening to you," and not at all "yes, I agree with you." If you ask the Japanese: “You do not agree, do you?”, He will nod and say yes, even if he disagrees with you. In Japanese, such an expression would mean: "Yes, you are right, I do not agree."
The Japanese are most concerned about preserving their own dignity. They designed the whole ceremony in order to avoid embarrassment. Try not to deny the Japanese and not to ask them such questions, the answer to which may be negative. The closest to refusal is the Japanese expression: “This is very difficult” or “We will think about it.” In fact, this means: "Forget and go home."