Japanese body language

hi everyone..

as we know, sometimes people can understand each other without saying any words, they can understand each other from gestures.

Doriya talked about body language in general, and I enjoyed her presentation a lot, as all of you did. But, today I am going to talk Japanese body language in specific.

No

Waving the hand, thumb towards the face, back and forth as if fanning in short strokes, means no, not me, or no thank you.

Excuse me.

Used when cutting between two people, or as a general apology.

Indicates an angry person

Let's go eat.

Index and middle finger extended in front of mouth to resemble chopsticks, as if shoveling food from the other hand, which is cupped like a bowl

Money.

Fingers in the shape of a coin. Similar to an OK sign, but in Japan it means money.

Me?

A combination hand and facial expression used in the same way as Westerners pointing to their chest and asking "Me?", except the Japanese point to the tip of their nose. This is a very common sign

(You Fool!)" head slap,

It means that you are a silly person

Receiving and giving

Done with two hands, held out in front with a bow, when receiving gifts, rewards and diplomas

(Bowing from the waist)

It shows respect to others.

Now I will show a video about japans body language.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g10J0vQisM

Al-jowhara Menahi Al-dehani

Hellow everybody, I want to talk about something related to body language or how your body is speaking। The thing that makes me bring this issue, is the amazing thing that the experts of the body language in USA do. They try to read every movements of the body or gestures of any famous one, whether he is a politics , an actor or anything else. For me, the first time I notice this thing, when I watched a discussion on TV between Bill Clinton and Georg Bosh the father. Wow it was amazing, those experts start to read their body gestures to know whether they are honest or not. One of the readings that I do not forget it was , when Bill Clinton asked George Bosh the father a question, Bosh try to answer the question but while he was answering he put his hand inside his pocket . this reaction was meaning a lot for the experts. It means that George Bosh the father doesn't have an answer for Clinton, which means that Bosh wasn't ready for the question. This gives a negative impression to the experts about George Bosh the father. The conclusion is , you can understand others from their body movements and gestures without expecting any verbal talks. And here I have two videos about body language. The first one is about how your body is speaking ,and the second one is how the experts in the USA are reading the body language of the famous people.
13-5-2010. Doriya Sayed Hashim.

Body language across cultures

Forms of Greeting
Handshakes:

United States and Canada: Firm handshake.
France: Soft, quick handshake.
Japan: Handshake with arm fully extended, accompanied by a bow.
Germany: Firm handshake. Men traditionally accompany the handshake with a slight bow.
Middle East: Handshake with the free hand placed on the forearm of the other person.
Bowing: Many people from Asian cultures bow in greeting. In Japan, people bow with their hands at their sides, and the depth of the bow is related to the level of respect due to the other person. Thais bow with their palms together and fingers outstretched, while people from Cambodia and Laos bow with their hands in front of their chests. Pakistanis use the salaam, and bow with the palm of the right hand on their foreheads.

Hugging and Kissing: Native Hawaiians hug and exchange breaths in a custom called "aha." Mexicans will usually hug upon greeting (the abrazo). Men in many parts of the world exchange kisses on the cheek, and places where this is a common practice include Cuba, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.
For the Maori of New Zealand, a traditional greeting includes the pressing together the noses (the hongi), and a cry of welcome (the karanga).

Other Body Language
Eye Contact: In Western cultures, people make intermittent eye contact while speaking to demonstrate interest and trustworthiness. People in the Middle East use very intense and prolonged eye contact to gauge someone else's intentions, and will move in very close to see the other person's eyes better. However, in Japan direct eye contact is interpreted as an invasion of a person's privacy and an act of rudeness.
Smiling: North Americans usually smile automatically when greeting others, while people from other cultures may interpret this as insincere. Asian people smile less than Westerners, and in Korea it is considered inappropriate for adults to smile in public. For Koreans, a smile usually indicates embarrassment, and not pleasure.
Head Shaking: Although usually shaking one's head from side to side is used to indicate "no," even this simple gesture doesn't have a universal meaning! Bulgarians shake their head to indicate agreement, and people from southern India and Pakistan move their head from side to side to express a variety of meanings. Depending on context, this headshake could mean "you're welcome," "goodbye," enjoyment, the equivalent of a shrug, or that the person acknowledges what another person has said.
Posture: In the Middle East, it is extremely offensive to point the bottom of one's foot in another person's direction – so sitting cross-legged might be a bad idea!
Personal Space: The amount of personal space North Americans require is about the length of an arm. The French, Latin Americans, and Arabs need less personal space, while Germans and Japanese need more. The size of one's personal space may also be influenced by social status, gender, age, and other factors.

body language

it is said that women are better at reading body language then men, do you think this is true? and why?

Proper ways to say good bye in different cultures around the world ( Hanan )

I will start with the great USA: When telling someone good bye that’s about all you have to say. Bye, see you later, talk to you later, see you tomorrow, and the list goes on. Although there is a proper way of saying good bye to a person you just meet like it was nice meeting you, good seeing you hope to talk to you again soon, or my favorite its been real meeting you I’ll catch you later. As Americans we are just not to formal with hellos and good byes yet they are the key point of communication in our society.

I will only hit five other countries Great Britain, Russia, China, Japan, and Mexico

Great Britain: Things like god be with ye and cheerio are said with a good firm hand shake. Looking you right in the eye so that you get a feel of the other person.

Russia: Do svidanja yeah its hard to say but it is said at a distance but again looking each other in the eyes. Contact is not mandatory but placing a hand on the other persons shoulder is a sign of respect.

China: Joi gin, Joi wooi, Wa ki liao it all depends on the dialect that you are useing. Makeing a fist with the right hand and placing it in the palm on the left hand, never close it over. With a slight head bow never looking at the person you are saying goodbye to. To look is a way of showing your distrust.

Japan:Sayonara, Itte kimasu, Itte irasshai,ltte rasshai, Itte mairimasu, Dewa mata, Jaa, mata atashita, Jaa, mata ashita aimashou, Dewa sono uchi ni
Jaa nee, Jaa mata, Bai bai, Soreja, Soreja mata, Sainara, Hona sainara, Hona sainara, and Mata ai masho. For a island counrty there are alot of diffrent ways of saying goodbye. A goodbye should be accompanied by a bow with both hands open at your sides facing towards you.

Mexico (Spanish): Adios being the most common. When saying good bye its good to give a little bit of space but do not get uncomfortable if your space is invaded. The people of Mexico are very relaxed people and like there space but are very easy going. When you say good bye say it in a tone that says I will see you later.

Forms of Greeting by using the body language (Hanan)

Handshakes:

• United States and Canada: Firm handshake.
• France: Soft, quick handshake.
• Japan: Handshake with arm fully extended, accompanied by a bow.
• Germany: Firm handshake. Men traditionally accompany the handshake with a slight bow.
• Middle East: Handshake with the free hand placed on the forearm of the other person.
• 
  

Bowing: Many people from Asian cultures bow in greeting. In Japan, people bow with their hands at their sides, and the depth of the bow is related to the level of respect due to the other person. Thais bow with their palms together and fingers outstretched, while people from Cambodia and Laos bow with their hands in front of their chests. Pakistanis use the salaam, and bow with the palm of the right hand on their foreheads.

Hugging and Kissing: Native Hawaiians hug and exchange breaths in a custom called "aha." Mexicans will usually hug upon greeting (the abrazo). Men in many parts of the world exchange kisses on the cheek, and places where this is a common practice include Cuba, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.

For the Maori of New Zealand, a traditional greeting includes the pressing together the noses (the hongi), and a cry of welcome (the karanga).

Other Body Language

Eye Contact: In Western cultures, people make intermittent eye contact while speaking to demonstrate interest and trustworthiness. People in the Middle East use very intense and prolonged eye contact to gauge someone else's intentions, and will move in very close to see the other person's eyes better. However, in Japan direct eye contact is interpreted as an invasion of a person's privacy and an act of rudeness.

insults, for example. You know, forms of communication that say, “in your face, jerk!” Aussies (citizens of Australia) often extend the thumb as if to say yes (our meaning, not theirs – as in thumbs up from Roger Ebert), except as if to mean to say “you idiot!” Meanwhile, in North America, we give offensive people the middle finger because it looks like a certain male body part when formed with our hands. Other cultures ma insult people with the finger-thumb zero sign (which we see as “A-OK” here), a v-shape formed with the first two fingers after the thumb (we call that the “victory sign”) or the index finger and the small little finger all the way back from the thumb.

Another common gesture people can mix up in different countries is the “he is acting like he is crazy” motion. In North America, we point to our heads and swirl our fingers clockwise to indicate such inferior unintelligent behavior. If you do that in Japan, however, you make it look to locals as if you mean otherwise (as if he is thinking intelligently). However, reversing the motion DOES indicate to a man native to, say, Tokyo or Nagasaki, that he should correct his behavior to correct standards. The point is clear: different cultures call for different body language standards.