Pinging you to this thread to expound on the Japanese culture WRT bowing. When, who, how much?
Thanks.
I’m thinking 0 is bowing way too low and the Emperor is not bowing enough (but, influenced by the overdone bow of 0, he probably figured he didn’t need to.
I am no expert in Japanese culture but I do know the manner in which you bow and the responding bow says something about each others status. This photo says Obama is a floor licker.
Body language experts call this bow the “Overcompensation Bow”.
It’s best used after bowing to a Saudi King to make sure you now look like you bow to everbody.
Pros: Japanese leaders are much shorter and he might throw out his back.
Cons: He now has to bow to every leader in the world...and that suff is supposed to happen behind closed doors after long-winded Apologia.
It is either a failure of an ability to project the United States of America properly when behaving abroad as our national representative (i.e. he is too green or ignorant or embarrassed of the United States), OR it another phenomenon at work: it is something I have seen some stupid, ignorant F-O-B Americans and other foreigners who have never been Japan, (who are in very senior positions, awkwardly confused about how to bow) on their first visit here think they will put in an extra 25 degree angle for good measure, trying to outdo the Japanese, and they end up looking rather foolish--both to the Japanese themselves, and to long time observers in Japan who are foreigners and never go that "native" or overboard. The US Embassy here should have had this scripted for the POTUS on these fine points. Maybe they did and he disregarded them, or maybe struck with a sick sense of "client-itis", the State freaks who are a bunch of weenies by the way, on purpose suggested he make a fool of himself like this. Wait till the Chinese and the North Koreans get ahold of this picture.
If AmericanInTokyo had the privilege of meeting the Emperor (I did when he was Crown Prince) I would have conducted such a bow.
But. I am not President of the United States.
Others who have been around here might have a different take; I am afterall just one opinion.
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