History Main / JapanesePoliteness

* ''LightNovel/AscendanceOfABookworm''

* During the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, a lot of people cited this trope when pointing out that people in Japan often wore face masks in public during cold and flu seasons for many years before the pandemic in contrast to the resistance to the practice in the West, particularly among the American right wing. Many observers perceived that this was due to the lower social cohesion and greater sense of individualism in America in contrast to Japan, where people were more eager to mask up to protect others. It would be rude to infect other people.
[[/folder]]

* During the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, a lot of people cited this trope when pointing out that people in Japan often wore face masks in public during cold and flu seasons for many years before the pandemic in contrast to the resistance to the practice in the West, particularly among the American right wing. Many observers perceived that this was due to the lower social cohesion and greater sense of individualism in America in contrast to Japan, where people were more eager to mask up to protect others.

* ''Literature/TheExecutioner''. When Mack Bolan is visting Japan in "The Invisible Assassins", there's a scene where he's wondering what to do next and a line of school children file politely around him rather than disturb his contemplation.

From the Japanese perspective, just about everyone in the world except for Western aristocrats is unimaginably rude. Modern Americans, in particular what with their freedom-of-speech culture, are often stereotyped [[{{Eagleland}} as loud and obnoxious]] even when they're ''not'' unleashing actual {{Cluster F Bomb}}s. They do, however, have a lot of respect for the British due to [[BritishStuffiness shared norms of politeness]], which tends to be reciprocated. Likewise with the [[SweetHomeAlabama old American South]]; ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'' is [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff huge in Japan]] for its depiction of {{Southern Belle}}s and [[SouthernGentleman Gentlemen]] who are similar in many respects to idealized images of Japanese behavior, with the latter having a Bushido-like code of honor, and KFC owes a lot of its popularity in Japan to Colonel Sanders.

->How courteous is the Japanese:
->He always says, "Excuse it, please."
->He climbs into his neighbor's garden
->And smiles and says, "I beg your pardon."
->He bows, and grins a friendly grin,
->And calls his hungry family in.
->He grins, and bows a friendly bow:
->"So sorry, this my garden now."

* During the time of UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan and before when assassinations were a more common way of resolving disputes, political and otherwise, the assassin would go to the victim's home and kill him. Then, he would [[FauxAffablyEvil apologize to the servants]] (and the family, if they weren't targets as well) for messing up the house.

* During the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, a lot of people cited this trope when pointing out that people in Japan often wore face masks in public during cold and flu seasons for many years before the pandemic in contrast to the resistance to the practice in the West, particularly among American right wing. Many observers perceived that this was due to the lower social cohesion and greater sense of individualism in America in contrast to Japan, where people were more eager to mask up to protect others.

* During the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, a lot of people cited this trope when pointing out that people in Japan often wore face masks in public during cold and flu seasons for many years before the pandemic in contrast to the resistance to the practice in the West, particularly the U.S., claiming that the latter was due to the lower social cohesion and greater sense of individualism in contrast to Japan.

* Supposedly, some Japanese businesses hire a "rude American" coworker for the specific purpose of countering this- while the employees would never dream of contradicting the boss or explaining his latest idea is dumber than a screen door on a submarine, Americans are known to have no such taboos, and so can play HonestAdvisor[=/=]InnocentlyInsensitive to the boss without anyone involved losing face.

* As mentioned in the literature section, Yoko and her mother from ''Literature/TimothyGoesToSchool'' are very polite with people. Especially Yoko's mother who would give cookies to Timothy when he visits his best friend Yoko.

* As mentioned in the literature section, Yoko and her mother who appears in ''Literature/TimothyGoesToSchool'' are very polite with people. Especially Yoko's mother who would give cookies to Timothy when he visits his best friend Yoko.

** This is a common occurrence at international sporting competitions, along with Japanese athletes cleaning the locker room and leaving a note behind, thanking their host for the hospitality. The Useful/OlympicGames two years later, in the same Brazil of the World Cup, displayed this habit again.

The Japanese, in general, take the art and tradition of SacredHospitality ''very'' [[SeriousBusiness seriously]]. They will have many unwritten rules on etiquette and public social behaviour, not just amongst themselves but also to guests, visitors and anyone they may encounter in life in general. These include but are not limited to: [[HintDropping avoiding explicit disagreement or refusal]] at all costs as to not offend the guest; [[MyCountryRightOrWrong refraining from criticism of one's own in-group]] (whether that's your family, your company, your school club, or whatever) in front of outsiders; never bragging, either about yourself or about your in-group (you do not use honorifics about people from your own group while speaking with someone outside your group); [[ExtremeDoormat extraordinary deference]] toward others in general, especially on guests and authority figures; and indirectly praising others but always [[ThinkNothingOfIt downplaying one's own accomplishments]]. In a Japanese household, whenever introducing oneself to new guests and friends, offering [[SpotOfTea a Tea Ceremony]] is always a must. These are all taken to such extremes that it's necessary to learn a [[{{Keigo}} drastically different vocabulary and even set of grammar rules]] for expressing degrees of politeness in the Japanese language.

* An episode of ''Series/AreYouBeingServed'' featured a broad parody of a "[[JapaneseRanguage cledit]] [[AsianSpeekeeEngrish caa]]"-wielding JapaneseTourist who bows deeply and says "soooooooooooooo" at the least provocation.

* In Irrational Games' ''VideoGame/FreedomForceVsThe3rdReich'', Red Sun, an Energy X-infused Japanese army captain who reacted to the energy by turning into a lot of physically identical people who have a HiveMind, follows this trope. He views Freedom Force as a WorthyOpponent and spouts phrases like "You are a most worthy adversary. Please die.". At one point [[YouHaveFailedMe he kills a Nazi]] {{Mook}} over a BackStab on Tricolour and apologizing to the heroes for the Mook's rudeness. The game is an extremely faithful homage to UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}} comics, which often featured well-meaning writers and artists perpetuating unpleasant stereotypes while attempting to be anti-racist (Red Sun is also a ThirdPersonPerson and spreaks, er, speaks, with a pronounced {{Engrish}} accent).

The Japanese, in general, take the art and tradition of SacredHospitality ''very'' [[SeriousBusiness seriously]]. They will have many unwritten rules on etiquette and public social behaviour, not just amongst themselves but also to guests, visitors and anyone they may encounter in life in general. These include but are not limited to: [[HintDropping avoiding explicit disagreement or refusal]] at all costs as to not offend the guest; [[MyCountryRightOrWrong refraining from criticism of one's own in-group]] (whether that's your family, your company, your school club, or whatever) in front of outsiders; never bragging, either about yourself or about your in-group (you do not use honorifics about people from your own group while speaking with someone outside your group); [[ExtremeDoormat extraordinary deference]] toward others in general esp. on guests and authority figures; and indirectly praising others but always [[ThinkNothingOfIt downplaying one's own accomplishments]]. In a Japanese household, whenever introducing oneself to new guests and friends, offering [[SpotOfTea a Tea Ceremony]] is always a must. These are all taken to such extremes that it's necessary to learn a [[{{Keigo}} drastically different vocabulary and even set of grammar rules]] for expressing degrees of politeness in the Japanese language.

* When Wrestling/YoshihiroTajiri, Sakoda and Akio (later known as Jimmy Wang Yang) were a heel faction, they would sometimes subvert the trope - and gain CheapHeat - by [[FauxAffablyEvil smarmily bowing to their non-Japanese opponents with sardonic grins on their faces]].

* In ''Film/BigBirdInJapan'', Big Bird is coached on how to bow formally when meeting someone new, and to remove his shoes on entering a home. The shoes prove difficult because it turns out he doesn't have any shoes to take off. But he becomes quite accomplished at bowing, so much so that in trying to show [[OuthumblingEachOther extra respect to his hosts' grandparents]] he manages to [[{{Pratfall}} fall flat on his face]].