Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Will Respond Soon


I am having some trouble connecting with internet in Japan. I will get back to you as soon as I can.

I flew out of Minot North Dakota at 5:00 a.m. and had connecting flights in Minneapolis, and Denver. I arrived at the Sheraton Hotel in San Francisco at about 2:00. We had a brief meal and then we were greeted by the Deputy Consul General, Kazuyoshi Yamaguchi. During the orientation we were presented with a panel of past JFMFers. They provided us with insights from their past Japan travel. One of the most interesting parts of the orientation was a demonstration by David Satterwhite and Reiko Masuda. They demonstrated the proper protocol to exchanging business cards. In Japan the business card is an expression of the individual. The exchange of the cards is held with great respect. We learned the following protocol:
• Bow
• Present the card with both hands.
• The card should be facing the person you a giving it to so that they are able to read the name and the position.
• You state as you present it; I am …. (David Zwingel) I am the …. (Principal at Rugby High School)
• They other person does the same procedure as you.
• After the presentation of the card, you take the other person’s card with one hand as they take your card with one hand.
• You both then hold the other person’s card with two hands, bow and say “Thank you”.
• It is impolite to write on a business card in front of the giver.

I found the exchange of business cards to be a very respectful and polite method of greeting.

Third graders:
For a fun activity you might want to try making a simple business card. Put your name, address, phone, etc. on it. You could decorate it with a picture or symbol of something that represents something you like.

Once you have a card you could then go through an exchange it with someone in your class or with your teacher. If you follow the steps for exchanging cards you would get to experience how the Japanese express great respect for others through the exchange of cards.

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