what's the greeting 'sema sen' when stepping into a Japanese Restaurant?
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so when you walk in and the are standing attentatively, they say 'excuse me'?
if I bump into a stranger would I say 'excuse me'?
I don't know what kind of Japanese restaurant you've been going to but people don't say that when greeting at a restaurant. They usually say " Irrasshaimase " which means welcome.
"Suminasen" is excuse me, as in getting attention excuse me. For bumping into someone, one would say "Gomen nasai"
They say "Welcome" at just about every place here, and it really freaked us out when we first moved here. You walk into the donut shop, and every single person working there yells at you! The really odd part is that it's completely normal now.
If you watch Monsters, Inc., they actually say it in the sushi restaurant scene. We never caught until we had lived here, and we could scarcely believe it.
DivideBYZero
Lifer
- May 18, 2001
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Yep, I believe they usually greet you with "Irashai Mase" = welcome!
I love their enthusiasm over there. Go to a McDonald's in Japan and those workers are literally running around to serve you fast. It puts fast food worker around where I live (New Orleans area) to shame. They're so slow, in more ways than one.
my goodness there's so much difference if you want to get into mentioning about respect, and respect from the business to its customer in Japan, as you describe. most evident when it comes to something like McDonalds, who we all here in the States pretty much see as not the place for a 'fine' dining experience (I hope)... first thing off the back, McDonalds, KFC act more like restaurants over there, people pack the seats to eat in... nobody really grabs a meal from these places to go like it's done here...
still, the thankfulness they demonstrate there in a simple Wendy's can beat out that from IMHO 1/3 or more of the restaurants here that you blow 25-80bucks in one visit.
secondly I don't think whereas here, jobs in these places are the low end, high school kid type, over there it's not I don't think... I have seen the same thing in their simple supermarkets... in contrast to sometimes the supermarkets here, kids goofing off between the aisles, sad stressed faces behind the cashier... I can see the differences between ours and their 7-11s.. here, sometimes not even a thankyou... there, it's like you just spent $1000.00 when you might have just only bought a pack of gum and a soda.
but above all its still the respect as well as the professionalism that a worker puts to his/her job... they put aside their feeling if it is a crummy job or not... its not for the customer to know... unlike here... in any big metropolitan zone, go to the DMV, any govt. agency or fast food joint when you're seeking help? more too often you get some nasty attitude instead of being nice and attentative and cheerful... smile? forget about it.
still, the thankfulness they demonstrate there in a simple Wendy's can beat out that from IMHO 1/3 or more of the restaurants here that you blow 25-80bucks in one visit.
secondly I don't think whereas here, jobs in these places are the low end, high school kid type, over there it's not I don't think... I have seen the same thing in their simple supermarkets... in contrast to sometimes the supermarkets here, kids goofing off between the aisles, sad stressed faces behind the cashier... I can see the differences between ours and their 7-11s.. here, sometimes not even a thankyou... there, it's like you just spent $1000.00 when you might have just only bought a pack of gum and a soda.
but above all its still the respect as well as the professionalism that a worker puts to his/her job... they put aside their feeling if it is a crummy job or not... its not for the customer to know... unlike here... in any big metropolitan zone, go to the DMV, any govt. agency or fast food joint when you're seeking help? more too often you get some nasty attitude instead of being nice and attentative and cheerful... smile? forget about it.
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