When customers enter a restaurant in Japan, they are typically greeted by the wait staff with a standard welcoming phrase. This helps set the tone for the dining experience and makes customers feel acknowledged and valued. The exact phrase used can vary depending on the type of restaurant, the formality, and the region in Japan. However, there are some common elements that appear frequently.
Common greeting phrases
Some of the most common greeting phrases used by waiters and waitresses in Japan include:
– Irasshaimase (いらっしゃいませ) – This is the standard greeting said when customers enter a restaurant or shop in Japan. It broadly means “Welcome.”
– Youkoso irasshaimashita (ようこそいらっしゃいました) – This phrases also means “Welcome” but in a more polite, formal way. The “irasshaimashita” ending makes it more formal.
– Okyakusama, irasshaimase (お客様、いらっしゃいませ) – This welcomes the “honored customer” and is common at higher-end restaurants.
– Konbanwa gozaimasu (今晩はございます) – Meaning “Good evening,” this is frequently used at night.
Regional differences
While those phrases are common nationwide, there are some regional dialects and differences worth noting:
– Kansai region – The phrase “Okini irasshai” (おきにいらっしゃい)is often used in this region instead of irasshaimase.
– Okinawa – “Nifee deebiru” (にふぇーでーびる) is a distinctive Okinawan language welcome.
– Hokkaido – “Okini oidekudasaimase” (おきにおいでくださいませ) is commonly used in this northern island.
Other welcoming gestures
In addition to spoken greetings, waiters in Japan often bow and use other welcoming gestures:
– Bowing – Staff will frequently bow as customers enter and are escorted to tables. The depth of the bow depends on the formality.
– Hand gestures – Gesturing with an open palm to guide customers to their table is common.
– Tea or towels – Serving complimentary tea or cool towels is a hospitable custom.
– Menu presentation – Staff may formally present menus with two hands as a sign of respect.
Specific phrase examples
Here are some examples of common Japanese restaurant welcome phrases:
Casual/informal:
– Irasshaimase! This way to your table please.
– Youkoso! I’ll show you to your seats right over here.
Polite:
– Irasshaimase gozaimasu. Allow me to escort you to your table.
– Youkoso irasshaimashita. Please come this way, honored customers.
Very formal:
– Okyakusama, irasshaimase. We humbly welcome you to our restaurant. Please follow me to your seats.
– Konbanwa gozaimasu, okyakusama. Good evening, esteemed guests. Right this way.
Purpose and effect
Using these polite, welcoming phrases serves multiple purposes in Japanese culture:
– Shows respect – Honorific language conveys respect for customers.
– Establishes expectations – The formality helps set expectations for service quality.
– Provides hospitality – Warm, gracious welcomes make customers feel comfortable.
– Reflects cultural values – Hospitality and customer service are highly valued.
– Creates atmosphere – Welcoming customers helps set an enjoyable dining mood.
Variations by restaurant type
The exact phrases used will vary depending on the restaurant type and formality level:
Types of Restaurants
| Restaurant Type | Sample Greeting |
|---|---|
| Casual, everyday eateries | Irasshaimase! Welcome! |
| Family restaurants | Youkoso! Right this way please. |
| Upscale/fine dining | Konbanwa gozaimasu. Please come this way. |
| Traditional inns (ryokan) | Okini irasshaimase. We humbly welcome you. |
| Omakase sushi | Okyakusama, irasshaimase. Please follow me. |
As shown, higher-end and more formal restaurants tend to use more polite language and gestures. Budget, casual spots use simpler greetings.
How wait staff are trained
Providing excellent customer service is highly emphasized in Japanese restaurant training. Here are some key points:
– Formal training programs – Many restaurants have extensive hospitality training.
– Role playing – Staff practice greeting customers and showing them to tables.
– Feedback and evaluation – Management monitors and provides feedback on service.
– Attention to detail – Precise bow angles, hand motions, and tone of voice are refined.
– Etiquette manuals – Detailed instructions provide standards for ideal service.
– Investing in experience – Restaurants invest significant time and resources into training.
– Continuous improvement – Service quality is continually evaluated and improved.
The result is wait staff that are polished, gracious, and attentive, able to provide a positively memorable dining experience.
Importance of first impressions
The initial welcoming phrases and gestures help create important first impressions and set the tone for the rest of the visit:
– Warm welcomes immediately make customers feel valued.
– Polite, respectful language conveys an elegant ambience.
– Customers observe if staff seem well-trained based on service.
– The overall dining experience often hinges on first impressions.
– A gracious welcome helps justify premium prices at upscale places.
– Proper hospitality makes customers feel comfortable and respected.
– Good first service increases chances customers will return and recommend the restaurant.
Thus, Japanese restaurants pay close attention to perfecting each element of the initial welcoming process.
Cultural background
The emphasis placed on graceful welcomes and customer service stems from traditional cultural values in Japan:
– Omotenashi – This concept of warm hospitality and exemplary service is deeply ingrained.
– Respect for guests – Customers are treated with utmost respect and honor.
– Attention to detail – Precise, perfected service shows respect and care.
– Reputation and pride – A restaurant’s reputation hinges greatly on service quality.
– Excellence and dignity – Customers expect flawless, dignified service at high-end places.
– Consistency and standards – Service is held to strict standards set by training and tradition.
– Hierarchy and status – Honorific language acknowledges status and social position.
Understanding these cultural roots helps illustrate why restaurant welcomes are taken so seriously.
Comparison to other cultures
Compared to some other cultures, Japanese restaurant greetings are notable for:
– Greater formality – More extensive use of polite, honorific language.
– Bowing and gestures – Frequent bowing and hand motions to physically welcome.
– More extensive training – Rigorous training programs for hospitality excellence.
– Consistency and precision – Carefully choreographed motions and phrases.
– Investment priority – Large investments made in customer service.
– Cultural roots – Strong foundations in cultural values like omotenashi.
– First impression focus – Strong emphasis on perfecting each element of initial welcome.
Of course, excellent service is valued worldwide. But there are some distinctive aspects to the precision and formality found in Japan.
Changes over time
Some changes can be seen in restaurant greetings over time:
– More casual language – Some youth speak informally, use “irasshai” not “irasshaimase.”
– Simpler gestures – Bowing and hand motions may be simpler compared to the past.
– More individuality – Increased flexibility for staff to show personality.
– Foreign influences – More casual, conversational approaches adopted from abroad.
– Service innovations – Some modern restaurants try creative new forms of hospitality.
– COVID impacts – Pandemic has reduced bowing and close contact between staff and customers.
Yet even with these changes, the core emphasis on gracious welcomes and making guests feel valued remains intact.
Conclusion
The words spoken by wait staff when customers enter a restaurant in Japan reveal deeper cultural values about hospitality, respect, and service excellence. While phrases may vary by region and restaurant type, the intent is consistent – to warmly welcome guests and make them feel honored. Meticulous training and refinement over generations has ingrained high standards for greeting diners. Thus a simple “irasshaimase” welcomes not just customers, but an ancient, ongoing tradition of omotenashi.