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Avoid direct contact. Hold only brief eye contact. Give a small bow or dip of the head. Shake hands. Offer a smile.
Even if you feel comfortable with physical affection or physical demonstrations of familiarity, do not assume that the people around you feel the same way. Even in informal situations, stick to a simple bow and maintain a healthy distance. This is particularly important as people of different sex and gender identifications as it maybe be considered inappropriate and impolite to exchange physical contact in public, not because of queer identification, however, because traditionally on a binary system individual of different sex/gender identification do not engage in excessive physical contact. In more informal situations, you can make eye contact, but do not hold it for an extended period of time. Instead, allow your gaze to linger for a matter of seconds before moving to another focal point. Follow the lead of the person with whom you are associating. If they do not initiate eye contact, you should follow suit. Even in informal situations, you should offer a bow as a form of greeting. The depth of your bow will determine how much reverence or respect you are offering, so a small bow from the waist or a gentle dip of the head will suffice for an informal setting. If you do not know the people to whom you are bowing, engage in a more pronounced bow and reserve gentle nods for acquaintances or known colleagues. In an informal setting, feel free to offer up a handshake, but do not be too firm or aggressive. Instead, keep your hand loose. Handshakes are also not held as long in Japan as they might be in Europe or the United States. Rather than holding a firm handshake for ten seconds or more, grasp hands for a maximum of five seconds before letting go. Large displays of emotion are not common in Japanese culture, so don't be surprised if you do not encounter a lot of friendly smiling. If you are familiar with someone, however, don't feel you have to shy away from smiling or grinning.