Question of Etiquette

[JasonS]

My kendo club is holding a tournament this weekend, and the Consul-General of Japan in Portland will be attending as a guest. This raises the question... What is the correct etiquette in greeting or speaking with the Consul-General? No one in the club knows the answer to this.

We're not sure when he will arrive, although we can probably call/email his office and find out. We also don't know if he will be alone or with a guest (we could probably ask this as well).

Any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Jason

ps - sorry if this is the wrong sub-forum for the post

 

[Ashikaga]

He/She is just the Consul-General. It's not like you'll be having the Emperor as a guest. Just treat him like you would anyone else in your community.

 

[epigene]

My kendo club is holding a tournament this weekend, and the Consul-General of Japan in Portland will be attending as a guest. This raises the question... What is the correct etiquette in greeting or speaking with the Consul-General? No one in the club knows the answer to this.

Yeah, I agree with Ashikaga-san. The person is just a government bureaucrat, not a member of the Imperial Family. Just give him due respect you would give as an American to any important person in your community.

We're not sure when he will arrive, although we can probably call/email his office and find out. We also don't know if he will be alone or with a guest (we could probably ask this as well).

I think he will most likely have company (maybe staff from his office or family) and think you're right to check with his office.

 

[Kirakira1232]

In Japanese or English?

If you dont know any Japanese just treat him/her with courtesy and politeness. Shake his hand and say "Nice to meet you" I'm sure it will be fine ^^;

 

[epigene]

In Japanese or English?

If you dont know any Japanese just treat him/her with courtesy and politeness. Shake his hand and say "Nice to meet you" I'm sure it will be fine ^^;

The person is a Consul-General! A trained diplomat from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He's bound to be a fluent English speaker.

If he's not, I suspect nepotism...

 

[JasonS]

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

I'm sure he is fluent in English, but since we do have a few native Japanese speakers in the club, we'll probably greet him in Japanese.

It does make sense to me to treat him with respect, but not to go overboard.

Thanks again!

 

[Kirakira1232]

The person is a Consul-General! A trained diplomat from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He's bound to be a fluent English speaker.
If he's not, I suspect nepotism...

No no I wasnt implying that at all ^^ I was just wondering if they wanted to impress him by addressing him in Japanese.