Hi. So I am travelling to Japan in few weeks and among some sightseeing I will have to deal with purchases for a business, where I work (teashop). So far I have only dealt with Japanese businesses via email, where I use quite polite written language. This time I will be visiting mostly small shops and farmers, without any prior contact, buying stuff and making contacts. With some of them I will try to make a deal to send us fresh tea once it’s ready this year, possibly continuing yearly etc. The amount wouldn’t be tiny, but not something huge either, so I don’t know how much of a businesses partner to think of myself lol.
How polite should I be?
I have just passed N1 last year and I can form keigo phrases, but I always have a problem with exactly how polite to be when. Is desu, -masu form enough or should I be using (only) sonkeigo and kenjougo? I want to establish good relationships with these people, as I might have to deal with them for years. I don’t want to be too cold, but I would like to come through as polite, professional and reliable.
1 comment
(IMO) As a foreigner, just the fact that you’re forming correct desu-masu sentences is probably amazing, but from the fact that you’re Japanese is probably very good, using keigo might be more expected (but excusable if you’re making mistakes).
I’d try your best with keigo, and assuming the business relationship is good on both sides, it probably won’t be too big of an issue.
If you want this to be perfect, you might want to hire a Japanese buyer to negotiate these contracts in person.