Japanese Non-verbal communication: Bowing
Another type of non-verbal communication within the Japanese culture is the method of bowing. Bowing can be used in order to communicate many different meanings, depending on the person and the situation.
Situations: Japanese people have many occasions for which bowing is appropriate. Bowing is used when greeting or saying good-bye to others. It may be used for the purpose of gaining someone's attention. When a person agrees with someone, they will often bow. Bowing is also a way for Japanese people to show they are sincere in their feelings towards others. Thus, you will find people bowing to show their sympathy, apologies, gratitude, congratulations, and respect. Bowing is used in showing a wide array of emotions. People will also bow when they are offering something to someone, such as their hospitality, food, drink, gifts, and other offerings. It is sometimes seen as rude to ask for something from someone, especially if you are a guest. Hence, bowing is a way of showing humility for doing such an act. Humility is also shown through bowing in situations of apology and respect to others, as were mentioned above under ways of expressing emotions.
Below you can see four examples of bowing. Two are good, and two are bad.

Can you tell the difference? (You should be able to tell just from the pictures, but a Quicktime video may further help.)
Good Bad Good Bad Good Bad Good Bad