Visiting a Client Office in Japanese: Reception, Seating and Leaving Politely

Before you arrive: confirming the appointment and timing

A client visit starts the day before, with a one-line email confirming the date, time and place; it gives the client a chance to mention a change of room or an extra attendee. An appointment is an apo in casual speech and o-yakusoku in keigo when you speak to the client's staff.

On the day, be at the building ten minutes early and at the reception desk five minutes early. Use the spare time to check your papers, silence your phone and, in winter, take off your coat before you go in; visitors enter a client's office with the coat over the arm. If a train delay makes you late, phone before the appointment time with a realistic new arrival time.

The reception script: uketsuke

Reception, uketsuke, comes in three forms and the script barely changes. A large building has a staffed desk, often with a security gate; a mid-sized company has a phone on the counter with a list of extensions; a small office has a door you open while saying shitsurei itashimasu. In every case you give three pieces of information in order: your company, your name, and who you have an appointment with and when.

Notice the verbs. To mōshimasu is the humble form of to iimasu and the only way to introduce yourself here. O-yakusoku o itadaite orimasu, I have been given an appointment, puts the appointment in the client's gift, which is the polite framing. Attach sama to the name of the person you are visiting and add their department if you know it, because a large company may have several people with the same surname.

The receptionist will say shōshō o-machi kudasai, phone the person, and then either say tadaima mairimasu, they are on their way, or name a room. If there is a visitor's badge, nyūkanshō, wear it visibly and return it when you leave.

Waiting rooms and being shown in

You may wait in the lobby, in an ōsetsushitsu, a reception room, or in the meeting room itself. When a member of staff leads you, walk slightly behind them and let them press the lift buttons; in the lift the guide stands by the panel and you stand at the back.

At the room, the guide says dōzo o-hairi kudasai or kochira e dōzo. Say shitsurei itashimasu as you enter, even if the room is empty, and take the seat you are shown. If nothing is said, stand near the seat closest to the door, or sit in it, and stand again when the person you are meeting comes in. Put your bag on the floor beside your chair, not on the table. If tea is brought, thank the person and wait for the host's dōzo before drinking, unless the wait becomes long.

Seating, business cards and the opening greetings

Meeting rooms have an upper seat, kamiza, furthest from the door, and a lower seat, shimoza, nearest it. The kamiza belongs to the guest, with the most senior visitor furthest from the door and the most senior host opposite. If in doubt, wait to be placed.

When the person you are meeting enters, stand. First meetings begin with business card exchange: hold your card with both hands facing the other person, give your company, department and name with to mōshimasu, receive theirs with both hands, glance at it and place it on the table in front of you for the meeting. A separate guide on meishi etiquette covers the details; here it is enough to know that the exchange happens before anyone sits.

Then thank them for their time and state the purpose of the visit in one sentence. A small gift, temiyage, is handed over now with kokoro bakari desu ga. The host usually opens with dewa, hajimemashō ka, or a question about your journey, which needs only a short answer.

Wrapping up: summarising next steps

A Japanese meeting rarely ends with a decision announced on the spot. It ends with a clear list of what each side will do next and by when, and the visitor is expected to say it out loud. Introduce the summary with honjitsu no naiyō o kakunin sasete itadakimasu, then list the items with mazu, tsugi ni, saigo ni. The client's side will correct anything they see differently, which is the point.

If the client needs to consult someone else, they will say shanai de kentō shite, go-renraku itashimasu. Ask for a rough timing with itsu goro, but do not push for a date on the spot. When the host says honjitsu wa arigatō gozaimashita, reply with kochira koso and stand when they stand.

Leaving: shitsurei itashimasu at every door

Leaving has as many stages as arriving. Gather your papers and the client's business cards, which go into your card case. Push your chair in. At the meeting room door, turn, say shitsurei itashimasu and bow. The host will usually walk you to the lift or the entrance; keep the conversation light and thank them again as you walk.

At the lift, step in, turn to face the host, say honjitsu wa arigatō gozaimashita and bow as the doors close. At a ground-floor entrance, bow at the door. Put your coat on outside the building. Return any visitor's badge at reception with o-kaeshi shimasu and thank the receptionist too.

Vocabulary for a client visit

These are the words you will hear at reception, in the corridor and in the meeting room. Several, such as kisha and heisha, only make sense as a pair.

Titles matter too: buchō, department head; kachō, section head. Use the title with the surname, Satō-kachō, or the surname with sama, never both together.

The follow-up email and mistakes to avoid

The visit ends with an o-rei mēru sent the same day. It has a fixed shape: the client's company, department and name with sama on the first line; a thank-you for their time; two or three lines confirming what was agreed and the next step with a date; and a closing line such as hikitsuzuki yoroshiku onegai itashimasu. Attach any document you promised.

The mistakes that stand out are about order and register. Sitting before being invited is noticed. Putting a client's card in a trouser pocket or writing on it is a small insult. In speech, the common slips are using anata for the client, forgetting sama on the name of the person you are visiting, and answering keigo with a casual desu ne. If you slip, correct it in the next sentence and carry on. Company customs vary, so follow the host's lead and ask a colleague who has visited that client before.

• Do not arrive more than ten minutes early or a minute late without phoning
• Do not sit until you are invited, and do not take the kamiza uninvited
• Keep the client's card on the table during the meeting, then in your card case
• Do not use anata, kimi or the plain kaisha for the client or their company
• Do not put on your coat inside the building or in the lift
• Send the thank-you email the same day with the agreed next steps