Hello again!

Since arriving in America, I have been in a constant state of culture shock.  Although Japan and the U.S. share many similarities, Japanese culture is in fact totally different from American culture, especially when it comes to customs.  Hence, based on my experience so far in the U.S., I would like to explain the differences for each of culture below.

First, bowing is an important Japanese custom. Japanese always bow when they greet someone.  For example, we usually bow if we catch someone’s eyes; businessmen bow even when they are just on the phone.  When we say goodbye, we bow over and over again.  Also we have basically 3 types of bows.  When you greet someone, you should bow by dropping into a 15-degree bend from the waist. When you return a favor, do 30-degree bend from the waist. Then when you apologies someone, do 45-degree bend from the waist.
But in my impression so far, Americans greet each other simply by saying just “Hi” or “Hello”, very simple. They definitely don't bow to each other, nor do they give seasonal greetings, as the Japanese often do.