I received a post-card today from my hair salon. I've only been twice so far, but the hand-written card from my hairdresser thanked me, in English, for coming to her salon, and said that she was so glad I liked my hair.
That she'd made the effort to write this all in English was an especially nice touch, and reminded me of just how good the customer service is here in Japan.
Wherever you go, whether a cheap capsule hotel or a high-class resort, the people serving you are unfailingly polite and helpful.
I remember years ago in a department store, looking for a particular perfume; I asked the woman behind the counter whether she had it in stock. She looked eager to help, but frowned slightly at the question, then said she didn't have it, but could I wait just a minute? She picked up the phone, called a different shop accross the road, and confirmed that said shop did have what I was looking for. She smiled at me as she pointed in which direction I could find her competitor.
Even these days, whenever I stop a store clerk in a shop to enquire about a product, they are very happy to help, and they do it with a smile.
Restaurant service is also excellent, whether we're out fine-dining, or whether just ordering pizza, and going out to little local restaurants, the service is equally exemplary. And, I should emphasize that tipping is simply not done in Japan, so it's not about the tips.
Rather, I'd have to say that it's just part of the culture and part of taking one's job seriously, and taking pride in doing what you do very well.
1 comment:
Yes, we found the same attitude when we were in Japan. Once a group of us went to a restaurant that was too full to let us in; so the host put on his jacket and led us down the street to another place that had room for us!
Most of our biggest "culture shock" moments during our repatriation involved the total lack of those types of responses by our own American clerks in Michigan.
Extra note: thankfully, now that we are in the South, we are surrounded by a more helpful attitude, but still nothing to compare to Japan.
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