The Application of Aisatsu in Japanese Hospitality Culture

Abstract

Aisatsu is one of Japanese communication culture which is very important in Japanese society. The purpose of this study is to find out about the application of aisatsu in formal communication environment, especially within the scope of Japanese hospitality activities that focused on hotels and restaurants. The method for the research is a qualitative descriptive using library research as a methods for data collection. The data source collected from Japanese conversation’s books for special purposes: hotel and tourism. The results of this study shown that aisatsu in Japanese hospitality is not only serves as an ordinary greeting, but in a higher context, aisatsu is defined as an expression of praise, respect, and encouragement. There are two types of aisatsu commonly used in hotels and restaurants. The first one is aisatsu related to time, such as ohayou gozaimasu, konnichiwa and so on. The second one is aisatsu for visitors and customers, such as irasshaimase, youkoso, and omataseitashimashita. The key purpose of both expressions is to establish a good relationship between staff and guest.