70 Japanese Gestures: No Language Communication Mass Market Paperback – January 1, 2008

This is a fun little book with pictures showing many common (and some not-so-common) Japanese gestures. So much can be conveyed by non-verbal communication, and while language books and cultural guides are invaluable, so is this!The way people gesture to say 'come here', 'I agree', or 'you' for example are not exactly what westerners are used to and could easily be misinterpreted. Some gestures are purely Japanese as well.The gestures are introduced by showing a picture of the motion in question, with swishy/brush marks to indicate direction of movement. I have to admit I am more of a visual learner, but for that to work I have to see the actual movements. The pictures come close but for a couple I do remain stumped (and plan on picking the brains of some co-workers to clear up). The pictures are also accompanied by a brief description that explains the motion, the meaning and the context used.I think looking this over prior to a visit, then keeping it handy during a visit would be the best use--I really got the picture (so to speak) much more clearly for having seen so many of the gestures in action.Also of note, the book was written by a Japanese individual and translated. I was eating dinner with my family last night and reading through the book with them, and our Japanese waitress was fascinated and started reading it with us. We wrote down the title/author for her (yay for Amazon.co.jp)! In any case she loved it and thought it was great we were reading it.To sum up...a great book to supplement other pre-travel reading and learning and one that is very useful after arrival as well. Highly Recommended!JTGOh, and the author recommended looking at manga and old films (such as Kurasawa's) because often they use a lot of gestures instead of words. This will give practice in learning the gestures, and conversely, the book will help you understand the films better I imagine too...

Japanese only actually use a few of these gestures. A lot of them are just dumb and seem made up.

Honestly, I didn't have that high expectations when I got it and picked it up to read it. The pictures are strange, with the face blurred out. One or two of the gestures it's hard to tell what they're doing exactly. Still, this book is filled with humor and it was worth the read. It shows different versions of the gestures, and how to make the gestures have different meanings or be more offensive. It also tells you if it used by someone older or younger, male or female, and when to/not to use it. They have a little description of the model at the back of the book, and that to me was neat. But the book has a paragraph with each picture, and the word is written in both romaji and kana, which is nice. I thought it was quite funny and even interesting. Definitely borrow it from a friend or buy it used, because it is short! I enjoyed it quite a bit.

It is hard to imagine why a person would learn the Japanese language and either remain aware or not bother to look into the non-verbal communication that takes place with gestures. Because of the characters and pronunciation, and nuances of certain words, Japanese can be difficult for native English speaking persons. Anyone spending the time and effort to speak and be understood in Japanese may be expecting to visit Japan or have dealings with Japanese. Therefore, persons with that intent should include in their understanding that the gestures described in this book play a role. The gestures are clearly illustrated in photographs and cover often-used expressions.

Though I have taken two semesters of Japanese language classes, and have supplemented these studies myself, no one ever taught me about these nonverbal gestures. I recognized plenty of them from Japanese films and anime, however, I had never discearned thier meanings myself. This book was very entertaining and informative. It helped me to have a better understanding of Japanese language and culture. Now, when I see these gestures being done in Japanese films, I understand why they are making them.

This book is hilarious and at the same time informative! Who knew learning could be so entertaining? It has a lot of fun insights into different aspects of Japanese culture. I only wish the book was longer and went more in-depth.

I purchased this because I moved to Japan. A lot of these gestures are dated, but you're sure to entertain an Obaa-chan by using them.

I was hoping to get the really funny gestures I see in the Anime I watch. While some of these are really entertaining, I was disappointed to see most of the anime gestures were left out.

Absolutely fine and dandy, although a good chunk of it is stuff that will possibly offend surrounding company if used.

Als Weinachtsgeschenk für meinen Bruder ist das Buch gut angekommen, es ist übersichtlich gemacht und wirklich witzig und informativ. Für Leute die sich gerne mit Japan/Japanisch beschäftigen ist es das richtige.Das Buch ist nur etwa genauso groß wie meine Hand und lässt sich dadurch noch in jede volle Tasche quetschen .

Funny and great way to learn Japanese gestures! :DI read it in only 1 hour and with the explanations you can understand everything very well.

I didn't like the fact that this book had rude gestures. Not what I was expecting. I can imagine how young people might feel in today's workforce. Things are gonna change.

海外のビジネスパートナーへのお土産に最適だと思います。私たちの手仕草って独特なものなんだなと改めて感じます！