Why Japanese people bow to each other when greet?

Answer 1

That tradition started in ancient China, from which the ancient Japanese kept learning a large variety of things for centuries. That's why the Japanese language, architecture, costumes, foods, religion, art, and etc are still similar to those in China, which began to decline in the 1850's, when the European countries, especially England began to rise. Japan, as a result, has been learning from the English speaking nations ever since and they have been good at learning indeed. They did not invent cars or TV, but they produce the world's best automobiles and electronics. They simply know how to learn from foreign civilizations. That's the one thing they have been extremely good at for at least 1000 years. We the Chinese today no longer bow, the tradition therefore is only preserved in our next door neighbor Japan. They bow to express respect. Just like being charming in America, being respectful is the first step towards friendly communications in Japan and Asia in general. (In China people shake hands.)