The sun had already begun dissolving into the reddening sea, an alarming reminder that we had dilly-dallied a little too long on our cycling jaunt round Japan’s Ninoshima Island in Hiroshima Bay. Unsure of the ferry’s last departure for the mainland, we stopped at a roadside bar to ask. This triggered worried looks all round: the final boat was about to leave.

太阳已经开始逐渐沉没在闪着红光的海水中，这也提醒着我们骑车远足的时间有点儿太久了。当时，我们正沿着日本广岛湾（Hiroshima Bay）的似岛（Ninoshima）骑车。由于不确定最后一班前往主岛的轮渡何时离开，我们便停在路边酒吧询问。结果，这引发周围人的一片担心：末班轮渡马上就要离开了。

“You can just make it if you take the shortcut,” said one man, stepping outside and pointing to a narrow road up a small mountain. With evening falling fast, we had severe misgivings, but cycled off uphill nonetheless. Looking round, we were astonished to see our newfound friend jogging up the hill behind us at a discreet distance to ensure that we didn’t get lost, only turning back when the port was safely in sight below us. His random act of kindness got us to the ferry with minutes to spare.

一个人告诉我们，“如果抄近路的话，还是能赶得上的，”他走出酒吧，指着一条通往小山的小路。夜幕很快就降临了，尽管疑虑重重，我们还是奋力向山上骑行。回头看去，我们惊讶地发现，为防止我们迷路，我们的新朋友在后面慢跑跟着我们，并且和我们小心地保持着距离，当港口安全进入我们的视野后，他才掉头返回。他偶然为之的善举帮助我们提前几分钟赶上了末班轮渡。

This was one of our first experiences with omotenashi, which is often translated as “Japanese hospitality”. In practice, it combines exquisite politeness with a desire to maintain harmony and avoid conflict.

这是我们对“以诚待客”（omotenashi）的初体验，这往往被翻译为“日本的待客之道”。实际上，讲究礼貌交织着人们保持和谐、避免冲突的愿望。

Omotenashi is a way of life in Japan. People with colds wear surgical masks to avoid infecting others. Neighbours deliver gift-wrapped boxes of washing powder before beginning building work – a gesture to help clean your clothes from the dust that will inevitably fly about.

以诚待客是日本的一种生活方式。感冒的人会戴上医学口罩，避免传染他人。开始建筑工程前，人们会把洗衣粉装在礼品盒里向邻居赠送，因为建筑粉尘不可避免会弄脏邻居的衣服，所以他们送洗衣粉以示歉意。

Staff in shops and restaurants greet you with a bow and a hearty irasshaimase (welcome). They put one hand under yours when giving you your change, to avoid dropping any coins. When you leave the shop, it’s not unusual for them to stand in the doorway bowing until you are out of sight.

商店店员和餐厅服务员会在门口鞠躬迎宾，衷心表示“欢迎光临”。找零时，他们会伸出一只手放在顾客手的下方，避免零钱意外滚落。离开店铺时，通常他们都会站在门口鞠躬致意，直至您走远。

Machines practice omotenashi, too. Taxi doors open automatically at your approach – and the uniformed white-gloved driver doesn’t expect a tip. Lifts apologise for keeping you waiting, and when you enter the bathroom the toilet seat springs to attention. Roadwork signs feature a cute picture of a bowing construction worker.

机器也有这样的待客之道。客人靠近时，出租车门会自动打开，穿制服、戴着白手套的司机并不会讨要小费。电梯也会因为劳您等待而致歉，进入卫生间时，马桶座圈都会弹起迎宾。道路施工标志上会有一个建筑工人鞠躬致意的可爱图片。

In Japanese culture, the farther outside one’s own group someone is, the greater the politeness shown to that person – which is why foreigners (gaijin – literally, “outside people”) are invariably astounded to find themselves accorded such lavish courtesies. “It still surprises me after nine years here,” said Spanish teacher Carmen Lagasca. “People bow when they sit next to you on the bus, then again when they get up. I’m always noticing something new.”

在日本文化中，对待关系越远的人，越是要礼貌，这也是外国人（字面上是“外人”）对于自己在日本受到的奢华礼遇感到惊愕的原因所在。西班牙语老师卡门·拉格斯卡（Carmen Lagasca）表示，“我来日本九年了，有时还是会对此感到意外。在公交车上，在旁边落座的人会向您鞠躬致意，他们下车离开时，还会再次鞠躬致意。在这里，我总能发现新的东西。”

But omotenashi goes far beyond being nice to visitors; it permeates every level of daily life and is learned from a young age.

以诚待客已远远超越对访客的礼貌，它渗透在日常生活的各个层面，而且日本人从小就会受到这样的教育。

“Many of us grew up with a proverb,” said Noriko Kobayashi, head of inbound tourism at DiscoverLink Setouchi, a consortium that aims to create jobs, preserve local heritage and promote tourism in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture. “It says that ‘After someone has done something nice for us, we should do something nice for the other person. But after someone has done something bad to us, we shouldn’t do something bad to the other person.’ I think these beliefs make us polite in our behaviour.”

入境旅游联盟 DiscoverLink Setouchi 致力于创造工作机会、保护当地文化遗产，促进广岛县尾道市（Onomichi）的旅游事业发展，其负责人小林纪子（Noriko Kobayashi）表示，“我们很多人从小就学过一句谚语，“它的意思是‘对别人我们要以善报善，但却不能以恶报恶。’我想，正是这种信念才让我们以礼待人。”

So where did all this politeness come from? According to Isao Kumakura, professor emeritus at the research institute of Osaka’s National Museum of Ethnology, much of Japan’s etiquette originated in the formal rituals of the tea ceremony and martial arts. In fact, the word omotenashi, literally “spirit of service”, comes from the tea ceremony. The tea-ceremony host works hard to prepare the right atmosphere in which to entertain guests, choosing the most appropriate bowls, flowers and decoration without expecting anything in return. The guests, conscious of the host’s efforts, respond by showing an almost reverential gratitude. Both parties thus create an environment of harmony and respect, rooted in the belief that public good comes before private need.

所有这些礼仪又是从何而来呢？据大阪国立民族学博物馆研究所名誉教授熊仓功（Isao Kumakura）介绍，大多数日本礼仪都来自茶道和武术的正式仪式。实际上，以诚待客一词的字面意思是“服务精神”，它就来自茶道。茶道主人要努力创造良好的氛围，选择恰到好处的茶具、鲜花和饰品，让客人感到愉悦，而且不求回报。客人认识到主人付出的努力，会以近乎虔诚的感激之情予以回报。因此，双方之间就形成一种相互尊重的和谐气氛，这根植于公共利益高于私人需要的信念。

Similarly, politeness and compassion were core values of Bushido (the Way of the Warrior), the ethical code of the samurai, the powerful military caste who were highly skilled in martial arts. This elaborate code, analogous to medieval chivalry, not only governed honour, discipline and morality, but also the right way of doing everything from bowing to serving tea. Its Zen-based precepts demanded mastery over one’s emotions, inner serenity and respect for others, enemies included. Bushido became the basis for the code of conduct for society in general.

同样，礼貌和同情心也是武士道（勇士之道）的核心价值观，而武士道是日本武士的道德准则，日本武士则是日本社会中武艺高超的强大军事阶层。这种精致的准则类似于中世纪的骑士精神，不仅关乎荣誉、纪律和品德，而且是从鞠躬到奉茶乃至一切行为的正确方式。这种基于禅宗的戒律要求人控制情绪，内心宁静，尊重他人，甚至是敌人。武士道精神成为日本社会的普遍行为准则。

The wonderful thing about being exposed to so much politeness is that it’s as contagious as measles. You soon find yourself acting more kindly, gently and civic-mindedly, handing in lost wallets to the police, smiling as you give way to other drivers, taking your litter home with you and never ever raising your voice (or blowing your nose) in public.

身处这种崇尚礼貌氛围的一大好处是，礼貌会像麻疹一般传播。很快，您就会发现，自己待人也变得更为友好、更为温和，更有公民意识：您会主动将别人丢失的钱包交给警察；给其他司机让路时您会主动微笑；您不会乱丢杂物；公众场合说话时您也不会提高声音（或是擤鼻涕）。

Wouldn’t it be great if each visitor took a little bit of omotenashi home with them and spread it around? The ripple effect could sweep the world.