Ladies First

 

An Australian gentleman in a suit, three Japanese female tourists and I were all waiting for an elevator.

The middle aged ladies all seemed to be very cheerful and I overheard them say how much they were enjoying their stay in Melbourne. 

When the elevator finally arrived at our floor, the gentleman invited the ladies to go first, saying 

“after you.”

I thanked him and stepped into the elevator, but the other ladies hesitated to enter. 

You see, we don't have a 'ladies first' policy in Japan.

The ladies also said “after you” in Japanese to the western gentleman again and again.

The western gentleman also repeated “after you” by conveying his messages with gestures to the ladies.

The lift door started to close, so I held my hand between doors and pushed the 'open door' button quickly.

After all three ladies came in and the gentleman then hurried in.

Everyone was smiling at each other in the lift.

Japanese people have a reputation for being polite, but I also think there are many polite customs in Australia.