Formal to Client
Workplace · Meeting
本日はご来社いただきまして、誠にありがとうございます。どうぞおかけください。 — Thank you very much for coming to our office today. Please have a seat. (Workplace · Meeting, Formal to Client, JLPT N3)
You
本日はご来社いただきまして、誠にありがとうございます。どうぞおかけください。
ほんじつはごらいしゃいただきまして、まことにありがとうございます。どうぞおかけください。
Thank you very much for coming to our office today. Please have a seat.
Romaji: Honjitsu wa goraisha itadakimashite, makoto ni arigatou gozaimasu. Douzo okake kudasai. / Reply Romaji: Kochira koso, ojikan wo itadaki arigatou gozaimasu.
Reply
こちらこそ、お時間をいただきありがとうございます。
こちらこそ、おじかんをいただきありがとうございます。
Thank you for making time for us.
Gesture & etiquette
Stand and bow (30 degrees) as the client enters; gesture clearly to the seat intended for them (farthest from the door = kamiza = seat of honor); offer tea or coffee before any business discussion begins.
Seating in a Japanese meeting room follows strict protocols: the most senior guest sits farthest from the door (上座, kamiza), the most junior sits closest (下座, shimoza) — arranging seating correctly before guests arrive signals professional knowledge of Japanese business culture.