Formal to Acquaintance
Cultural · Communication
ご無沙汰しております。その後、いかがお過ごしでしょうか？ — It's been quite a while. How have you been since we last met? (Cultural · Communication, Formal to Acquaintance, JLPT N3)
You
ご無沙汰しております。その後、いかがお過ごしでしょうか？
ごぶさたしております。そのご、いかがおすごしでしょうか？
It's been quite a while. How have you been since we last met?
Romaji: Gobusata shite orimasu. Sonogo, ikaga osugoshi deshō ka? / Reply Romaji: Okagesama de, genki ni shite orimasu. Anata wa?
Reply
おかげさまで、元気にしております。あなたは？
おかげさまで、げんきにしております。あなたは？
I've been well, thankfully. And you?
Gesture & etiquette
Bow at about 20 degrees when delivering this phrase — the bow acknowledges the gap in contact as much as the words do. A warm smile immediately after signals that the lapsed time has not damaged the relationship.
「ご無沙汰しております」acknowledges that contact has lapsed while implicitly apologizing for the gap — a uniquely Japanese blending of greeting and self-reflection. The phrase elevates a simple 'long time no see' into an acknowledgment of relational maintenance.