In Japan, if you really screw up, just saying you're sorry won't cut it. You might have to grovel. And this is some of the most extreme Japanese grovelling you'll see.
As previously mentioned, prostrating yourself (土下座 or dogeza) is a way to apologize when words alone won't cut it. It's a pose that empowers the person you are saying sorry to and leaves you vulnerable—your neck is exposed, which when Japanese people carried swords, put you at another's mercy. It has also been used when people met or encountered nobles.
Typically, you get down on the ground and strike this pose:
Recently, Japan's Livedoor News featured some humorous grovelling to mark the Blu-ray and DVD release of Japanese comedy The King of Apologies (謝罪の王様 or Shazai no Ousama).
Japanese apologies are not as extreme—or acrobatic—as these. Too bad, because these please-forgive-mes are amazing.
Courtesy of Livedoor, here is a jumping apology:
A sliding sorry:
And the reverse flip:
This is like the Voltron of apologies:
The wave:
And finally, the pyramid of sorry:
究極の土下座を競う「下座リンピック」開催 [Livedoor]
To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft.
Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.