Maido (my-dough, not to be confused with that childhood favourite, Play-Doh) describes the most common Japanese gestures and defines their meanings and the cultural contexts that surround them. Japanese gestures are a world of their own, much the way the language and country are. In the Kansai region of Japan, people often use the term Maido as a greeting in business and sales, and as a send-off to a business's best customers as if to say, "come again" or "thank you." In this case, Maido is welcoming you to a world in which you don't offend every Japanese person you meet. By learning a few simple gestures you can avoid making intercultural slip-ups and win the respect of locals. And who knows- maybe the next time you walk into the local izakaya (watering hole), you may be lucky enough to hear someone saying, "Maido! Maido!" to you. AUTHOR: Raised in Japan on a US military base, Christy Colon Hasegawa was fascinated and at times entertained how the gestures her American father used didn't always translate to her Japanese side of the family. She is a producer for advertising agency Sid Lee and lives in the Netherlands. 76 colour photos