Japanese for gesticulators

Every foreign language comes with its own gestures. I’m not talking about the peace sign the Japanese simply feel compelled to flash whenever a camera is nearby, but the general gestures and signs people make in daily life and conversations. Japan has a few peculiarities in this field, which I’ll try to explain herein.To point to yourself you point to your nose, not your chest, and using your index finger, not your thumb or any other. Often the finger comes close to touching the nose but usually it doesn’t. The “ji” kanji in the word “jibun” (“self”) actually, historically, is based on the shape of the nose. You’ll have to be shown the transition to see the link, but it’s there.
To point to someone with your index finger is not cricket. In stead you hold out your open hand, palm up, as if offering a tray of fresh Pimms or a nicely stacked pyramid of Ferrero Rochets.. This doesn’t just go for the person you’re talking to but anyone and often even anything you’re pointing to, but especially the person directly in front of you.
To call someone over from, say, the opposite end of a room you hold out your open hand, palm down, and wave it up and down. Often it is jokingly said foreigners who do not know this get the impression they are shooed away in stead, though you’d have to be pretty dim to think someone who is far away from you and eagerly calling your name wants to increase the distance between you two.
To slip past a person, through a conversation or anywhere where your route is blocked by other people you hold out your open palm, karate-chop style or, if you wish, in a “why I oughtta!” slap-ready stance Historically it showed the other persons you were unarmed (not carrying a sword) and were no threat. I personally reinterpret it as “if you don’t move I’ll slap you!”
On paper one doesn’t tick off good things, like for example the correct answer in a test, but draw a circle. Games players may have seen this in imported games. The red circle means “good”, “okay” in the same way a green tick would do that in Europe. So instead of giving the thumbs up if asked if you’re okay, or if something was done properly, you make a little circle with your thumb and index finger. You usually don’t fan out the rest of your fingers though, as in holding an illegal cigarette, but keep them fairly close together giving the effect of holding a small pole.
If something is bad, though, the universally accepted sign of badness is used in Japan too: the cross. Using either both index fingers, your flat, open hands or, if you want to be melodramatic, both your arms you make a cross to show something isn’t hunky-dory.
If you want to show someone he is being sucked up to, or indeed that you know the person speaking to you is sucking up relentlessly, you can make this known by rubbing a first on an open palm, mortal and pestle style. Where this comes from I don’t know, but it’s an easy way of saying “You’re not really handsome, JC. She was just sucking up because she wants free English conversation lessons”. Damn.
If you are referring to someone with a dubious background, say a pachinko hall proprietor, you can indicate your assumption by dragging a pinky finger over your cheek. This implies a scar, and as we all know all yakuza have scars on their cheek.
Similarly, if someone is exceptionally dandy and you expect a certain limp-wristedness you can indicate this by holding your open hand to the side of your face. This looks like you’re shielding your mouth as you say the word “homosexual” to the person you are talking to, but I have no idea if that is where it comes from.
If you’re stuck in the middle of an overcrowded train carriage and your stop is about to come up there is a handy way of telling the persons in front of you. By roughly showing a fist in the small of their back you can communicate all of “sorry, old bean. I know he train is still moving and the doors haven’t even opened yet, and though you yourself have absolutely no place to go I am letting you know right now that you need to make space for me so I can disembark without filth like you getting in my way”. Similarly a rough shove of the elbow backwards can communicate all of “you can bleeding well wait for the doors to open and everyone else to get off, you rude feck, and if you push me again I’ll give you a dry slap”.
Sometimes body language is a wonderful thing.