おはようございます

[masaegu]

An American friend of mine, who has just returned home from her trip to Japan, asked me a good question today and I thought I would share it with you guys as I do not think anyone has asked the same question here.

On her last night in Japan, my friend went to a bar in Narita where she is pretty sure she heard two employees saying 「おはようございます。」 to each other. She says it was around 9:00 pm then.

Did she hear it correctly? Why or why not?

(Native speakers and the ranks of Nyororin and MMM, please refrain from answering until a few others have posted. Thanks!)

[RealJames]

Originally Posted by masaegu

An American friend of mine, who has just returned home from her trip to Japan, asked me a good question today and I thought I would share it with you guys as I do not think anyone has asked the same question here.

On her last night in Japan, my friend went to a bar in Narita where she is pretty sure she heard two employees saying 「おはようございます。」 to each other. She says it was around 9:00 pm then.

Did she hear it correctly? Why or why not?

(Native speakers and the ranks of Nyororin and MMM, please refrain from answering until a few others have posted. Thanks!)

They were starting their night shift... I assume.

Westerners do the same thing, I say good-morning to people after they've woken up regardless of the time of day.

[yuriyuri]

I would also think the same as RealJames and assume they were on night shifts, so to those employees it was like the start of the day.

[masaegu]

Originally Posted by siokan

(removed)

Dude, I specifically stated:

Originally Posted by masaegu

(Native speakers and the ranks of Nyororin and MMM, please refrain from answering until a few others have posted. Thanks!)

英語読めないの？

[Nyororin]

I removed Siokan`s answer to follow the request that native speakers and people with higher Japanese levels not answer for a bit.

[StonerPenguin]

Isn't it a custom to greet your colleagues at work with 「おはよう」／「おはようございます」 first thing? So then, I don't think it has to do with the time you woke up but with the starting time of your shift, right?

[KyleGoetz]

My guesses are:
1. it was a joke; OR
2. they were both early for their shift (i.e., おはよう comes from 早い)

[RealJames]

Originally Posted by StonerPenguin

Isn't it a custom to greet your colleagues at work with 「おはよう」／「おはようございます」 first thing? So then, I don't think it has to do with the time you woke up but with the starting time of your shift, right?

Come to think of it I think I have heard it in that situation, when I first started working in Japan one of the staff said it to another staff when she arrived in the office.
It was said to someone who had certainly not just woken up, kind of like a starting to work greeting...
I wonder if I'm remembering it wrong cuz I was new here at the time, maybe it was otsukare...

[masaegu]

Originally Posted by KyleGoetz

My guesses are:
1. it was a joke; OR
2. they were both early for their shift (i.e., おはよう comes from 早い)

It was no joke. It is a proper, traditional way of greeting others at work for certain people regardless of the time of the day. In my own rough estimate, a couple of million Japanese use it on a daily basis. Now, who are these people? My opening post gives you part of the answer but who else says 「おはようございます」at 2:00 pm, 7;00 pm or even 11:00 pm?

Big Hint: I'm sure someone you know of uses it, too. Was too big of a hint....

I will be posting the answer in the morning (Japan time).

[RealJames]

Originally Posted by masaegu

a couple of million Japanese use it

a couple million Japanese

Shot in the dark here, but... in a bar, starting a shift so late, I'll go for a kabakura place, the mamasan, etc

edit;
in narita, perhaps stewardesses ...
your friend is a She, so I assume it's less likely to be the night-shift at a sleezy joint