Japanese business people frequently exchange business cards (meishi) when they first meet, especially in professional circumstances. A person’s business card shows their name, job title or rank, employer, business address, and contact details. The same information is often displayed in English on the other side.

When Japanese people write their names in English, they sometimes use the Japanese order, with the family name first and the given name second, and sometimes use the English order, with the given name first and the family name second.

If you want personal ones with your home address and phone number on, you can easily make them at a vending machine.

For information about the etiquette involved in exchanging meishi, see japan-guide.com.