Polite bowing. I am caucasian. We don't have many people of Asian descent where I live. But this brings me, [View all]

to a time, about 15 years ago. It was the opening for a Japanese themed store. The owner had an accent and I guess was from Japan. He greeted me with a bow. I returned the greeting. Then, as I recall, he bowed again So did I. This was repeated, one or two more times. Finally, I figured, it was up to me to stop.

I discussed this with a friend who said she had a similar experience.

So I ask, what is the polite procedure for bowing? Does it differ with nationality? Japanese, Korean, Chinese?