Most of the time when I'm composing e-mail in Japanese it's either:
- A friendly, informal e-mail to a friend
- A request for tech support or similar customer service
When composing these e-mails I tend to want to use 拝啓 and 早々, as I was taught for regular letters in class, but they feel far too formal or stilted. I've occasionally used こんにちは as an opening, but due to the nature of e-mail that feels like it may or may not be appropriate depending on the time it is received.
What is the typical practice for phrasing openings and closings in these e-mails?
Note: Saw this when prepping, but it doesn't cover what I was looking for.
Answer
I think anything will do for informal emails, but definitely not 拝啓 or 早々 as these are only used in snail mails. Something like どうも or 元気にしてる？ would be fine.
In a business setting it's much more complicated (I would even say bizarre), and you should check with your colleagues as the format varies between companies or even projects (and some people take offence when the emails don't conform to them). Here are some general resources on the subject (link, link, link)
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