Greetings

What is still confusing about Japanese is the greetings. Whether it is the morning or the afternoon, as long as you step into the office, the greeting used will be ohayougozaimasu, which means good morning. In textbooks we are drilled to use the greeting only in the morning and here I am faced with a situation where I could use it anytime in the day. Also, before you leave the office, you are suppose to say otsukaresamadeshita(literally means you had a hard day's work). Well, mostly this phrase is used at the end of the day before you leave but then I just realised today that there are a whole variety of situations where this phrase can be used. In an elevator greeting strangers, in the streets greeting public sweepers, the situation is endless. Guess after studying a language for years, I have just barely skimmed the surface of it and there is a whole wide sea of knowledge out there to be explored. Somehow, I got to find a way to drink out all the sea water fast. Maybe I will buy more straws.