Walking in the streets of Japan, you can see and pass by many restaurants that you can probably wanna try to eat authentic Japanese food. But of course, in every restaurant that we go and eat, we should have “dining out” and “table” manners. And in every country that we go, there are different manners or etiquette that we need to follow or should we say, we need to respect and obey.
If you are going to Japan, you should also know their culture regarding dining out and table manner etiquettes because as the saying goes, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”.
That being said, here are some of the common dining out etiquette and table manner etiquette in Japan that you should know.
When you are already sitting inside the restaurant, most restaurants hand you first a hot/warm wet towel called “oshibori”. This towel is for you to clean your hands before eating. Don’t use to clean your face or your neck.
Before eating, all or if not, most of the Japanese say “itadakimasu” which means “I gratefully receive”. Then after eating, they say “gochisosama deshita” which means “Thank you for the meal”.
Most of the restaurants offer chopsticks as a main utensil when eating. Here are some things to remember when you are using chopsticks: Chopsticks Etiquette in Japan
It is a bad manner to catch falling food in your hands. When you are eating on a small bowl, pick up the bowl and lead it close to your mouth when eating from it. When you are eating on a large bowl or plate, you don’t have to pick it.
If you are eating with others with the same dishes, it is more polite to use the serving utensils (if provided) or the other end of your chopsticks.
When you want to add order or you want something, it is polite to call the waiters by saying “sumimasen” which means, “excuse me” or if there is the button on the table, you can just press that button.
When you are not alone and you have company, don’t start drinking first. You should wait until all of you has a drink. When all the drinks arrived, together with your company, raise your glasses and say “kampai” which means “cheers”.
Do not pour drink on your glass. Let the others pour the drink on your glass. When pouring a drink, the hand holding the bottle should always pour forward. Pouring backward is considered an insult/bad manner.
After paying the bill, NEVER EVER LEAVE A TIP. Japanese do not accept tips. If you left it on the table, they will just call you and give it back to you.
Clam Shell
When you are done eating clam shells, you should leave the shells on the plate where it is served. It is considered impolite to leave the shells on another plate.
Noodles/Soup
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It is okay to slurp when you eat noodle or drink soup. It is a good gesture or thing in Japan.
Rice
When eating rice, lift the bowl closer to your mouth. Even if you are a fan of soy sauce, don’t put it on white cooked rice.
Sushi & Wasabi
If you are eating sushi, just put a little amount of soy sauce in the small bowl because it is not a good manner to waste soy sauce. And also, if you like sushi with wasabi, don’t mix the wasabi with soy sauce or just put a little because it can offend or insult the chef.
