Dining Etiquette in Japan
It’s important to follow some simple but key customs when dining in Japan.
First of all, you should know some very important rules for using chopsticks.
To start, you should never point your chopsticks at someone while talking.
Actually, you shouldn’t use your chopsticks to point at anything or anyone.
This is considered rude.
Also, unlike Western culture when using a fork,
you should refrain from licking any sauce off your chopsticks.
Stabbing your chopsticks like a fork into meat
or other food to pick it up, is also considered bad manners.
Taboo uses of the chopsticks include
jabbing them into a bowl of rice or passing food to another person with your chopsticks.
These are acts that will remind your Japanese colleagues,
guests or friends of the rituals used during funerals.
For example, after cremation, loved ones pass the bones of the deceased
from chopstick to chopstick as they are passed to the urn.
In addition, bowls of rice are also placed in front of the family alter
with chopsticks stuck into it as an offering to deceased family members.
Basically, it is very important not to fidget or play with your chopsticks in any way.
When arriving at most Japanese restaurants, you will receive an oshibori.
An oshibori is a wet towel.
They are often warm in the winter and cold in the summer.
Do not use it to wash your face or head; it isn’t a washcloth!
Instead, use it to wash your hands, then fold it and set it to the side.
When eating at many Japanese style restaurants most tables share many different plates.
It is very rare to order your own entrée
at a Japanese style restaurant and to eat it by yourself.
When beginning your meal, you should clasp your hands together,
bow slightly and say, “itadaki-masu”
which can be translated to “I humbly receive.” Pronounced i-ta-da-key-ma-s
A modern translation might be “let’s eat” or “thank you for the food.”
When finishing a meal Japanese people again clasp their hands together,
bow slightly and say, “Gochisousama.” Pronounced go-chey-so-sa-ma
The expression “gochisousama” means, “thanks for the nice meal,”
It is used to show appreciation to the cook, the person who serves the food,
and in some cases it is used to thank someone who has paid for your meal.