Japanese Eating Customs – Table Manners
There are a number of important Japanese eating customs governing the use of chopsticks and rice which you should familiarize yourself with:
bullet4 Japanese Eating Customs In some restaurant settings, particularly when you are sitting at a low table with a tatami mat, you may be required to remove your shoes.
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bullet4 Japanese Eating Customs Prior to your meal wipe your hands using the oshibori hot (sometimes not) towel that is provided. In formal situations, the towel is not used to wipe your face, although doing so is generally acceptable in more casual settings.
bullet4 Japanese Eating Customs Do not use chopsticks to pass food from one person to another.
bullet4 Japanese Eating Customs It is considered impolite to point with your chopsticks or wave them around.
bullet4 Japanese Eating Customs When using your chopsticks to take food from a shared dish, flip them around and use the wide end that you don’t eat with to transfer the food from that dish to your own plate or rice bowl.
bullet4 Japanese Eating Customs Don’t stick your chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice, as this resembles the burning of incense at a Japanese funeral and in some cases is actually done as part of funeral rituals. Instead, rest them on your chopsticks holder, if provided, or lay them across the side of your rice bowl or plate. Do not place your used chopsticks directly back on the table.
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bullet4 Japanese Eating Customs You’ll never see a Japanese person dowsing his or her white rice with soy sauce. You shouldn’t either. Instead, use the little soy sauce dish that is often provided, but do not pour excessive amounts of soy sauce in the dish.
bullet4 Japanese Eating Customs Spoons are normally not provided with miso soup. Pick up and drink directly from the bowl, and use your chopsticks to eat the tofu and other ingredients.