This is how you eat truly Japanese food
Obsessed with Japanese food, you could say that. Who doesn’t dream of karaage, miso soup and, of course, sushi? With these tips from Japan experts, you’ll know exactly how to behave in Japanese restaurants. Tip five: slurping is absolutely OK.
Eating in Japan is about more than filling your stomach or grabbing a quick bite. Even at places where you can buy snacks, everything is prepared with care. You might feel sorry for Japanese tourists who come here and are served carelessly dumped fries in a container with a sloppy dollop of mayo, if you think of the little works of art served there. If you’re going on holiday to Japan, remember these rules so you come across as super polite.
Welcome!
When you enter the restaurant, you’ll be greeted with ‘Irasshai!’ – welcome! In most restaurants, you’ll then be asked how many people you’d like to dine with: ‘Nan-mei sama?’ You can simply hold up your fingers, because Japanese people do that too. And where would you like to sit: at a ‘zashiki’, a low table where you have to kneel, or at a ‘teburu’, a table? You’ll be given a hot towel to clean your hands (please don’t wipe your face with it too) and a cup of tea or a glass of water.
A la carte or a set menu
Comparable to a restaurant in the Netherlands: do you want to choose something from the menu (okonomi), or leave it to the chef and go for the set menu (omakase)? Many—somewhat more expensive—restaurants only offer omakase, but you can choose how many courses you want to eat, or choose between a more expensive and a cheaper option.
Sometimes there’s a menu with a makeshift English translation, but often there isn’t. Hello, translation app!
Enjoy your meal!
Before you start your meal, say ‘Itadakimasu’, a kind of ‘enjoy your meal’. Don’t immediately cover your food in all kinds of spices or soy sauce; taste it first. A little wasabi is really enough—there is such a thing as too much.
Hungry or chopsticks
You’ll quickly master the art of eating with chopsticks in Japan, because otherwise you’ll go hungry. If you really can’t manage, ask for children’s chopsticks (the backs of two chopsticks are held together with a rubber band, so you can eat with them as if they were jumbo tweezers). What you really mustn’t do: pass food to one another with chopsticks, or stand your chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice.
Slurping is OK
As you’ll probably notice from the people around you, slurping is perfectly acceptable behavior here. If you’re eating ramen or other noodles, you’re allowed to slurp and smack your lips nice and loudly. Going for a quick snack? You can even buy tasty yakitori or perfectly good karaage at the supermarket. Sit down quietly to eat it; nobody here walks around while eating.
Paying, please
Are you finished eating and has everything been cleared away? Out of nowhere, the bill appears and is placed very quietly on your table. Lingering after a meal isn’t customary; if you stay for another hour with a cup of coffee and a good conversation, the staff and kitchen won’t be too happy. If you want to ask for the bill, say ‘o-kaikei onegaishimasu’. You often have to pay at a register near the exit, and keep in mind that you can’t pay everywhere with your debit or credit card. Tipping is not customary.
Also read:
- Sampuru, fake food from Japan
- Yuzu: everything about the Japanese citrus fruit
- 21 proofs that Japan is the world champion of snacks
Source: Lonely Planet
