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Restaurant Etiquette

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Tip: Read our tips on how to eat Japanese food and our food Top Tips

Restaurant Etiquette

Most Japanese restaurants will present you with an 'Oshibori', a wet towel that will be hot or cold depending on the season. These should be used to clean your hands before eating.

Slurp your noodles! This is quite acceptable in Japan. For noodle soup, use your chopsticks for the noodles, meat and vegetables and bring the bowl to your mouth to drink the liquid. Spoons usually aren't provided.

Before starting a meal say, "I-ta-da-ki-ma-su". After finishing say, "Go-chi-so-sa-ma".

There are a number of rules associated with the use of chopsticks. Try to avoid:

• spearing the food with your chopsticks.

• using your chopsticks to rummage around in a dish trying to find what you want. If chopsticks for serving aren't provided, it is polite to use the other end of your chopsticks (the end that hasn't been in your mouth) to take food from communal plates.

• passing food to somebody else with your chopsticks.

• waving your chopsticks above a dish while trying to decide what to take next.

• standing your chopsticks vertically in your rice. This is how rice is served to the dead.

If out drinking with a group of Japanese, don't fill your glass yourself. Allow the person next to you to do it for you, then return the favour. It is polite to lift your glass off the table a little when being served. Wait until everyone's glass if full before saying 'kampai' or 'cheers'.

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