日本食事マナー (Nihon Shokuji Manner) – Japanese eating Manner

20th May – 皐月

When you visit Japan, you might be fascinated by the variety of food you can eat there. While there are many food options, I would recommend you to try the actual Japanese food (和食 = Washoku).

If you have a chance to try 和食, there are several rules / manners you should follow;

1. Put your palms together and say いただきます (Itadakimasu) before eating, ごちそうさまでした (Gochisousamadeshita) after eating.

This is the appreciation toward the animals and plants to become food for us, and also gratitude for people who are involved in making food for us ( planting, transporting, selling, cooking etc).

2. おしぼり (Oshibori) is only for wiping hands.

Before foods come, you will be handed towels or wet wipes called おしぼり. This wet towels are only for wiping hands, not for mouth, face or table.

3. Lift the bowls up for eating.

For the お茶碗(Ochawan) お椀 (Owan) = bowls, you have to lift them up when you eat. Not lifting them is breaching manner.

4. Do not rest elbows on the table while eating.

5. Eat the food with light taste to stronger taste.

Eating stronger taste first can ruin the other lighter taste food. Normally starting from soups in order to drink it while warm.

6. Do not put the half-eaten food on the plate.

You should cut the food into small pieces by chopsticks, so you don’t need to show the half-eaten food to others.

7. Make sounds while drinking hot drinks / soups.

Unlikely to other culture, making sounds for hot drinks / soups are considered as good manner in Japan. (Green tea, ramen, miso soup etc).

8. Of course using chopsticks correctly is important!

刺し箸 (Sashi bashi) – stabbing food with chopsticks

寄せ箸 (Yose bashi) – bringing plates near by using chopsticks

迷い箸 (Mayoi bashi) – choosing what to eat with chopsticks “which one should I eat~~~?” Pointing foods

Those are considered as bad manner so it is better not to do it.

Seems like many rules to follow, hope you can remember those manners:)

Extra info: 和食 has fixed positions for each dishes. In many case, 和食 consist of 一汁三菜 (Ichijuu Sansai) – one soup, three sides. The positions are following:

主食 (shushoku) rice: left-front

汁物 (Shirumono) soup: right-front

主菜 (Shusai) main side dish: right-back

1 副菜 (Fukusai) pickled veggies, veggies: middle

2 副菜 (Fukusai) salad, boiled food: left-back