How many of these rules are actually consistently followed in Japan?
How many of these rules are actually consistently followed in Japan?
by SentientReality
21 Comments
SincerelySpicy
The last one is the real big no no. Passing items from chopstick to chopstick is a funeral rite and an absolute no in any dining situation.
The others are sushi specific etiquette that may or may not be needed depending on where you’re dining. No one’s going to care if you do those things at a conveyor belt place, but best not to at very nice restaurants. It’s also not rude, per se, to do those things, it’s more that you’ll look ignorant.
Cre8mies
Also want to add, don’t overfill your soy sauce plate. I just fill it enough to cover the bottom of the dish and that’s it. You can add more later if needed.
CaptainN_GameMaster
I had always mixed my wasabi and soy sauce in my home country. I didn’t take the rule seriously when in Japan.
I hope to have my ban lifted one day. Please tell Japan I want to be allowed back in
JemmaMimic
Consistently, maybe the one about transferring from one chopstick to another, and cutting the sushi in half with chopsticks. The others vary. I learned to take the topping off the rice, dip in shoyu, then eating the whole thing, so I’m a bit confused by the thing about separating the sushi.
kevinjamesfan66
All of them except the 30-second one. That is really only for fancy restaurants.
blissfulhiker8
I’m not in Japan, but these all seem like basic rules to me. The only one I occasionally break is “Do not chew off your sushi”. I assume they mean bite it in two, and I admit on occasion I bite it in two if it’s a large piece.
draizetrain
Definitely don’t pass food from chopsticks, or lick the end of your chopsticks, or point with your chopsticks….so many chopstick etiquette to remember 😮💨
HaoHaiMileHigh
In America I had to take a very intense training program for a prominent Japanese (and I emphasize Japanese for a reason) sushi restaurant.
Part of the training was to watch videos about the history and culture of sushi, and to write essays on the various topics we discussed (what’s wasabi, when did it start, how did it evolve etc)
My absolute favorite video was about the kind of etiquette that is expected of diners. I loved it for many reasons, but mostly because Americans no longer practice etiquette, they often don’t have respect for others dining, let alone the restaurant, its employees or its culture…
Just some quick takeaways I remember learning that I wish more Americans would employ (on top of this list here/minus the last one, that rule is stupid as fuck)
Don’t wear jewelry (rings specifically)- you don’t want to scratch or damage the plates/glassware
Don’t talk on your phone- no one wants to hear your conversation, step outside if you must..
Don’t wear heavy perfume/cologne- you shouldn’t be effecting the old factory senses of those around you, it diminishes EVERYONES experience
There were more that I don’t remember, but literally just learning that MOST people practice some form of etiquette blew my mind…
I’ve always been told “the customer is always right”
Occhin
I complied with this not as a manner or rule, but as a kind of common sense.
hezaa0706d
The last two and the first one are the most important .
ApplicationRoyal865
Those “rules” are for omakase. We had a team dinner and had a woman who was just chatting and drinking the entire time while passing her food onto other people’s plate while the chefs gave her dirty looks.
Reading the section about respect[ing] our chefs seems to confirm that it’s for omakase.
Pengwulf
Also, if the chef bushes the sauce on the fish, do not dip into the shoyu.
mrbrambles
These are omakase rules, but frankly most of them are “no brainer” in Japanese culture. It would be like saying “no double dipping” or “don’t sneeze on the salad bar” in America.
Snowfishes
How bad is biting over half of it instead of eating the whole thing? Sometimes I feel it’s too much in one bite. But I’ll immediately eat the other half shortly
IllOperation6253
Funny, the only “rule” I break is taking the fish off the rice to dip it in the soy, then placing it back on top. Seems too clumsy for me to hold my sushi upside down to dip it.
divinefemithem
this is why i order sushi in 🥹
Archi-Horror
This is worse than Craig’s crazy guac tacs. “The rules are here to ensure fun”
hsark
My Japanese friends usually mix wasbi and soy sauce didn’t know it was wrong. Must be a fancy place. Also Sushi is traditionally eaten by hand so might help get around those rules if your chopsticks skills are low
Hannabis42
I ordered it. I’ll eat it however I want. I’m not gonna bash on someone who’s just trying to enjoy their food. They’re the ones eating it after all. This is all contextual, I’m sure there’s some places where these things should maybe be respected. I’ve seen people referencing something called “omakase” (sorry if misspelled) is that contextual? Want to learn, want to be respectful. But how far is the question?
HollywoodDonuts
The last one is the only one anybody cares about. My wife would kill me and often glares at me likes she wants to when I do anything close to passing from chopsticks or dragging a dish with chopsticks.
Fidodo
The small rice thing may have been a thing in the past, but when I was in Japan last I saw restaurants offering half rice sushi options on their menus. I think it’s getting popular as a health thing to cut back on rice.
21 Comments
The last one is the real big no no. Passing items from chopstick to chopstick is a funeral rite and an absolute no in any dining situation.
The others are sushi specific etiquette that may or may not be needed depending on where you’re dining. No one’s going to care if you do those things at a conveyor belt place, but best not to at very nice restaurants. It’s also not rude, per se, to do those things, it’s more that you’ll look ignorant.
Also want to add, don’t overfill your soy sauce plate. I just fill it enough to cover the bottom of the dish and that’s it. You can add more later if needed.
I had always mixed my wasabi and soy sauce in my home country. I didn’t take the rule seriously when in Japan.
I hope to have my ban lifted one day. Please tell Japan I want to be allowed back in
Consistently, maybe the one about transferring from one chopstick to another, and cutting the sushi in half with chopsticks. The others vary. I learned to take the topping off the rice, dip in shoyu, then eating the whole thing, so I’m a bit confused by the thing about separating the sushi.
All of them except the 30-second one. That is really only for fancy restaurants.
I’m not in Japan, but these all seem like basic rules to me. The only one I occasionally break is “Do not chew off your sushi”. I assume they mean bite it in two, and I admit on occasion I bite it in two if it’s a large piece.
Definitely don’t pass food from chopsticks, or lick the end of your chopsticks, or point with your chopsticks….so many chopstick etiquette to remember 😮💨
In America I had to take a very intense training program for a prominent Japanese (and I emphasize Japanese for a reason) sushi restaurant.
Part of the training was to watch videos about the history and culture of sushi, and to write essays on the various topics we discussed (what’s wasabi, when did it start, how did it evolve etc)
My absolute favorite video was about the kind of etiquette that is expected of diners. I loved it for many reasons, but mostly because Americans no longer practice etiquette, they often don’t have respect for others dining, let alone the restaurant, its employees or its culture…
Just some quick takeaways I remember learning that I wish more Americans would employ (on top of this list here/minus the last one, that rule is stupid as fuck)
Don’t wear jewelry (rings specifically)- you don’t want to scratch or damage the plates/glassware
Don’t talk on your phone- no one wants to hear your conversation, step outside if you must..
Don’t wear heavy perfume/cologne- you shouldn’t be effecting the old factory senses of those around you, it diminishes EVERYONES experience
There were more that I don’t remember, but literally just learning that MOST people practice some form of etiquette blew my mind…
I’ve always been told “the customer is always right”
I complied with this not as a manner or rule, but as a kind of common sense.
The last two and the first one are the most important .
Those “rules” are for omakase. We had a team dinner and had a woman who was just chatting and drinking the entire time while passing her food onto other people’s plate while the chefs gave her dirty looks.
Reading the section about respect[ing] our chefs seems to confirm that it’s for omakase.
Also, if the chef bushes the sauce on the fish, do not dip into the shoyu.
These are omakase rules, but frankly most of them are “no brainer” in Japanese culture. It would be like saying “no double dipping” or “don’t sneeze on the salad bar” in America.
How bad is biting over half of it instead of eating the whole thing? Sometimes I feel it’s too much in one bite. But I’ll immediately eat the other half shortly
Funny, the only “rule” I break is taking the fish off the rice to dip it in the soy, then placing it back on top. Seems too clumsy for me to hold my sushi upside down to dip it.
this is why i order sushi in 🥹
This is worse than Craig’s crazy guac tacs. “The rules are here to ensure fun”
My Japanese friends usually mix wasbi and soy sauce didn’t know it was wrong. Must be a fancy place.
Also Sushi is traditionally eaten by hand so might help get around those rules if your chopsticks skills are low
I ordered it. I’ll eat it however I want. I’m not gonna bash on someone who’s just trying to enjoy their food. They’re the ones eating it after all. This is all contextual, I’m sure there’s some places where these things should maybe be respected. I’ve seen people referencing something called “omakase” (sorry if misspelled) is that contextual? Want to learn, want to be respectful. But how far is the question?
The last one is the only one anybody cares about. My wife would kill me and often glares at me likes she wants to when I do anything close to passing from chopsticks or dragging a dish with chopsticks.
The small rice thing may have been a thing in the past, but when I was in Japan last I saw restaurants offering half rice sushi options on their menus. I think it’s getting popular as a health thing to cut back on rice.