Japanese style table manner

The typical Japanese meal consists of a bowl of rice, a bowl of miso soup and side dishes. When you eat a bowl of rice, lift the bowl with one had, and drink the miso soup directly from the bowl. It is considered rude in Western cultures, but it is not against good manners to drink miso soup directly from the bowl without using a spoon. But of course Japanese people do use spoons when they have western soups!

Instead of using knives and forks, you would use chopsticks when you eat Japanese food. When you have side dishes, you don’t typically lift plates and use chopsticks to eat.

People are often impressed with my chopstick skills, but Japanese children practice using chopsticks on a daily basis so it explains why I can use chopsticks to cut Sashimi into smaller pieces.

Also, do not forget to show appreciations before meals. It is customary to say “itadakimasu” before eating and “gochisousama” after you finish your meal.