Culture & Etiquette

A strict code of behaviour and politeness is recognised and followed by almost all Japanese. They do not expect visitors to be familiar with all their customs but expect them to behave formally and politely. Loud, boisterous behaviour is not as acceptable as it is in the UK.

Bowing is the Japanese way of greeting, but it is also used in thanking and apologising. Giving and receiving gifts are part of every day life and it is a good idea to bring an assortment of gifts for your trip so that you can reciprocate.

Shoes should be removed before entering most private indoor areas such as Japanese-style restaurants and accommodation, private homes, shrines and temples.

The honorific suffix san should be used when addressing people (for instance Mr Yamada would be called Yamada-san).

Eating Etiquette

It is customary to say itadakimasu (lit. 'I shall receive') before starting to eat a meal, and gochiso-sama deshita (lit. 'That was a feast') to the host after the meal and the restaurant staff when leaving.

Before eating, most dining places will provide either a hot towel or a plastic wrapped wet napkin. This is for cleaning of the hands prior to eating and not after. It is rude to use them to wash the face or any part of the body other than the hands.

The rice or the soup is eaten by picking the relevant bowl up with the left hand and using chopsticks with the right. Bowls of soup, noodle soup or ochazuke may be lifted to the mouth but not white rice. Soy sauce is not usually poured over food at the table; a dipping dish is usually provided. In particular, soy sauce should never be poured onto rice or soup. Blowing one's nose at the table is considered extremely offensive. Noodles are slurped.

Chopsticks are never left sticking vertically into rice, as this is how they are ritually offered to the dead. Using chopsticks to spear food, to point, or to pass food into someone else's chopsticks is also frowned upon.

When taking food from a communal dish, unless they are family or very close friends, turn the chopsticks around to grab the food; it is considered cleaner. If sharing with someone else, move it directly from one plate to another; passing food from one pair to another is a funeral rite.

It is customary to eat rice to the last grain. Being a fussy eater is frowned upon, and it is not customary to ask for special requests or substitutions at restaurants. It is considered ungrateful to make these requests especially in circumstances where you are being hosted, as in a business dinner environment. Good manners dictate that you respect the selections of the host.

Even in informal situations, drinking alcohol starts with a toast (kanpai) when everyone is ready. It is not customary to pour oneself a drink; but rather, people are expected to keep each other's drinks topped up.