Eating Out in Japan: Restaurant Phrases and Manners

Eating out is one of the best parts of a trip to Japan, and it follows a fairly predictable flow. If you know the few phrases staff will say and the small customs around the meal, you can walk into almost any restaurant with confidence.

Arriving: いらっしゃいませ

As you walk in, staff will often call out いらっしゃいませ irasshaimase, “welcome”. It is a greeting, not a question, so you don’t need to answer. A nod or a smile is enough.

Next you will usually hear 何名様ですか？ nanmei-sama desu ka?, “how many people?”. Answer with the number of people: 一人です hitori desu (one), 二人です futari desu (two), 三人です sannin desu (three). Holding up fingers works too. If there is a queue or a list at the door to write your name on, wait to be called rather than finding a seat yourself.

Once seated, you will often be given an oshibori, a wet towel for wiping your hands, and a glass of water or tea, which is usually free.

Ordering

Restaurants in Japan generally don’t send staff to check on you. When you are ready, you call them. There are a few common ways this works:

• Say すみません sumimasen and raise your hand slightly. This is normal and not rude.
• Press the call button on the table, common in chain restaurants.
• Order on a tablet at the table, increasingly common in chains and conveyor-belt sushi.
• Buy a ticket from a machine by the entrance, common at ramen and rice-bowl shops. You hand the ticket to staff, or put it on the counter.

Swap in the word you need: 卵 (egg) can become 小麦 komugi (wheat) or えび ebi (shrimp). For a serious allergy, it is wise to carry a written note in Japanese as well, since staff may need to check ingredients with the kitchen.

At many izakaya (Japanese-style pubs), a small dish called お通し otōshi arrives without you ordering it. It usually appears on the bill as a per-person charge. This is a normal custom, not a mistake.

Before and after the meal

Before eating, people say いただきます itadakimasu, often with hands together. After the meal, ごちそうさまでした gochisōsama deshita thanks whoever made or served it. Saying this to staff as you leave is a simple, warmly received gesture.

Paying and tipping

To ask for the bill, say お会計お願いします okaikei onegai shimasu. In many restaurants, though, you don’t pay at the table: the staff leave a bill slip, and you take it to the register by the door when you leave. If you want to split the bill, ask 別々でお願いします betsubetsu de onegai shimasu; some busy places prefer one payment per table, so don’t be surprised if they ask you to settle it together.

At the register, you will often see a small tray. Put your cash or card on it rather than handing it over directly. Card and cashless payments are widely accepted, but some small restaurants are cash only, so it is worth carrying some cash.

There is no tipping in Japan. Leaving extra money can confuse staff, who may run after you to return it. Good service is simply part of the meal.

Chopstick manners

Nobody expects visitors to be perfect, but a few habits are worth avoiding because they are linked to funerals or seen as impolite:

• Don’t stand chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice.
• Don’t pass food from chopsticks to chopsticks. Put it on the other person’s plate instead.
• Don’t point at people or wave your chopsticks over dishes while deciding what to take.
• Don’t spear food. Pick it up, or cut it with the chopsticks.
• Rest them on the chopstick rest, or across the edge of your plate, when you pause.
• Use serving chopsticks for shared dishes if they are provided.

On the other hand, lifting a rice or soup bowl to your mouth is normal, and slurping noodles is perfectly acceptable.

Practise before you go

Restaurant Japanese is a great first goal because the conversations are short and predictable. A tutor can role-play the whole meal with you, from nanmei-sama desu ka? to paying at the register, so the real thing feels familiar. At Hanabuddies, we can also cover your specific needs, such as explaining an allergy or a dietary preference clearly.