Don't leave food behind. It's considered bad manners to leave even grains of rice behind, so be sure to clean your plate! If there are some foods you cannot eat, ask to have them left out of the dish. Do use the opposite end of chopsticks to pick up food from a shared dish.
The Japanese consider it rude to leave food on your plate, and even more so to order more food when you haven't finished everything you've already got.
In a Japanese meal, the bowl of rice will always be on the side opposite of your dominant hand, so on your left (if right-handed) or right (if left handed). The bowl of miso soup will be placed on the other side of the rice bowl.
When eating from shared dishes (as it is commonly done at some restaurants such as izakaya), it is polite to use the opposite end of your chopsticks or dedicated serving chopsticks for moving food to your own dish. Blowing your nose at the table, burping and audible munching are considered bad manners in Japan.
In Japan, it is perfectly acceptable to lift the bowl to taste soup or eat rice. Conversely, eating rice or miso soup without picking up the bowl and leaving it on the table is considered bad manners. Other small plates and bowls are also easier to eat if you lift them.
Certain types of plants, such as fruit, vegetables, and rice, as well as certain types of meat, such as raw meat, dried meat, and ham, may be taken out of the country if they pass export inspection.
Don't Stick Your Chopsticks into Rice
Many foreigners feel that sticking chopsticks in the rice is an easy and obvious way to put them. However, in Japanese culture, sticking chopsticks vertically into rice should only be done only during funeral rituals, and therefore, something to be avoided during regular mealtimes.
Cell Phones
Please refrain from speaking on the cell phone during your meal as it's considered disrespectful. For urgent matters, please take the call at the entrance area or outside the restaurant. Please do not play games on your phone.
Don't point. Pointing at people or things is considered rude in Japan. Instead of using a finger to point at something, the Japanese use a hand to gently wave at what they would like to indicate. When referring to themselves, people will use their forefinger to touch their nose instead of pointing at themselves.
Burping, blowing your nose, and loudly chewing with your mouth open should never, ever, be done when you're eating out at a restaurant in Japan. It is extremely rude and shows you have very bad manners. In Australia, and other countries, it is considered very rude to slurp your food but in Japan it's the opposite!
According to NPR, purple rice, aka forbidden rice, was reserved only for the rich because black rice was considered more nutritious. The black colour comes from the plant pigment anthocyanin, which is also present in blueberries, red cabbage, and blackberries.
Knives and forks are used only for Western food. Spoons may be used with certain Japanese dishes such as donburi or Japanese-style curry rice. A Chinese-style ceramic spoon is sometimes used to eat soups. Click here for more information about Japanese table manners.
Walking and eating in Japan
Japanese tend not to eat while walking along or standing around on the street. However, it is acceptable to drink while standing aside a vending machine. Eating and drinking on local trains, but not long distance express trains, is also frowned upon.
In most cases, they'll be more than happy to let you take a photo of your meal. It doesn't matter if you're taking professional or casual food photos. Make sure you don't include any visible faces in your shots. If you do, remember to blur them out!
You don't need to overthink it; there is no rude way to eat ramen. If you want to drink the soup straight from the bowl, by all means indulge. Just enjoy the bowl and you are doing it right. And don't worry if you can't finish all of the soup.
Perfume is complex and subjective by its very nature. In Japan, the cultural state of mind around fragrance simply doesn't exist. In fact, it's considered culturally offensive to wear strong scents, so light, clean, dry, understated scents are the preference.
You can use the phone for texting or surfing the internet, as long as it doesn't make any noise. If you want to listen to music, you should wear headphones.
Fortunately, your smile is unlikely to be considered rude or offensive, but it might cause misunderstanding since it is not a part of Japanese culture.
If you're walking around temples and shrines, it is a good idea to be respectful and have a top layer with sleeves and no tummy or cleavage showing. However, it is not a rule and you'll sometimes see Japanese people not following these dress-code standards.
Japanese social mores allow for reticence. While meals can be used for business or social events, not every dinner needs to be full of productive conversation. An average meal is considered a time to relax and refuel. Especially at home, they are eaten in silence or with the television on.
While the Japanese are generally considered to be very polite and welcoming people, there are still some things that can be considered rude in their culture. For example, at dinnertime it is considered impolite to make noise while eating, and it is also considered bad manners to leave food on your plate.
The reason why tipping can be seen as rude in Japan is because they value dignity and respect much more than tipping. The Japanese believe you are already paying for a good service, so there is no need to pay extra by tipping.
You may be surprised to learn that while chopsticks take food to your mouth, they shouldn't ever go into your mouth. Moreover, don't lick your chopsticks, something called neburi-bashi, or use your mouth to remove rice stuck to them, which is mogi-bashi.
Tipping in Japan is not expected, and attempts to leave a tip will almost certainly be turned down (a potentially awkward moment). In Japan, it's thought that by dining out or drinking at a bar, you are already paying the establishment for good service.