Pick up your bowl It's perfectly good manners in Japan to pick up the bowl you're eating from in one hand while you eat, and totally acceptable to drink soup straight from the bowl.
When eating from small bowls, it's good manners to pick up the bowl with your hand and lead it close to your mouth when eating from it. Never cup your hand to catch falling food, as this is considered bad manners. Ideally, food should always be eaten in one bite, so try not to bite food into smaller bits.
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.
Unlike other cultures, it's fine to lift/hold your bowl or plate in a Japanese meal. Spoons are not typically served, and soups are to be slurped directly from the bowl. You can also hold donburi rice bowls and small sushi plates while eating. But don't lift the communal dishes or any bowl/plate for large servings.
And now for a surprising DO. The rules are different in some neighboring Asian cultures, but in Japan, holding your sharing plate, rice, or soup bowl in one hand while you eat is absolutely acceptable. This brings it closer to your mouth to avoid spilling, or helps you get those last few grains of rice.
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.
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.
When eating at a Japanese restaurant, it is important to be mindful of a few key etiquette points. First, it is considered rude to leave food on your plate, so be sure to finish everything on your dish. Second, avoid making noise while you eat, such as slurping your soup or clicking your chopsticks together.
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.
There's also no cultural relevance that prohibits people from eating while walking. As long as you are following TPO guidelines, you should be good. While it's okay to eat while eating, it's not a common practice. Japanese people are mindful of having cleanliness and respect for public spaces.
In Japan it's considered rude to yawn openly. Happily, you at least get to cover your mouth if you can't stop that yawn ... Prolonged eye contact (staring) is considered rude. Don't show affection, such as hugging or shoulder slapping, in public.
In Japan, touching another person's body is considered rude, even with friends or family. Hugging and kissing are mostly for couples. Our editor Kanako said that she's never hugged any of her family members as a grown woman. She hugs her foreign friends but not the Japanese ones.
Avoid things like tank tops, shorts, and mini-skirts. Opting for more conservative clothing is always a safe bet even if you don't plan to visit temples or shrines. It's also generally frowned upon for women to show cleavage. Clothing with offensive messages or designs.
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.
Some good news, while slurping can be a sign of bad manners in other countries, in Japan it's completely acceptable and encouraged. In Japanese culture slurping your noodles shows how MUCH you are enjoying your meal.
Not finishing one's meal is not considered impolite in Japan, but rather is taken as a signal to the host that one wishes to be served another helping. Conversely, finishing one's meal completely, especially the rice, indicates that one is satisfied and therefore does not wish to be served any more.
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!
Many Japanese people believe it is poor manners to walk or do other physical activities while eating because it means you're not appreciating your food properly. For some, this belief has its roots in World War II, when food was scarce and it was something to be treasured, not treated casually.
In Japan, crossing one's legs is seen as disrespectful. It is because when you do this you show the bottom of your feet to guests, and since they have picked up dirt, you are showing that dirt to your guests. This makes for very bad business relations.
In Japan, eye contact equals aggression. If you look someone in the eye, they look away. Direct eye contact is considered rude or intrusive. It's alright to make brief eye contact, but for the bulk of the conversation you should look somewhere else.
Another rule when eating with chopsticks in Japan is that one should avoid placing them in an “X” shape. It is said that crossed chopsticks represent death itself in China. While Japan may not associate this practice with death, it is still generally considered bad manners to cross your chopsticks.
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.
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!
Others are manner rules universal: don't speak with your mouth full, and close your mouth while you are chewing. What's special for Japanese food is perhaps the use of chopsticks.