nigiri sushi set
1. What to expect when you enter
いらっしゃいませ。 何名様でしょうか。
Irasshaimase. Nan-mei-sama desho ka.
Welcome! How many people?
Hold up your fingers to indicate the number as you reply:
一名 ichi-mei (1), 二名 ni-mei (2), 三名 san-mei (3).
- カウンター席かテーブル席ですか。 Kaunta-seki ka teburu-seki desu ka.
- Would you prefer to sit at the counter or a table?
2. Getting seated
A hot towel called an oshibori (おしぼり) should arrive as soon as you are seated and receive the menu. If you already know what drinks you would like to order, now is a good time to ask. Otherwise, the waiter will come back in a short while, when you’ve had a chance to peruse the drinks menu, to take your order. Some restaurants will also serve water immediately. At other places, you can ask for it.
- お水ください Omizu kudasai
- Water please
3.Ordering drinks
accepting a drink
Ordering most drinks, such as tea, coffee, soft drinks, wine and cocktails, should be straight forward. However, some traditional Japanese beverages such as umeshu, shochu, and nihonshu/sake, are drunk in a variety of ways. Your waiter will need to know your preference.
日本酒／酒 Nihonshu/Sake Served cold (冷酒 reishu) in a glass (グラス gurasu) or hot (熱燗 atsukan) and warm (ぬる燗 nurukan) in a ceramic flask (とっくり tokkuri) and drunk from a small cup (おちょこ ochoko).
焼酎 Shochu Served straight, with ice (ロック rokku), hot water (お湯割り Oyu-wari) or tea (お茶割り ocha-wari).
梅酒 Umeshu Served straight, with ice (ロック rokku), soda (ソ-ダ割り Soda-wari) or hot water (お湯割り Oyu-wari)
It is common to pour drinks for others rather than for yourself. If someone offers you a drink, it is polite to hold your glass up with both of your hands.
- 乾杯！ Kampai!
- Cheers!
If you would like to order the same drink again, hold up your glass/cup and say:
- お代わりお願いします okawari onegai shimasu
- One more of these please.
4. Ordering food
At izakaya (Japanese dining bars) or nicer restaurants, there is usually a small appetizer called tsukidashi or otoshi that automatically comes after you order your drink. This will usually appear on your bill as a "seating charge". This ranges from 400 yen and up.
Your waiter or waitress may or may not speak English. Please remain patient and calm, even if they become nervous! Communication is possible without a common language.
If you are able to order with an English menu, point to the item on the menu as you request it. If you have a Japanese menu with photos, do the same. In the case where the menu is in Japanese without photos, and you don’t have any idea what you can order, try these survival phrases:
- おすすめは何ですか。 Osusume was nan desu ka.
- What do you recommend?
If you have something in mind that you want to eat, or special dietary needs, try these following phrases:
- 野菜料理のおすすめは何ですか。 Yasai-Ryori no osusume wa nan desu ka.
- What vegetable dishes do you recommend?
- 魚料理のおすすめは何ですか。 Sakana-Ryori no osusume wa nan desu ka.
- What fish dishes do you recommend?
- 肉料理のおすすめは何ですか。 Niku-Ryori no osutsume wa nan desu ka.
- What meat dishes do you recommend?
At nicer sushi restaurants, prices are sometimes not listed since they change daily with market prices. Another reason is that restaurants are often places to entertain business guests, so having no prices is more discreet. Rather than wait and hope for the best, it is better to confirm prices before you order.
- これはいくらですか kore wa ikura desu ka.
- How much is this?
At even more up-scale restaurants, there may not be a menu at all. Instead, the entire お任せ "omaka-se" course meal is determined by the chef on that day.
Before eating you can say:
- いただきます。Itadakimasu.
- Bon Appetit!/Let’s eat!
Most Japanese restaurants use disposable chopsticks. This is not because the restaurant wants to save money. Chopsticks are considered personal items (for some families, members each have their own) and, while times are changing, many patrons still prefer to use a "new" chopstick, so to speak.
Chopstick Manners!
Chopsticks in action
Traditional no-nos for ohashi use.
Don't:
- let your chopsticks hover over dishes while decide what to eat
- stab food with chopsticks
- move or drag dishes with chopsticks
- biting or licking the top of your chopsticks when you're not eating
- rest chopsticks sideways over a bowl/dish
- passing food to another person chopstick to chopstick (this is a taboo connected to funeral rites)
5. Asking for and paying the bill
When you have finished your meal, you will either be asked to pay at the table, or at the register. The cheque/bill may automatically come to your table, or you have to ask for it. There are three ways, from most casual to polite:
- お会計
- Okaikei
- おあいそ
- Oaiso
- お勘定お願いします。
- Okanjo Onegaishimasu.
At more formal venues, the cheque is brought to your table. At times, only the price is written down and there is no break-down of charges. This is usually at more local, non-franchise restaurants. Also keep in mind that, while things are changing, Japan is still very much a cash society. Some places may not accept credit cards. There is no tipping in Japanese restaurants
At the end of your meal, you can thank the staff by saying:
- ごちそうさまでした。Gochisosama deshita
- Thank you. It was delicious.
- ごちそうさまでした Gochisosama deshita
- Thank you for the meal (this phrase can also be used to ask for the cheque/bill.)
Dining Keywords
- Zaseki 座席
- Japanese table seating (on the floor)
- Teburu-seki テーブル席
- Western table seating
- Ohashi お箸
- chopsticks
- Wari-bashi わりばし
- disposable chopsticks
- Ohashi oki お箸置き
- chopstick rests
- Oshibori おしぼり
- handtowel (warm or cold, depending on season)
- Itadakimasu いただきます
- Bon Appetit!/Let’s eat!
- Okaikei / Oaiso / Okanjo お会計／おあいそ／お勘定お願いします
- cheque / bill
- Tsumayoji つまようじ
- toothpick
