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Sushi Etiquette in Japan

While sushi is incredibly popular worldwide, traditional sushi etiquette is not widely known outside of Japan. I’ve recently been asked by friends who are about to visit Japan for the first time how to properly eat sushi in Japan. Here are some guidelines.

Hands vs. Chopsticks

Either way is acceptable. Lots of Japanese people eat sushi only with their hands. In many fancy sushi places (omakase-type places), the chef will expect you to eat the sushi with your hands. 

If you’re worried about keeping your hands clean, that’s what the small wet towel (oshibori) you receive before the meal is for. Use it.

One Piece, One Bite

In places like the USA, bigger is almost invariably thought to be better, and even sushi chefs have adjusted by sometimes making nigiri sushi in massive sizes. In Japan, nigiri sushi will not be massive. It will be bite-sized. And that’s how you should eat it, in one bite. 

Fancy places like Sukibayashi Jiro (of Jiro Dreams of Sushi fame) will make the sushi serving bigger or smaller based on the size of the person eating it. They want it to be a comfortable bite.

If for some reason, the sushi is big for you, then go ahead and eat it in two bites, but not more.

Soy Sauce and Wasabi

In Japan, you dip the fish side of the nigiri sushi into the soy sauce, not the rice side. The soy sauce is not meant to overwhelm the flavor of the sushi.

Also, by dipping the fish side, you don’t get sushi grains left in the soy sauce, which is poor form.

After you dip your sushi into the soy sauce, don’t shake the sushi afterwards, as that’s associated with going to the bathroom in Japan.

In America, it’s common to mix wasabi into the soy sauce, with some people even creating a paste. This is not normally done in Japan. If the chef believes a particular piece of sushi requires wasabi, it will already be placed between the fish and the rice. Other times, the chef will ask if you want wasabi, or the restaurant will provide the option of ordering certain sushi with or without wasabi.

Certain types of sushi aren’t supposed to be eaten with soy sauce at all, and if you are seated at the counter, the chef will tell you that as they place those pieces of sushi in front of you. It will just be a simple “no soy sauce” or “no sauce”. These are usually cuts where they’ve already put the correct amount of soy sauce on there, cuts where there is ginger and it is not meant to be paired with soy sauce, or sushi that has a sweet sauce like the one commonly put on eel.

Ginger

Use the pickled ginger as a palate cleanser between servings of sushi. Don’t put the ginger on your sushi.

Counter vs. Table

I prefer to sit at the counter if at all possible, to have interactions with the chefs. I’ve learned a lot about sushi this way. Some places only have counters.

If you are dining with a larger group of people, sitting at the counter doesn’t make as much sense, as it becomes more difficult for the party to chat. That’s when a table is the clear choice.

Chopsticks

If you decide to use chopsticks instead of your hands, and they are the wooden kind that need to be broken apart to use, DO NOT rub them together. By rubbing them together, you are signaling to the restaurant that you think they are using low-quality chopsticks. Don’t do this unless you’re trying to offend someone.

Whatever you do, don’t put your chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice. Yes, I know it’s convenient. But, in Japan, it is a funeral tradition, so please avoid doing that. While this is not usually an issue while eating most kinds of sushi, unless you order chirashizushi, it’s good to keep this in mind at any place where you are served rice.

Kaitenzushi

If you are sitting at the counter of a kaitenzushi (conveyor belt sushi), as one does, and there is a chef in front of you in the center of the sushi train, you can order directly from them instead of (or in addition to) taking plates directly from the belt.

You’ll notice many Japanese people doing this. You get fresher sushi this way, and you don’t have to wait until the chefs decide to put the thing you want onto the belt. Just order from them. Don’t do this if they’ve just set down what you want on the belt. Simply take it from the belt.

And don’t put the plates back on the conveyor belt, leave them in front of you on the counter. That’s how they keep track of how much to charge.

Where to Start

It’s your meal, you can eat the sushi in any order you like; however, here are some guidelines for how to eat it in a way that will most likely taste the best.

If you’ve ordered a combo (set) plate and it has any pieces of sushi wrapped in nori (dried seaweed), it’s good to eat those first so the nori maintains its crispness, which softens the longer it sits absorbing moisture from the rice. 

Regarding the order of other sushi items, a common strategy is to eat less fatty, less rich fish first and gradually move toward the more flavorful cuts. For example, maguro (regular tuna) before Chu-toro (medium fatty tuna) or O-toro (very fatty tuna). Save rich items like uni (sea urchin) and monkfish liver for the end of the meal. Some people like to finish with a refreshing cucumber roll.

Don’t Wait

Sushi tastes best at specific temperatures, and the chefs prepare it with that in mind. The longer sushi sits in front of you, the further it moves from its ideal flavor and texture. If you are sitting at the counter and the chef serves you sushi, try to eat it within 10-30 seconds of it being placed in front of you. Don’t sit at the counter, jibber-jabbering with a friend while the fish is getting warm!

Green Tea

Most kaitenzushi places have self-serve green tea powder in containers on the counter, and there are hot water taps/spigots there as well. Help yourself to some tea, it’s included for free.

Cologne, Perfume, and Strong Scents

Japanese people are sensitive to strong scents, and it is considered bad manners to wear cologne, perfume, strong deodorant, or strongly scented body lotion to sushi places, as you will be sitting in close proximity to others, and the smell of your cologne (etc.) will impact how they experience the sushi. I’ve even heard of some places refusing entry or kicking people out if they are wearing a lot of perfume.

Caveats

I’ve occasionally seen Japanese people breaking some of these rules, but not at fancy places. So, consider them guidelines and use them accordingly.

Million Yen Women

One of my all-time favorite Japanese TV shows. A drama, mystery, thriller with some quirky humor throughout, Million Yen Women is addictive. Originally a manga series, it was adapted into a Netflix TV series in 2017.

The story revolves around Shin Michima, an unpopular novelist living alone in a large house and struggling to write something of value. 

Shin’s personal life is a tragic mess, until one day, five mysterious women show up at his home, each bearing a special invitation to live with him. This doesn’t solve his problems, but it certainly makes his life more interesting.

The invitation agreement requires the women to each pay 1,000,000 yen (around 7,000 USD) per month in rent, hence the Million Yen Women. And, yes, that’s a lot more than one would normally pay to rent a room in a house in Tokyo.

Each woman has a complicated past, but due to a set of rules contained within the invitation contract, Shin is not allowed to ask any personal questions or enter their rooms, and they all must eat meals together.

We gradually learn the backstories of the women, while various mysterious and alarming things happen. I don’t want to give up any more, so let’s leave it there. I highly recommend this show.

You can watch the trailer here.

Menus (English vs Japanese)

I know the Japanese language is intimidating, and the idea of navigating a Japanese menu may make some people a bit nervous. However, I always recommend looking at both an English menu and a Japanese menu, so you have a better idea of what the restaurant actually serves. Limiting yourself to only the English menu is exactly that; limiting.

You may think, “Oh, great. This place has an English menu. Let’s go here.” But I’m here to make a case that using the Japanese menu (or both menus in combination), despite the challenge of the language barrier, is a better choice even at restaurants that have English menus.

When comparing English and Japanese menus at the same restaurant, I’ve frequently noticed that the English menu version will be much shorter, with numerous items not listed. This abbreviated menu of the complete Japanese menu is likely to only contain food that Japanese people think foreigners would know and enjoy. You will miss out on more local and unusual dishes, which are often the best things. 

Daily specials usually go unlisted as they are often written on a chalkboard and only in Japanese, or sometimes they are written on an additional daily specials paper menu that doesn’t get translated into English on a daily basis, if ever. Many Japanese restaurants do not have fluent English speakers working every day, so they don’t have easy access to someone to translate the day’s specialties and as you may have noticed, or will soon notice, translation apps come up with some pretty strange translations (which you may also see on English Menus).

In izakaya, it is a common practice to have dishes written on paper that are then attached to the wall. Some restaurants have heaps of these papers on the walls and they don’t all make it onto the English menu. When you’re sitting in an izakaya and you see a hundred of these dishes stuck on the wall and you receive an English menu with about 20-30 options, you’ll know you’re missing out.

Another way English and Japanese menus sometimes differ is in the way they allow you to order. Because most Japanese people only read and write to a certain level of English, they want to streamline and simplify the ordering process for taking orders from non-Japanese speakers. The English menu may offer a certain dish only as part of a set meal, while the Japanese menu allows it to be ordered a la carte.

Download a few translation apps that can use your phone’s camera to help you read menus. As I mentioned above, the translations may not always be perfect, but they will help and are improving daily.

These situations are also a great opportunity to use the “osusume (recommendation)” strategy that I describe in great detail here. By asking for the chef’s/staff’s recommendations, you will be experiencing the restaurant in a more local way. It’s quite common for Japanese people to ask for recommendations and even leave it to the staff/chef to choose which dishes to serve you. This is similar to the omakase-style that you’ve probably experienced worldwide if you’re a fan of sushi. If you have allergies or are very particular about what you eat, the above advice may not be for you.

I hope I’ve convinced you to at least explore the Japanese menu, even if you decide to ask for both.

After two weeks off, I’m glad to be back. The May 15th issue of the newsletter had two of the most clicked links of all time here on Japan or Die. The Japanese Taco Bell Menu and the JFF Theater free movie streaming website (requires registration).

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