I searched your channel and have not seen Nagashi Soumen. When my Japanese friends showed me this, I thought it was the coolest thing haha. Would love to see your perspective. It is one of my favorite Japanese foods to prepare on a hot summer day.
As he says, there is a little more to say about eating manners in Japan. I'm using chopsticks from time when I had a Chinese friend (he worked as cook), so I had must to learn to use chopstick properly. About holding chopsticks, my advice, do not force yourself to hold them, give it a time, take time to do it naturally, nobody learned to use them easily just in 2 seconds. And thank you God for the knifes and forks, I rally like using them much, much more.
I learned naturally to hold chopsticks with the bottom one balanced on my middle finger and using the thumb and pointer alone to use them. Though that would make it difficult to separate things, would it be insulting to use them in that way?
Hehe, this vid makes me want to say Gochosamades! the next time I'm at Maku! Just like I give my Lawson's tender a hearty Osuminasai when I'm going home in the evening. No one ever gets the joke...
Itadakimasu is actually religious in a way. At least when it was born, it was a Shinto thing to thank the animals and plants you are eating "Thank you mister salmon. Thank you rice." Now it's more of a "Let's eat!"
Btw it's too shame you can't drink while holding chopsticks! I've always taken a little sip of whatever I'm drinking after chewing the food to flush it down. It's my own thing really, I rarely see anyone drinking after every bite. Especially if the food is dry this really helps me.
Do you HAVE to hold the chopsticks like that?! I've always held it slightly different. Same concept but instead of the bottom chopstick being on top of my ring finger, it is in front of it and between the thumb, and then the top chopstick I control with my index and middle finger(kinda hard to explain lol). I get more of a grip on the chopsticks that way, with my small chubby hands and all. I've also seen plenty of other Asians hold it that way too (mostly female tho).
Now from what I've seen and heard, Japan is fairly busy all the time so the people have to be keen, so this sounds like a lot to remember just for eating and being proper, to Japanese people, is it like second nature to them or do they have to remember it like everyone else?
hey thank you so much for all the videos you make about japan! they are very instructive! i'm planning my first trip to japan in november, so it sure is helpful! i hope i don't have a cold when i come! i don't know how i could not blow my nose!
I have seen other videos of people holding the cup with both hands, holding the bottom with a flat hand and the other in the regular spot *side/handle*, is there a reason? or is it just something to help control the urge to hold the chop sticks and the glass at the same time? I have seen both Japanese people and Foreign people do this...
have you talked about not sharing or passing food with hashii in any videos? also about not stabbing them in rice upright like incense? my wifey has taught me a lot about what NOT to do :)
I don't know to what extent this etiquette extends to Taiwan or China, but I went to lunch yesterday with my Taiwanese friend to a very "mom and pop" type Chinese restaurant. I'm trying to recall where I placed my chopsticks, oh man I must have been a disgrace!
Your Video's are Great. f you can please almost always have text up on the Videos that show the Words you use. maybe even have the Katakana and Hiragana versions displayed
I understand that you say ikadikimasu before you eat... not sure if I spelled that correctly, but what do you say after the meal? I couldn't quite understand you... it sounded like gozaimasu, but I don't think thats right...
Just wondering, but do all Japanese restaurants have normal utensils such as knives and forks and spoons, or do you have to know how to use chopsticks?
Well, using chopsticks isn't that had anyway. Just learn to use chopsticks in case there is no knives, forks and spoons. If it's a noodle shop, don't expect forks. Not only in Japan, but China and Korea as well. We don't and never eat noodles with forks. You should learn to use chopsticks..
I heard that you're not supposed to pass things to another person with your sticks, like in "have a taste of this!" (Germs and all apart) and that you should never stick your sticks into the rice. It seems to be connected to funeral rites somehow.
I will be stay in my boy friend family in japan for 2week. Here after diner you usually help cleaning to be polite because nobody like to wash dishes especialy if there was a lot of people. So is it good to offer help, is it ok, or would it be rude because for some reason it's part or being a good hostest to do this thing without guests help!?
i have trouble separating big pieces of meat with just chopsticks. is it okay if i bring the entire thing to my mouth, bite of a piece then put it back in my bowl? or is that rude? cuz i can't imagine any other way to separate the meat
I've been using chopsticks for 20 years in the states, and occasionally I'll get asked by someone how long I've been using them. I guess they assume that Western people can't use them and when I'm using them just as well as them they find it strange. A few people have to know every detail about the whys so I tell them that there are a lot of Chinese and Japanese restaurants in the states.
You know my cousin who has been to Japan a number of times said to never put chopsticks into the bowl straight up and down as it is a symbol of death. Is this true, or just another myth?
I was just wondering ... If you are a naturaly polite person from the Western world that does almost everything in a kind,thoughtful, and respectful manner would you be say ..."all right" in Japan, or do you really need to apply all the things you talk about all the time to be considered polite there?
Another good point is the slurping... or really sucking in air while eating. You don't want to be too loud, but quiet slurping is a compliment in Japan (rude in the US)
I have a question for you, if you don't mind. I am left-handed. I can eat with chopsticks pretty well, but I have to do it left-handed... Are there any cultural taboos associated with being left-handed in Japan that you know of? Some countries view it differently and I don't want to offend anyone!
@TheJapanChannelDcom (You replied just as I got back on here. COOL!) Thank you very much for responding, at least I'll know why people look at me funny now ^.^ I wonder how Japanese lefties do this stuff right handed 0.0
So about picking up the bowl to eat from it... are you allowed to put your mouth to the bowl and sort of shovel the last remaining bits into your mouth? With grace, of course haha.
Hi there Ray! I was wondering, when you eat rice with chopstics u usually find it difficult to pick up the last rice corns so my question is, should you pick the rice corns up with the chopsticks or is it rude? or should u just ignore the last ones?
and thanks for these videos they´ve helped alot!! ^^
Isnt there a proper way if your eating with other people to pour drinks? Like the person who starts to pour drinks does it for everyone. Then when he finishes the person next to him, pours his drink for him?
One of the foreign exchange students from Hong Kong at our school has a friend from Japan and she sends her these marshmallow things with this stuff in the middle and she gave me some (which was incredibly nice of her!) and they were so delicious! I want to go to Japan so bad! Thanks for your videos they are extremely helpful, I'm learning a lot! :D
Is it true in japan, that if you eat all the food and the bowl is empty its inpolite and disrispetcful, and your suppose to leav leftover food in the bowl to show that it was good and enyoyable?
@TheJapanChannelDcom This is true in the southern regions of the US, where I was born and raised. However, I've lived in Japan for 9 years and never heard that it's polite to eat everything.
@angrydandy Don´t know about Japan, but it´s definitely true in China! It doesn´t only show that you enjoyed your meal, it also shows that you aren´t hungry any more. It would be very impolite for chinese people to leave a hungry guest in their house.
@angrydandy while this is not true of Japan, it is true in India. If you eat all of the food prepared for your meal in India it's a huge insult (basically saying your host was unprepared and the meal was inadequate).
@MadyLeslie maybe cause in india they dont serve the entire plate at once, they put it in bowls and u take what you need , but an insult to leave food on ur plate in most cultures is
@angrydandy Actually, I heard something similar when I read "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan, but that was Chinese culture -- apparently you should always serve yourself small portions of food but have many additional helpings later to show that you really like it. I have also heard it's good to clean your plate, and NOT to leave a lot of uneaten food, even single grains of rice. Again, that was a book about Chinese culture.
i kinda like how you thoroughly explain things in your japan-how to videos.
I wish my father explained things as thoroughly as you, my father always was vague so, he could pull strings and say what he meant after I needed a thorough explanation.
Interesting that people in Japan are so concerned about germs that they wear masks over their mouths and take off shoes to put on house slippers and even have separate toilet slippers, but their answer to eating from communal bowls with chopsticks is to reverse them so that the part you were holding with your hand is touching everyone's food.
I'd be quite put-off if someone in the U.S. grabbed a serving spoon by the wrong end for a moment and then used it to serve themselves from a common bowl.
how is gochisousama desu used? is it like ittadakimasu where u say it after u finished eating or u say it to the staff while u leaving the restaurant?
I loved your video. BTW, I was hoping you would mention the tradition that chopsticks should not be stuck into food in a 90 degree angle, and left there..... it has a negative connotation or something? I heard it is done in a funeral...please tell me about it.
Hope no one takes offense and I do find these videos very interesting but sheesh the japanese need to learn how to relax and stop being robots. And I like how you say "heeya" lol. I watched some of your videos and you tend to say "heeya" with some kind of accent.
whoa whoa, this is one of the few times I've seen something I don't like about Japanese culture... the part where people have to flip their chop sticks backwards when they want to take food from the communal bowls. The reason I don't like it is, ppl are obviously going to touch the part of the chopsticks that go into the communal bowl with their hands, and a lot of people eat with dirty hands because ppl don't usually go wash their hands before eating. The wet towel doesn't really wash hands
I've heard about it, and this video reminded me, I've heard there are some places like tea houses or tradicional places that wont allow you in if you're not a regular, and only if someone has introduced you. or something like that, that true?
Oooooh, cool, I didn't know about using the back of the chopsticks for picking stuff up from the 'shared bowl' and I've always wondered since I figured it would be icky to use the side you put in the mouth.
Would've been nice to have the not leaving chopsticks in the bowl etiquette emphasised though, it being a big no-no and all, but maybe that's in a video I just haven't watched yet 8D
I already knew about turning your chopsticks around to pick something up from a communal plate, but one question I've always had is what do you do if you use the end of your chopsticks to pick up something with a lot of sauce? You'd have sauce all over the end of your chopsticks! Do you wipe your chopsticks off on the towel you received? Are there other napkins provided besides the towel? If you don't wipe them off you'd end up with sauce on your hands when you went to turn them around again.
Chopsticks are challenging for some people I know. But my mother and I determined to master them. We spent an hour or so trying to pick M&M's up with Chopsticks. After flinging a ffew across the room, she still can't use them well, but I can eat fine with them now. It's a fun way to practice.
thank you so much for your insight sir im going on a trip to tokyo with the people to people foundation and your videos have mad my stress level go WAYY down
Hmm Japanese logic is kinda strange Its like even if you reverse chopsticks you still held it in your hand... Either way they gna get germs lol :P Thanks for the vids very cool to know stuff like this before i go to Japan. Its like after watching your vids I feel like Japan is totally different from what they show in Anime~~ne?
i made the mistake of wiping my mouth. in america a sushi house, but the guy stared me down and didn't say no but the other americans with experiance were death glaring me.
These are so helpful! Whenever I am able to visit Japan, I feel as though I shall be able to avoid several faux pas. Although, I'm sure I'll still make quite a few. (^_^)
this certainly makes me think a lot more about my own canadian culture... like the waving around of the forks and stuff... never thought about that...
okay so i know its unlikely, but lets say you ordered a steak in japan, how on earth are you supposed to eat that with chopsticks? like do they generally try to slice things up for you or are you supposed to cut things up with with your chopsticks? haha.
okay so i know its unlikely, but lets say you ordered a steak in japan, how on earth are you supposed to eat that with chopsticks? like do they generally try to slice things up for you or are you supposed to cut things up with with your chopsticks? haha.
I know that when Chinese people eat with chopsticks they can't stick the chopsticks in the food because that is what you do when you pray to dead people.
This may be a silly question but uhhm... What if there's a food that needs to be cut up? Are knives supplied? Or will the served food always be in a chopstick-manageable size?
you should goto some western tv channel and become some travel presenter as you are so good in giving such great insight into the life's of how people live in Japan I am sure channels in qz and for definite the BBC in the UK would really interested to consider you am I sure
For the next how to video can you show us a Japaneese tv?
TheMacSE30 1 day ago
I searched your channel and have not seen Nagashi Soumen. When my Japanese friends showed me this, I thought it was the coolest thing haha. Would love to see your perspective. It is one of my favorite Japanese foods to prepare on a hot summer day.
TheSmoothGrind 2 days ago
do they fight in japan for who is going to pay ? i mean is that normal to do
CeaNer 4 days ago
As he says, there is a little more to say about eating manners in Japan. I'm using chopsticks from time when I had a Chinese friend (he worked as cook), so I had must to learn to use chopstick properly. About holding chopsticks, my advice, do not force yourself to hold them, give it a time, take time to do it naturally, nobody learned to use them easily just in 2 seconds. And thank you God for the knifes and forks, I rally like using them much, much more.
mywebnet 6 days ago
I learned naturally to hold chopsticks with the bottom one balanced on my middle finger and using the thumb and pointer alone to use them. Though that would make it difficult to separate things, would it be insulting to use them in that way?
Kakarot21591 1 week ago in playlist How to do stuff in Japan!
This has been flagged as spam show
Chopsticks are quite a silly inventions. LOL
I do like using them though :)
neomysterio 1 week ago
Chopsticks are quite a silly inventions. LOL
I do like using them though :)
neomysterio 1 week ago
i find a knife and fork far superior to chopsticks.
Tw4tz0r 2 weeks ago
Hehe, this vid makes me want to say Gochosamades! the next time I'm at Maku! Just like I give my Lawson's tender a hearty Osuminasai when I'm going home in the evening. No one ever gets the joke...
Joshmf 2 weeks ago
Itadakimasu is actually religious in a way. At least when it was born, it was a Shinto thing to thank the animals and plants you are eating "Thank you mister salmon. Thank you rice." Now it's more of a "Let's eat!"
Btw it's too shame you can't drink while holding chopsticks! I've always taken a little sip of whatever I'm drinking after chewing the food to flush it down. It's my own thing really, I rarely see anyone drinking after every bite. Especially if the food is dry this really helps me.
Nikotiini69 2 weeks ago
Do you HAVE to hold the chopsticks like that?! I've always held it slightly different. Same concept but instead of the bottom chopstick being on top of my ring finger, it is in front of it and between the thumb, and then the top chopstick I control with my index and middle finger(kinda hard to explain lol). I get more of a grip on the chopsticks that way, with my small chubby hands and all. I've also seen plenty of other Asians hold it that way too (mostly female tho).
lalabunnybr 3 weeks ago
how do you avoid getting food or sauce all over your hands if you constantly have to handle the other end of the chopsticks?
Esuna 3 weeks ago 3
Now from what I've seen and heard, Japan is fairly busy all the time so the people have to be keen, so this sounds like a lot to remember just for eating and being proper, to Japanese people, is it like second nature to them or do they have to remember it like everyone else?
pugpugpug0 1 month ago in playlist How to do stuff in Japan!
exactly 50,000 views~ xD
edwardbellafan12321 1 month ago
Nice explanation Sr., thanks for the heads up!
palomo8908 1 month ago
hey thank you so much for all the videos you make about japan! they are very instructive! i'm planning my first trip to japan in november, so it sure is helpful! i hope i don't have a cold when i come! i don't know how i could not blow my nose!
jodelle6 1 month ago in playlist How to do stuff in Japan!
Wow! I did not know about the reversed chopsticks thing! Thanks for these videos! Good info!
kaikauruwashii 1 month ago
I have seen other videos of people holding the cup with both hands, holding the bottom with a flat hand and the other in the regular spot *side/handle*, is there a reason? or is it just something to help control the urge to hold the chop sticks and the glass at the same time? I have seen both Japanese people and Foreign people do this...
OutcastHeartsCosplay 1 month ago in playlist How to do stuff in Japan!
great video!
Tralfamadorczyk 1 month ago
3:11 huh has anyone seen me?
therealdefpunk 2 months ago in playlist How to do stuff in Japan!
Brilliant, thanks! I'm hosting a Japanese themed party for some friends and your vids have been so helpful for the uncultured like me! <3
HeyRuka 2 months ago
Many young Japanese need to learn on how to use chopsticks from you.
kensan0809 2 months ago
I've heard that if you fart while eating, they won't get offended because it means that the food was tasty? Is that true?
CptEddyPrice 2 months ago in playlist How to do stuff in Japan!
have you noticed most videos about japan are made by australin people ???
Uskidsrock 2 months ago
Also never stab food with your chopsticks or pass food to another person with your chopsticks.
MrJr4116 2 months ago
have you talked about not sharing or passing food with hashii in any videos? also about not stabbing them in rice upright like incense? my wifey has taught me a lot about what NOT to do :)
Goat5611 3 months ago
I'm Japanese but I feel a little bit sorry, if we would make people nervous to be too polite. It might be stressful for some people.
By the way, I know many Japanese friends who use left hand when they eat and write. And I have never felt uncomfortable with them at all.
puutans 4 months ago
I hold them like a pen
thalia14girl 4 months ago
I heard it's bad to cross your chopsticks.
genuinebbuck 4 months ago
I don't know to what extent this etiquette extends to Taiwan or China, but I went to lunch yesterday with my Taiwanese friend to a very "mom and pop" type Chinese restaurant. I'm trying to recall where I placed my chopsticks, oh man I must have been a disgrace!
Meirenee107 5 months ago
I eat Bear Grylls style, with my bare hands. Joking jk jk, thanks man for the tips.
TheTechBite 5 months ago
Look at the little boy, whos mom talks allot agenst him. because with a mom like that, we know he's doing right? O_o
chrstilen5 5 months ago
cool video didn't know about the reverse of chopsticks aswell as the correct way to pick them up and down keep up the great work.
Mangamadman25 5 months ago in playlist More videos from TheJapanChannelDcom
I didn't know about the not holding chopsticks while taking a drink rule. Thanks for the info.
OmegaWolf747 7 months ago
Itadakimasuuu :D
savis90 7 months ago
Just wondering but is it true that if you lift the bowl up to your mouth and suck the food ramen ect.. that it means you are realy enjoying it?
ShrapzKai 7 months ago
@ShrapzKai you eat western food with western utensils, like spaghetti ( at least I think so)
porcelainROZE 7 months ago
I know most of the Japanese rice is sticky, but what is you're eating something that is grainy... that looks impossible to eat with chopsticks.
NeztyKash 7 months ago
what if you order something like a big steak at a restaurant? It seems like it'd be too tough to tear apart, does it come pre-cut?
NatKat63 7 months ago
that look hard if you are eating rice or somthing small.
GirlAleshos 7 months ago
I dont think theres really a right or wrong way of holding chopsticks. The way that works best for you is the correct way :D
TheBlayzinAsian420 7 months ago in playlist Japan pl.1
what if your eating a sandwich or chiken leg whats the polite way to eat it
gameboykid62256 7 months ago
Your Video's are Great. f you can please almost always have text up on the Videos that show the Words you use. maybe even have the Katakana and Hiragana versions displayed
I had to look up the word you said. ^_^;;
SuperUltraOmegaDude 7 months ago
Thanks for this video
I really liked it!
drecksyutube 8 months ago
should you say itadakimasu before tea time or breakfast?
jin54363 8 months ago
Thanks for the videos I really enjoy them!
1233452432 8 months ago 38
@1233452432
Thanks for watching!
TheJapanChannelDcom 8 months ago 7
Comment removed
963369789 5 months ago
いただきます!
rejectofsoul24 8 months ago
I understand that you say ikadikimasu before you eat... not sure if I spelled that correctly, but what do you say after the meal? I couldn't quite understand you... it sounded like gozaimasu, but I don't think thats right...
mitsumi2449 8 months ago
@mitsumi2449 yes, before the meal u say 'itadakimasu', after the meal u say 'gochiso sama deshita' or '...desu' just like in the vid (:
VelMadzik 8 months ago in playlist How to do stuff in Japan!
how was japan after the tsunami?
sora71100 9 months ago
Just wondering, but do all Japanese restaurants have normal utensils such as knives and forks and spoons, or do you have to know how to use chopsticks?
RileyRichardz 9 months ago
@RileyRichardz
Well, using chopsticks isn't that had anyway. Just learn to use chopsticks in case there is no knives, forks and spoons. If it's a noodle shop, don't expect forks. Not only in Japan, but China and Korea as well. We don't and never eat noodles with forks. You should learn to use chopsticks..
Samhiuys 7 months ago
I heard that you're not supposed to pass things to another person with your sticks, like in "have a taste of this!" (Germs and all apart) and that you should never stick your sticks into the rice. It seems to be connected to funeral rites somehow.
michaelXXLF 10 months ago
I will be stay in my boy friend family in japan for 2week. Here after diner you usually help cleaning to be polite because nobody like to wash dishes especialy if there was a lot of people. So is it good to offer help, is it ok, or would it be rude because for some reason it's part or being a good hostest to do this thing without guests help!?
fullmetalclo 10 months ago
Is it okay to clean the top of your chopsticks so you don't get anything on your hands when eating?
seraphinapandora 10 months ago
@Hero0fChrist what proof do you have of this?
caldevera 11 months ago
i have trouble separating big pieces of meat with just chopsticks. is it okay if i bring the entire thing to my mouth, bite of a piece then put it back in my bowl? or is that rude? cuz i can't imagine any other way to separate the meat
caldevera 11 months ago
@caldevera i think, if you are in a BBQ that ok but not in a restaurant
sebastien12364 9 months ago
i dont want to be the devils minion for being left handed. i dont think i could ever eat with my right hand...D: thats not fair (cries a river)
AngelicPurity 11 months ago 11
@AngelicPurity
Don't worry.. it wont matter :-)
TheJapanChannelDcom 11 months ago 5
Chopsticks are as dangerous as knives.. Hehe, won't be good if you poke someone... Hehehe (*^_^)
MrMizanMiah 11 months ago
OMG I've ALWAYS wondered about taking food from a common bowl - I've been doing it wrong!!! Thank you so much.
(thank goodness is was just with my western family, but still! hehe)
I have the hardest time with separating food... oftentimes I"ll wish for a knife.
ShadesofScorpius 11 months ago
I've been using chopsticks for 20 years in the states, and occasionally I'll get asked by someone how long I've been using them. I guess they assume that Western people can't use them and when I'm using them just as well as them they find it strange. A few people have to know every detail about the whys so I tell them that there are a lot of Chinese and Japanese restaurants in the states.
untmdsprt 11 months ago
Is it ok to lift the bowl infront of the nose and shove food in your mouth?
You know like when bowl is covering your face.
KonaitouQ2 11 months ago
You know my cousin who has been to Japan a number of times said to never put chopsticks into the bowl straight up and down as it is a symbol of death. Is this true, or just another myth?
beutifly199 11 months ago
I was just wondering ... If you are a naturaly polite person from the Western world that does almost everything in a kind,thoughtful, and respectful manner would you be say ..."all right" in Japan, or do you really need to apply all the things you talk about all the time to be considered polite there?
TheMajin7 1 year ago
hola amigo bien por el video ya estoy practicando con los palillos espero pronto tener practica con ellos saludos .
astaqueloencontre 1 year ago
Another good point is the slurping... or really sucking in air while eating. You don't want to be too loud, but quiet slurping is a compliment in Japan (rude in the US)
kungfuninja314 1 year ago
I have a question for you, if you don't mind. I am left-handed. I can eat with chopsticks pretty well, but I have to do it left-handed... Are there any cultural taboos associated with being left-handed in Japan that you know of? Some countries view it differently and I don't want to offend anyone!
SakiWatari 1 year ago 7
@SakiWatari
Left handed Japanese people are raised doing everything right handed..
but you will be OK..
you are foreign so you are already strange ^_^
TheJapanChannelDcom 1 year ago 71
@TheJapanChannelDcom (You replied just as I got back on here. COOL!) Thank you very much for responding, at least I'll know why people look at me funny now ^.^ I wonder how Japanese lefties do this stuff right handed 0.0
SakiWatari 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@TheJapanChannelDcom "you are foreign so you are already strange"
If you're weird in your own country, would you be doubly weird in japan ;D
TheReasonWhyGuy 1 year ago
@TheJapanChannelDcom so lefties are the devil's minions XD
Linknot100 1 year ago
@TheJapanChannelDcom Really? I've seen a few people using their left hand to write or use chopsticks.
untmdsprt 11 months ago
@TheJapanChannelDcom So Its Bad to Use a Fork Or Spoon to eat?? Why
PedroyItatiFan 7 months ago
@SakiWatari oh my gosh...I've never even thought of that before! :O
I pretty much fail at right handed chopsticks...I have so little control over my right hand :L
sakurapikuseruchan 3 months ago
I tought it's rude to eat every last bit of your meal... (?)
101Vulpix 1 year ago
Itadaki mass! means i received
irinawolf 1 year ago
So about picking up the bowl to eat from it... are you allowed to put your mouth to the bowl and sort of shovel the last remaining bits into your mouth? With grace, of course haha.
carrbarre 1 year ago
Hi there Ray! I was wondering, when you eat rice with chopstics u usually find it difficult to pick up the last rice corns so my question is, should you pick the rice corns up with the chopsticks or is it rude? or should u just ignore the last ones?
and thanks for these videos they´ve helped alot!! ^^
AliceHale93 1 year ago
@AliceHale93
Polite to eat it all.
It gets easier with practice.
TheJapanChannelDcom 1 year ago 3
is it true that never ever use fork eating sushi. =D i use chopstick and my hand XD
HamsterClawz 1 year ago
if you havn't learn how to use chop sticks yet...Do the resturants give you forks?
Midnightryder7 1 year ago
gouchisosama.
PaintballIt 1 year ago
Isnt there a proper way if your eating with other people to pour drinks? Like the person who starts to pour drinks does it for everyone. Then when he finishes the person next to him, pours his drink for him?
ichigo3790 1 year ago
What about eating rice? That must take forever to finish a bowl eating 1 or 2 grains at a time...
chopperboi89 1 year ago
@chopperboi89
I think the rice is sticky man. So you can pick it up in chunks.
parrish001 1 year ago
@chopperboi89 and u can lift the bowl
MiuShun 7 months ago
One of the foreign exchange students from Hong Kong at our school has a friend from Japan and she sends her these marshmallow things with this stuff in the middle and she gave me some (which was incredibly nice of her!) and they were so delicious! I want to go to Japan so bad! Thanks for your videos they are extremely helpful, I'm learning a lot! :D
NeptunePrincess04 1 year ago
Is it true in japan, that if you eat all the food and the bowl is empty its inpolite and disrispetcful, and your suppose to leav leftover food in the bowl to show that it was good and enyoyable?
forgive my english :D
angrydandy 1 year ago
@angrydandy
Nope.. sounds like another internet myth..
eating everything is polite.
TheJapanChannelDcom 1 year ago 16
@TheJapanChannelDcom ok, thanks mate :D
angrydandy 1 year ago
@TheJapanChannelDcom This is true in the southern regions of the US, where I was born and raised. However, I've lived in Japan for 9 years and never heard that it's polite to eat everything.
unholyimage 1 year ago
@angrydandy no thats only considered rude in china :P
ShimmyunderBubblez 1 year ago
@angrydandy Don´t know about Japan, but it´s definitely true in China! It doesn´t only show that you enjoyed your meal, it also shows that you aren´t hungry any more. It would be very impolite for chinese people to leave a hungry guest in their house.
Mixerious 1 year ago
@angrydandy When you drink tea in japan, it is polite to slurp it. It just giving the offer-er the fact that you are actually drinking it.
noobertification 1 year ago
@angrydandy i heard that this counts for chinese people. they always leave leftovers to show how rich they are
Mahaweilo 1 year ago
@angrydandy while this is not true of Japan, it is true in India. If you eat all of the food prepared for your meal in India it's a huge insult (basically saying your host was unprepared and the meal was inadequate).
MadyLeslie 1 year ago
@MadyLeslie maybe cause in india they dont serve the entire plate at once, they put it in bowls and u take what you need , but an insult to leave food on ur plate in most cultures is
MiuShun 7 months ago
@angrydandy Actually, I heard something similar when I read "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan, but that was Chinese culture -- apparently you should always serve yourself small portions of food but have many additional helpings later to show that you really like it. I have also heard it's good to clean your plate, and NOT to leave a lot of uneaten food, even single grains of rice. Again, that was a book about Chinese culture.
TheAle89515 11 months ago
i kinda like how you thoroughly explain things in your japan-how to videos.
I wish my father explained things as thoroughly as you, my father always was vague so, he could pull strings and say what he meant after I needed a thorough explanation.
great videos BTW.
zeldagamerDX6 1 year ago
what if the food you're eating has a sauce or something like that is it ok to wipe the other side, after picking the food?
sexysisa 1 year ago
regarding the wet towel, can you use it after meal for wiping your hands?
sexysisa 1 year ago
I really can't use chopsticks! :( x
94Torchwood94 1 year ago
Do Japanese ever say grace or invoke a religous blessing before or after eating ?
Thanks
silentfades 1 year ago
@silentfades
Itadakimasu
It is similar to giving thanks..
TheJapanChannelDcom 1 year ago
Gochisoosama deshita actually means it was a feast, and is sort of a thanks to the maker, and all the things that made the food possible.
jayjjj3 1 year ago
Interesting that people in Japan are so concerned about germs that they wear masks over their mouths and take off shoes to put on house slippers and even have separate toilet slippers, but their answer to eating from communal bowls with chopsticks is to reverse them so that the part you were holding with your hand is touching everyone's food.
I'd be quite put-off if someone in the U.S. grabbed a serving spoon by the wrong end for a moment and then used it to serve themselves from a common bowl.
gillianorley 1 year ago
how is gochisousama desu used? is it like ittadakimasu where u say it after u finished eating or u say it to the staff while u leaving the restaurant?
louiscolby 1 year ago
thanks for the chopsticks trick, the part about flipping the sticks around, cant wait to try it and impress my friends. :)
echosixnoble 1 year ago
Hey,
I loved your video. BTW, I was hoping you would mention the tradition that chopsticks should not be stuck into food in a 90 degree angle, and left there..... it has a negative connotation or something? I heard it is done in a funeral...please tell me about it.
JesusisLord7771 1 year ago
@JesusisLord7771
Yes, that is true.
TheJapanChannelDcom 1 year ago
its rude 2 blow ur nose bt ok to slurp ur soup
lovelivelifewthrocky 1 year ago
@lovelivelifewthrocky
It's considered normal to slurp a little, but too much noise is something that some of your friends will give a gentle reprimand for.
klawock 1 year ago
Hope no one takes offense and I do find these videos very interesting but sheesh the japanese need to learn how to relax and stop being robots. And I like how you say "heeya" lol. I watched some of your videos and you tend to say "heeya" with some kind of accent.
rahorin 1 year ago
@rahorin sounds australian.
Cuppedycupcake 1 year ago
soup slurping is acceptable too.
arivas713 1 year ago
whoa whoa, this is one of the few times I've seen something I don't like about Japanese culture... the part where people have to flip their chop sticks backwards when they want to take food from the communal bowls. The reason I don't like it is, ppl are obviously going to touch the part of the chopsticks that go into the communal bowl with their hands, and a lot of people eat with dirty hands because ppl don't usually go wash their hands before eating. The wet towel doesn't really wash hands
tawan20082008 1 year ago
@tawan20082008
but some chopsticks are really long and you don't necessarily touch the tips, you only touch the middle part of it....
filipinoandproud 1 year ago
I've heard about it, and this video reminded me, I've heard there are some places like tea houses or tradicional places that wont allow you in if you're not a regular, and only if someone has introduced you. or something like that, that true?
icewirm 1 year ago
You make a living in Japan making these videos?!!! Brilliant!
TheLivingDeadOne 1 year ago
hi , japanchanneldcom, im eat left handed with chopsticks, i heard its wrong etiquette, is it true ?
zenmonk82 1 year ago
@zenmonk82
yes... left handed Japanese people learn to use their right usually..
TheJapanChannelDcom 1 year ago
@TheJapanChannelDcom
crap ... I'm left handed .. alright, guess I just need to learn how to eat with my right hand then!
ChavezMelisa 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
EAT A CAT I MUST = ITADAKIMASU
:D
i know corny right?
Anzwerz142 1 year ago
what was the phrase you said to the staff? i didn't catch it (sorry- please write it in romaji?)
KashukoProject 1 year ago
@KashukoProject gochisousama desu.
boringnation 1 year ago
Oooooh, cool, I didn't know about using the back of the chopsticks for picking stuff up from the 'shared bowl' and I've always wondered since I figured it would be icky to use the side you put in the mouth.
Would've been nice to have the not leaving chopsticks in the bowl etiquette emphasised though, it being a big no-no and all, but maybe that's in a video I just haven't watched yet 8D
Anywho, keep up the good work~!
HeckoX 1 year ago
i did a mistake of wipeing my forhead with a towle in a habachi grill. boy was that embaressing im glad im not going there for a while.
pinksunflower100 1 year ago
"...this way...not cool..." Thanks for another helpful video.
TokyoNerd 1 year ago
D: is it ittekimas or itadakimas D:?
2791991 1 year ago
@2791991
ITADAKIMASU
TheJapanChannelDcom 1 year ago
@2791991
Ittekimasu 「行ってきます」 means that you're leaving. Before eating you say Itadakimasu 「いただきます」.
klawock 1 year ago
@2791991 itekimasu means "i'm leaving"
yummiwatch 1 year ago
I already knew about turning your chopsticks around to pick something up from a communal plate, but one question I've always had is what do you do if you use the end of your chopsticks to pick up something with a lot of sauce? You'd have sauce all over the end of your chopsticks! Do you wipe your chopsticks off on the towel you received? Are there other napkins provided besides the towel? If you don't wipe them off you'd end up with sauce on your hands when you went to turn them around again.
KyoshioNiwa 1 year ago
sometimes they give you a extra chopstick where everyone uses to put food in their plate
GreatCommunistEmpire 1 year ago
Chopsticks are challenging for some people I know. But my mother and I determined to master them. We spent an hour or so trying to pick M&M's up with Chopsticks. After flinging a ffew across the room, she still can't use them well, but I can eat fine with them now. It's a fun way to practice.
depravedreality 1 year ago
3:13 did she catch you? hehe
Ditre 1 year ago
thank you so much for your insight sir im going on a trip to tokyo with the people to people foundation and your videos have mad my stress level go WAYY down
judemustdie 1 year ago
thank you so much
that was very helpful :D
PieceRocks 1 year ago
Hey wow, I've actually been using my chopsticks correctly all this time! =D
I thought I was doing it wrong for sure when practicing with them for the past few months or so.
Are there western-style restaurants in Japan where they use the knife + fork/spoon combo, like there are western-style hotels, apartments, etc.?
stevelysteve 1 year ago
Hmm Japanese logic is kinda strange Its like even if you reverse chopsticks you still held it in your hand... Either way they gna get germs lol :P Thanks for the vids very cool to know stuff like this before i go to Japan. Its like after watching your vids I feel like Japan is totally different from what they show in Anime~~ne?
Lovelyallison 1 year ago
i made the mistake of wiping my mouth. in america a sushi house, but the guy stared me down and didn't say no but the other americans with experiance were death glaring me.
manufacturedfracture 1 year ago
@manufacturedfracture "wiping your mouth"? Ehh? Can you explain that please. Did you meant wiping your mouth with your hand or a napkin? o.0
kphamu 1 year ago
@kphamu with towel i know it was gross
manufacturedfracture 1 year ago
When you are eating at someone else's house do you leave a little bit of food on the plate or eat it all? Do you know what I mean?
iluvthejobros18 1 year ago
These are so helpful! Whenever I am able to visit Japan, I feel as though I shall be able to avoid several faux pas. Although, I'm sure I'll still make quite a few. (^_^)
theEumenides 1 year ago
Why not use a spoon on the bold that every can share and everyone eat with there chop-sticks? is it not delicate?
WaiWu 1 year ago
this certainly makes me think a lot more about my own canadian culture... like the waving around of the forks and stuff... never thought about that...
Jade7272 1 year ago
You can also slurp ramen/udon/soba
asianboy838 1 year ago
your holding the bowl in a different way, but its still cool tho.
lol02468 1 year ago
lol at 5:40 u look like ur in deep thought...by the way do u drive a GTR
blackjin21 1 year ago
question:
okay so i know its unlikely, but lets say you ordered a steak in japan, how on earth are you supposed to eat that with chopsticks? like do they generally try to slice things up for you or are you supposed to cut things up with with your chopsticks? haha.
cheerleader256 1 year ago
question:
okay so i know its unlikely, but lets say you ordered a steak in japan, how on earth are you supposed to eat that with chopsticks? like do they generally try to slice things up for you or are you supposed to cut things up with with your chopsticks? haha.
cheerleader256 1 year ago
Can you please write the words you should say to thank the person who cooked and the ittadakimasu (thanks for the meal?) in the video description?
its always helpful to look these things up in the video description :D
btw thanks for your videos ;)
Champo0 1 year ago
I heard it is polite and okay to slurp your soup or such
bigfoot32194 1 year ago
nice vid, but at 3:12 did someone walk in to the room or something
VinceNeilLiet 1 year ago
don't forget - you're not allowed to pass food with your chopsticks -
great series man - living the dream
jaseadamson 1 year ago
I know that when Chinese people eat with chopsticks they can't stick the chopsticks in the food because that is what you do when you pray to dead people.
kimmeeCheah 1 year ago
This may be a silly question but uhhm... What if there's a food that needs to be cut up? Are knives supplied? Or will the served food always be in a chopstick-manageable size?
DaviDelicious 1 year ago
Thank you for being so helpful. Helps a lot. :-)
deeper2deep 1 year ago
your too cool best vid lol
KrazyxAzian 1 year ago
Lol I thought I knowed pretty much about Japan but when I see your vids I feel stupid :P
southeparkfreak 1 year ago
Dude, you ROCK!
brokenthorn15 1 year ago
These videos are amazing, thanks for giving us this info. ^^
burningvenom 1 year ago
you should goto some western tv channel and become some travel presenter as you are so good in giving such great insight into the life's of how people live in Japan I am sure channels in qz and for definite the BBC in the UK would really interested to consider you am I sure
DanielR305 1 year ago 54
@DanielR305
man, I would like that gig!
thanks for the compliment
TheJapanChannelDcom 1 year ago 20
@TheJapanChannelDcom ooohhhh! you'd be good at that!. =3
zeldagamerDX6 1 year ago
@DanielR305
I definitely agree to that!
You go, man!
filipinoandproud 1 year ago