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EATING ETIQUETTE

When it comes to eating in Japan, there are quite a number of implicit rules, but they’re fairly easy to remember. If you’re worried about putting your foot in it, relax – the Japanese don’t expect you to know what to do, and they are unlikely to be offended as long as you follow the standard rules of politeness from your own country. Here are a few major points to keep in mind:

Chopsticks in rice Do not stick your hashi (chopsticks) upright in a bowl of rice. This is how rice is offered to the dead in Buddhist rituals. Similarly, do not pass food from your chopsticks to someone else’s. This is another funereal ritual.

Polite expressions When eating with other people, especially when you’re a guest, it is polite to say ‘itadakimasu’ (literally ‘I will receive’) before digging in. This is as close as the Japanese come to saying grace. Similarly, at the end of the meal, you should thank your host by saying ‘gochisō-sama deshita’ which means, ‘It was a real feast’.

Kampai It is bad form to fill your own glass. You should fill the glass of the person next to you and wait for them to reciprocate. Raise your glass a little off the table while it is being filled. Once everyone’s glass has been filled, the usual starting signal is a chorus of ‘kampai’, which means ‘cheers!’

Slurp When you eat noodles in Japan, it’s perfectly OK, even expected, to slurp them. In fact, one of the best ways to find rāmen (egg noodle) restaurants in Japan is to listen for the loud slurping sound that comes out of them!

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The most important Shintō deity is Inari, the god of the rice harvest.

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The highly prized Japanese matsutake mushroom can sell for up to US$2000 per kilogram.

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Mame (Beans)

Given the country’s Buddhist history, it’s no surprise that Japanese cuisine has long been dependent on beans as a source of protein. Top of the Japanese bean pile is the indispensable soy bean, the daizu (literally ‘big bean’), which provides the raw material for miso, shōyu, tofu, yuba (soy milk skin) and the infamous nattō (fermented soy beans). It also finds its way into such dishes as hijiki-mame, where black spiky seaweed is sautéed in oil, with soy sauce and sugar, and daizu no nimono, soy beans cooked with konbu (kelp) and dried shiitake mushrooms.

Next is the azuki bean (written with the characters for ‘little bean’), used extensively in preparation of wagashi (Japanese sweets), often for the tea ceremony, and in the preparation of seki-han (red-bean rice), which is used at times of celebration and to commemorate a teenage girl’s first menstruation.

Miso

A precursor of miso arrived on the Japanese mainland from China sometime around AD 600, not long after Buddhism. Its inhabitants have been gargling it down as misoshiru (miso soup) ever since, at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Made by mixing steamed soy beans with kōji (a fermenting agent) and salt, miso is integral to any Japanese meal, where it is likely to be present as misoshiru or as a flavouring. It is also used in dengaku (fish and vegetables roasted on skewers), where it is spread on vegetables such as eggplant and konnyaku (devil’s tongue).

Misoshiru is a brownish soup made from a mixture of dashi (stock), miso and shellfish, such as shijimi (freshwater clams) or asari (short-necked clams); assorted vegetables, such as daikon (giant white radish), carrot or burdock (especially good for the digestion); pork; or simply tofu. You may see this up to three times a day in Japan, as it accompanies almost every typical Japanese meal. The simple rule is this: if there’s a bowl of rice, then a bowl of misoshiru is never far behind.

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TASTY TRAVEL

There’s one word every food lover should learn before coming to Japan: meibutsu. It means ‘speciality’, as in regional speciality, and despite its small size, Japan has loads of them. In fact, in never hurts to simply ask for the meibutsu when you order at a restaurant or izakaya (pub-eatery). Like as