Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [47]
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EATING IN A JAPANESE RESTAURANT
When you enter a restaurant in Japan, you’ll be greeted with a hearty ‘irasshaimase’ (Welcome!). In all but the most casual places the waiter will next ask you ‘nan-mei sama’ (How many people?). Answer with your fingers, which is what the Japanese do. You will then be led to a table, a place at the counter or a tatami room.
At this point you will be given an oshibori (a hot towel), a cup of tea and a menu. The oshibori is for wiping your hands and face. When you’re done with it, just roll it up and leave it next to your place. Now comes the hard part: ordering. If you don’t read Japanese, you can use the romanised translations in this book to help you, or direct the waiter’s attention to the Japanese script. If this doesn’t work, there are two phrases that may help: ‘o-susume wa nan desu ka’ (What do you recommend?) and ‘o-makase shimasu’ (Please decide for me). If you’re still having problems, you can try pointing at other diners’ food or, if the restaurant has them, at the plastic food models in the window.
When you’ve finished eating, you can signal for the bill by crossing one index finger over the other to form the sign of an ‘x’. This is the standard sign for ‘bill please’. You can also say ‘o-kanjō kudasai’. Remember there is no tipping in Japan and tea is free of charge. Usually you will be given a bill to take to the cashier at the front of the restaurant. At more upmarket places, the host of the party will discreetly excuse themselves to pay before the group leaves. Unlike some places in the West, one doesn’t usually leave cash on the table by way of payment. Only the bigger and more international places take credit cards, so cash is always the surer option.
When leaving, it is polite to say to the restaurant staff, ‘gochisō-sama deshita’, which means ‘It was a real feast’. See Useful Words & Phrases for more restaurant words and phrases.
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RICE DISHES
NOODLE DISHES
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Harumi’s Japanese Cooking (Kurihara Harumi) is a well-illustrated cookbook and a good introduction to Japanese cuisine. If you want to try making some of the dishes you enjoyed while in Japan, this is an excellent choice.
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Izakaya
An izakaya is the Japanese equivalent of a pub-eatery. It’s a good place to visit when you want a casual meal, a wide selection of food, a hearty atmosphere and, of course, plenty of beer and sake. When you enter an izakaya, you are given the choice of sitting around the counter, at a table or on a tatami floor. You usually order a bit at a time, choosing from a selection of typical Japanese foods, such as yakitori (below), sashimi and grilled fish, as well as Japanese interpretations of Western foods like French fries and beef stew.
Izakaya can be identified by their rustic facades and the red lanterns outside their doors bearing the kanji for izakaya (). Since izakaya food is casual fare to go with drinking, it is usually fairly inexpensive. Depending on how much you drink, you can expect to get away with spending ¥2500 to ¥5000 per person. See also the boxed text, Ōta Kazuhiko on Japan’s Izakaya.
Yakitori
Yakitori (skewers of charcoal-grilled chicken and vegetables) is a popular after-work meal. Yakitori is not so much a full meal as an accompaniment for beer and sake. At a yakitori-ya (yakitori restaurant) you sit around a counter with the other patrons and watch the chef grill your selections over charcoal. The best way to eat here is to order several varieties, then order seconds of the ones you really like. Ordering can be a little confusing since one serving often means two or three skewers (be careful – the price listed on the menu is usually