Guide
Izakaya & yakitori
Izakaya customs, otoshi and the bill, rules around alcohol, and sharing plates.
Finding a restaurant3
- Signs that show whether a shop is openWhat signs like 営業中 (open) and 準備中 (not open yet) mean, plus notices about last order, private bookings, and full seating.
- Opening hours, midday breaks, and last ordersThe midday break between lunch and dinner service, when last orders typically close, and shops that open early or stay open late — what to check before you visit.
- Reservations and queuesFrom phone reservations still being the norm at many shops, to how queues work, seating alone at the counter, and asking a hotel for help.
Ordering6
- How to read a vertical menuIn shops with strips of handwritten menu items on the wall, the top-right spot is often used for recommendations.
- What staff say, and how to respondCommon set phrases you'll hear at restaurants, with what they mean and what to do when you hear them. You don't need to memorize them — just recognizing them is enough.
- Words you'll see on a menuWhat common menu and chalkboard words mean, plus how to read "〇〇 free" offers.
- What to know if you have dietary restrictionsHow allergen labeling works, where fish-based dashi, pork, and alcohol turn up, and phrases for checking with staff.
- All-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink customsTime limits, last-order windows, and a few rules to know before booking a tabehodai or nomihodai course.
- A culture of eating rawBeyond sashimi and sushi, Japan has a wide range of foods eaten raw — from egg to horse meat to oysters. Here's what's worth knowing before you order.
Manners6
- Basic table mannersFrom what itadakimasu means, to getting seated, chopstick basics and what to avoid, how to hold your dishes, and the culture of not leaving food — the everyday manners that apply no matter where you eat.
- Seating and table mannersRemoving shoes for tatami seating, using an oshibori, and a few habits around chopsticks and shared dishes.
- Izakaya customsFrom the small starter dish called otoshi, the classic "for now, a draft beer" first order, ordering a little at a time, choosing tare or shio for yakitori, soy sauce dishes, a closing course, and last orders and smoking rules.
- Eating aloneDining alone is completely normal in Japan. Here's how to find shops that welcome solo diners, and a few things worth knowing.
- Rules and etiquette around alcoholWhat's worth knowing before drinking in Japan: the legal drinking age, how strictly drink-driving is treated, rules on drinking outdoors, train etiquette, and customs like waiting for a toast and pouring for each other.
- Sharing plates and using serving chopsticksHow dishes get shared at izakaya and Chinese diners, when to use serving chopsticks, why some meals aren't meant to be split, and what happens to what's left on the plate.
Paying2
Foods you'll meet here
Other scenes
- Ramen shops
- Soba & udon shops
- Sushi restaurants
- Teishoku, shokudo & neighborhood Chinese
- Yakiniku, shabu-shabu & hot pot
- All-you-can-eat & drink
- Kissaten, cafés & sweets shops
- Convenience stores & supermarkets
- Depachika, regional fairs & antenna shops
- Stations & airports
- Markets, morning markets & michi-no-eki
- Festivals, street stalls & beer gardens
- Breweries & factory tours