投稿者: master

Japanese can’t stop loving Yakiniku

Hi, my name is Miki. I specialize in Japanese restaurant inbound.

On a glorious day when cherry blossoms were blooming beautifully, we went to Ueno. Ueno is one of the cities in Tokyo and famous for cherry blossoms, zoo, art museum, and yakiniku. The reason we came here is not for cherry blossoms, but yakiniku, of course. The recognition and popularity of yakiniku or should I say “Japanese BBQ” is increasing all over the world, but still, some mysteries and misunderstandings are left. For instance, “Yakiniku is Korean food, right?” and “Is this the place where we eat raw meat?” So, I want to clear up the mysteries and misunderstandings, and take you to the yakiniku world. Come on! Follow me!

1. Is Yakiniku Korean Food?

Some of you might wonder “Why should I eat Korean food when I came all the way to Japan?” But, yakiniku is not Korean food. It’s Japanese cuisine. It’s originally from Korea, but it came to Japan and Japanese original yakiniku was established. So, it’s a bit different from Korean BBQ.

For example, how to grill. In case of Korean BBQ, we put lots of big meat on the grill and cut with scissors into small pieces when we eat. But in case of yakiniku or Japanese BBQ, thin sliced meat is served, and we grill them one by one.

Also, side dishes like kimchi and lettuce are already included in the meat’s price at Korean BBQ and they are all-you-can-eat, but in Japan, they are not included. So you have to order salad and kimchi separately. Otherwise, they won’t be served.

If we think about it, yakiniku sounds more expensive than Korean BBQ. But in Japan, we not only have Kobe Beef but also many other authentic “Wagyu” like Matsuzaka Beef, Yamagata Beef and Hida Beef which you can’t experience outside of Japan, so please enjoy the differences between Korean BBQ and Japanese yakiniku.

2. Is this the place where we eat raw meat?

Generally speaking, all the pictures on a menu or sign are the dishes after cooking, right? But at yakiniku restaurants, they use raw meat’s pictures.

I’ve heard an episode that an American guy, who is a meat lover, came to Japan with his friend and saw a yakiniku’s sign. She wanted to eat there, but he strongly refused saying “This is a place we eat raw meat, right? I don’t wanna eat raw meat.” I’m sure there are some of you who must be misunderstands like him.

Don’t worry! We grill meat at yakiniku restaurants. In the first place, “yakiniku”‘s “yaki” means “to grill”. And “niku” means “meat”. They sometimes have the meat which we don’t have to grill, and eat it as raw, but basically we grill all the meat. Trust me!

3. Types of Meat

We have many types of meat at yakiniku restaurants, like beef, chicken, pork, and even horse, and you can pick what part of which meat you want to eat. You can enjoy a variety of taste and texture from one cow such as rib and tongue, so this is the great thing about yakiniku.

But somehow, usually the yakiniku restaurants’ menu only have the name of meat like rib and sirloin, and not many of them put what part of meat it is, texture, and other details like lean or marbled. So, let me introduce the types of beef that’s popular by the Japanese, and their details.

1. Kalbi (In Japanese, we call it “karubi”)

Kalbi is beef belly. It’s very tender because it’s thinly sliced, and marbled. I’m sure Kalbi is the most familiar and popular for the Japanese.

2. Outside skirt beef (In Japanese, we call it “harami”)

It’s thick and you can enjoy the beef’s texture very much. Outside skirt beef is not marbled, so I recommend it if you are lean lovers.

3. Beef chuck (In Japanese, we call it “rose”)

It’s tender and marbled but not as much as Kalbi. Its texture is very enjoyable, too.

4. Beef belly (In Japanese, we call it “kainomi”)

It’s located at beef’s belly but very close to filet, so it has perfect balance between lean and marbled. We can obtain this beef belly or “kainomi” only a small amount from one cow, so it’s a very valuable part.

5. Beef tongue (In Japanese, we call it “tan”)

Since you can enjoy its original chewy texture, beef tongue is as popular as kalbi in Japan. We often eat it with lemon juice.

6. Beef large intestine (In Japanese, we call it “shimacho”)

The biggest character is its chewiness. No matter how much you chew, you can’t chew through it.

7. Cow’s stomach

A cow has 4 stomach, and depending on which stomach, you can enjoy a variety of texture.

Large intestine and stomach are called “hormone” in Japan. Why? I have no idea. By the way, we have so many “hormone” fans in Japan, so we also have many “hormone” specialized restaurants. But to be honest, I have never met anybody who is from a “hormone” non-eating country, and loved these guts. So if you are brave and have never eaten “hormone” yet, I strongly recommend you to try it in Japan.

4. Types of Sauce(Tare)

All yakiniku restaurants have yakiniku specialized sauce calld “tare”, but the types and tastes of tare all varies with each restaurant. Not only “tare” but we can eat the meat with lemon juice and salt, too. The problem is, which seasoning goes well with which meat, right? Honestly, I don’t know! I guess there is no correct answer, so it’s all personal preferences.

By the way, I usually go with “tare” except for when I eat beef tongue and hormone. I eat beef toung with lemon juice, and hormone is seasoned already so I dig in as it is. But when I get tired of “tare”, I go with salt and change the flavor.

Also, not only hormone but other meat may be seasoned already. But I’m not sure which meat is seasoned or not. It all depends on each restaurant. So when you need help, ask the employee. If you want to say “which sauce should I eat with this meat?”, you can say “Dono tare ga osusume?” in Japanese. “Dono” means “which”, and “tare” means sauce, and “osusume” is “to recommend”. So, point to the meat and say “Dono tare ga osusume?”, then they will tell you the best match. The employees may not be able to speak English fluently, but I’m sure they will tell you as much as they can.

So, do you wanna try yakiniku now? Thanks to Kobe Bryant, Kobe beef is well-known worldwide now, but in Japan, we have other quality beef which you can never forget, once tried. Korean BBQ is amazing of course and I love it, but I want you meat lovers to come to Japan and try Japanese yakiniku as well, and have “Wow!” experience.

Tokyo’s local food Monja-yaki

Hi, my name is Miki. I specialized in Japanese restaurant inbound.

This is quite sudden, but what Japanese food do you know? Sushi and ramen are very popular all over the world, so many of you not just know what they are, but have eaten them already. Also, not only sushi or ramen, but the number of various types of specialized Japanese restaurants such as udon, soba, yakiniku, shabushabu, and tempura are increasing in your country, aren’t they? But, what I wanna introduce you today is “Monja-yaki”. Monja-yaki is not well known in other counrties, so many of you may have not even seen or heard of it, but it is one of the most signature Japanese dishes. It may not look appetizing, but is very healthy and amazing! If you want to know a popular Japanese local dish, which is known to those in the know, this video is worth seeing.

1. What is “Monja-yaki”?

Monja-yaki is beloved by local people and is originally from Tokyo. Especially Tsukishima, a town in Tokyo, is well-known as “Monja-yaki town”, and there are densely packed Monja-yaki specialized restaurants. We have many types of Monja-yaki, and each restaurant has its own recipe. For instance, hamburger doesn’t have only one kind, instead, there are cheese burger, avocado burger, and double burger too, right? Same for Monja-yaki, we have spicy cod roe flavor, kimchi flavor, curry flavor, and even some more. But, like all hamburgers must have buns, all Monja-yaki have a common basic ingredient. Which is cabbage. Each Monja-yaki has lots of cabbage in it. The cabbage and each house’s original stock which is mixed with flour are the base of Monja-yaki, and they add spicy cod roe, kimchi, curry, and cheese as toppings. And just grill them all together, then, Monja-yaki is ready. By the way, when you look at the menu, they usually only write the toppings on it. But like I said, all Monja-yaki include cabbage and flour, so don’t forget about it. Alright. So let’s see how to cook Monja-yaki next.

2. How to cook Monja-yaki

When you go into a Monja-yaki specialized restaurant, they always have a griddle on each table. And we use the griddle to cook Monja-yaki. So who cook Monja? It can be you, or an employee. We mainly have 2 types of Monja-yaki restaurants; the one you have to cook by yourself, and the one an employee cooks for you. As far as I know, most Monja restaurants are the second one, so they will cook for you without you asking, or they will ask you “May I cook it for you?” But even if you enter the self-cooking one, they would be happy to do it if you ask “Could you cook it?” In that case, you can say “Tsukutte kudasai” in Japanese. “Tsukutte” means “to cook”, and “kudasai” means “please”. But I’m sure some of you want try it by yourself since you came all the way to Japan, so let me explain how to cook. The recipie varies with each restaurant, but basically it will be like this.

How to cook the most popular Monja-yaki; spicy cod roe and cheese Monja

1. First, put some oil on the griddle and spread thoroughly on it.
2. Second of all, remove the spicy cod roe and cheese onto a small plate, and grill and chop only the cabbage. Please be careful not to pour the stock onto the griddle yet.
3. Then, make a doughnut shape with the cabbage.
4. And pour the stock into the doughnut hole.
5. Next, add the spicy cod roe into the stock.
6. Loosen up the spicy cod roe and stir with the broth.
7. When they are mixed enough, break the doughnut shape and mix with the cabbage.
8. Finally, sprinkle the cheese all over the top.
9. Wait until the cheese melts, and it’s ready!

By the way, if you wanna make it dangerously cheesey, you can order extra cheese and other toppings, too!

3. How to eat Monja-yaki

We always have big and small spatulas at Monja restaurants. The big spatulas are used when we cook Monja, and small spatulas are used when we eat Monja. So, we don’t eat Monja with spoons or chopsticks, but with the spatula. How to dig in is very simple. When it’s ready to eat, use the small spatula and take Monja from outside, and dig in. By the way, when you are a bit tired of Monja, try some side dishes and refresh your mouth.

How did you enjoy our Monja-yaki tour? Monja is a perfect match with beer, reasonable, and healthy. Also, this local dish is not well-known in other countries yet, so you can brag like “Oh, you guys don’t know Monja-yaki yet? Please give it a try when you have a chance to come to Japan.

10 Tips You Should Know about
Conveyor Belt Sushi Restaurants

Hi, my name is Miki. I’m an expert of Japanese restaurant inbound. I have been interviewing over 1,600 foreign visitors to Japan and listening to their voices including problems or confusions they have faced at Japanese restaurants. In the interviews, I sometimes received their opinions that “I visited a restaurant all the way from my country, but I could not enjoy the place very much.” due to cultural or language differences. For example, conveyor-belt sushi restaurant. For any first-time visitor, there are a lot of unknown things such as how to make green tea, how to order, or what does “Fatty” mean in “Fatty tuna”?. So, this video shows you how to enjoy conveyor-belt sushi in Japanese style.

1. How to enter a restaurant (until you take a seat)

1. An employee asks you about the number of people and then takes you to your seat.
2. If you input the number of people in a machine, it outputs a slip of paper specifying your number. When your number is displayed, you are taken to your seat.

Anyway, not taking a seat by yourself but waiting until you are guided by an employee is a basic manner. Please note that you should not take a seat on your own without permission even if a table is available.

2. How to make green tea

Generally speaking, at Japanese restaurants, a glass of water is served to each of you without your ordering it, but, as far as I know, no water is served at any conveyor-belt sushi restaurant. Instead, there are water machines somewhere in the house, and on each table, you will find green powder and a tap like this. Cups for green tea are over your head or on your table. How to make green tea is very simple. You have only to put a spoon of green powder in your cup, and then pour hot water into it. This green tea is free of charge and you can have free refills as you like. If you drink it up, please make another cup of tea by yourself. By the way, please be careful not to burn yourself as this hot water is very hot.

3. How to pick up sushi

All you have to do is pick up any sushi moving around without ordering it because it is conveyor-belt sushi. However, in picking it up, you have to follow 2 rules.

① Timing

Picking up sushi coming to other person’s seat is a breach of manners. Please be sure to pick it up at the time when it comes to your seat.

② Non-returnable

Once you pick up any sushi, you have to take responsibility for it, and eat it as manner dictates.  Even if you didn’t touch the sushi, you must not return it onto the lane.

4. How to order sushi

Sushi moving around is not always sushi you wish to eat. So, you can order any sushi you want, as needed. How to order sushi varies from restaurant to restaurant, but in general, there are 3 methods as follows.

① Order by paper

There is an order form on your table or counter. You put the number of sushi you wish to eat next to the name of fish, and then hand it over to a chef behind the counter.

② Order by tablet

A tablet like this is on your table. In most cases, you can select any available language you wish to use, so please place an order after changing the language settings.

③ Order orally

There are many sushi restaurants in Tokyo where you can place an order in English such as “scallops” or “amberjack”. If the chef cannot understand the English name of fish you said, just try to ask any Japanese visitor next to you for help. That person may not speak English fluently, but will surely strive to help you. If you want to place an order in Japanese since you came all the way to Japan, just try to say “Kudasai”. “Kudasai” means “Please”. Using this word makes your Japanese expressions very natural and polite. The term “Kudasai” comes after a product name. For example, “Scallops kudasai” or “Amberjack kudasai”.

For your information, as for nigirizushi or hand-shaped sushi, there are 2 pieces on a dish. So, if you order “2 salmon”, 4 pieces will be served, so please be careful!

5. Wasabi (Japanese horseradish)

Basically, sushi served at conveyor-belt restaurants has no wasabi or Japanese horseradish. That is because they are the places also for small children to visit together with their parents. Therefore, if you wish to eat wasabi, you put it on sushi by yourself. At some restaurants, a bag of wasabi is on the table or on the lane, while at other restaurants, you have to say “Wasabi please” to the chef.

6. What is “Fatty”?

In major cities like Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, English menus are available at many restaurants. When you look at the menus, you may often see the term “fatty”. For instance, “Fatty tuna” or “Fatty salmon”. “Fatty” may not be an appetizing word for many people. It means “Marbled”. That is to say, “Marbled tuna” or “Marbled salmon”. Replacing “Fatty” with “Marbled” sounds more tasty, doesn’t it? At a lot of sushi restaurants, the term “Fatty” is used, so if you see “Fatty”, please automatically convert it into “Marbled”.

7. How to eat sushi

Put a little bit of soy sauce on the ingredient, not on rice. Eat wasabi by putting it on the ingredient, not by dipping it in soy sauce. Strictly speaking, there are various ways of eating sushi such as eating it by hand, but conveyor-belt sushi restaurants are casual places. So, you can eat sushi as you like. Because eating deliciously is more enjoyable than eating correctly, isn’t it? By the way, when you make payment, an employee counts the number of dishes you have eaten to calculate the payment amount. So, please be sure not to return any empty dish onto the lane. However, at Kura Sushi, each table has a hole like this to clear empty dishes away. You can put the dishes into the hole before making payment.

8. Gari (Pickled ginger)

Pickled ginger is called “Gari” in Japanese. Gari is served to freshen your mouth. You can freshen your mouth with gari, to prevent any flavor of fish you have just eaten, from remaining in your mouth when you eat another fish. Gari is on your table. Please eat it by putting as much as you want on your dish. I always put a lot of gari on a dish with sushi and eat it little by little, while some people eat it by putting it on a soy sauce dish. Gari is accompanied by tongs without exception. Please be sure not to use your chopsticks, but use tongs instead to pick up gari for sanitary reasons.

9. Prices

Some restaurants set the same price for all dishes, while other restaurants set different prices for dishes based on their colors. The prices for dishes are always displayed somewhere in the restaurant. A lot of restaurants do not use Arabic numerals but Chinese numerals, which may be difficult to read for foreign visitors. In such case, Google Translation is very helpful for you.

10. Payment method

In most cases, you should make payment not at your table but at the cashier. So, you have to conduct the following procedures to have the check.

1. Tap a “Payment” button on your tablet.
2. Call an employee.

In either case, an employee comes to your table to count the number of dishes you have eaten and calculate the payment amount. After the calculation, the employee hands a paper or tag over to you. Then, please go to the cashier for your payment. This payment method is the same as other kinds of restaurants.

How did you enjoy conveyor-belt sushi in Japan? You may be puzzled because ordering system varies by restaurant, but you can experience such puzzlement only if you visit a different country, right? So, I recommend you to enjoy the conveyor-belt sushi in Japan including your puzzlement or confusion. Don’t worry! You won’t have any problem as long as you obey manners or rules at a minimum, even if you do something the wrong way. I would be very happy if you could really enjoy your travel in Japan and think “I will absolutely come back to Japan!”.

15 Tips you Should Know about JAPANESE RESTAURANTS Part. 2

If you haven’t checked the 1st part yet, please read 15 Tips you Should Know about JAPANESE RESTAURANTS Part. 1 first, and come back to this article.

9. We have “Otoushi”, which is particular to Japanese culture.

In Japanese izakayas and bars, there is a charge named “Otoushi”. When you sit at a table and order a drink, a small vegetable or seafood appetizer will be served at the same time with your drink. You may be surprised because you didn’t order it, but this is what “Otoushi” is.

Solution 1: Take it as a table charge

When you go to bars in your country, some of them charge you a table charge or service fee, right? Otoushi is a Japanese table charge. It is a small appetizer and usually costs 200 to 600 yen, which is 2 to 6USD, so it’s much more reasonable than a table charge. The content of otoushi varies depending on the house and the day. So why don’t you enjoy each izakaya’s original one?

Solution 2: You might be able to refuse it

I have never done it, but if you say “I don’t want otoushi”, then they won’t serve and charge you otoushi fee. In that case, you can simply say “No otoushi please.” If you have a certain ingredient that you can’t eat, I recommend you to tell them before they serve it to you.

10. Your check will be left on the table while you are eating

This is the biggest surprise for people from other countries. In Japan, when food servers have served all the dishes you ordered, they ask you “Anything else?” and you say “No”, then they put your check on the table. Every time you have an additional order, the number of check will increase. People who don’t know this culture wonder and misunderstand “We are still eating but they put the check already. They want us to leave?” but that’s totally wrong.

Solution: This is Japanese culture

The reason they do this is probably so that you don’t have to call them when you want to pay. For the restaurant, additional order is always welcomed. So when it happens, please take it positively as a unique experience.

11. You have to call a food server each time vol. 2

I used to work as a waitress at a casino hotel in Nevada, the United States. What I have learned there is, when my guests have 2 to 3 bites of their main dishes, I’m supposed to go to their table and ask “Is everything OK?” to check the taste and if they have got everything. Also, asking them “Would you like another drink?” before their glasses become empty is one of the conditions of being a good food server. However in Japan, we don’t have that culture.

Solution: call out “Sumimasen!”

When you want to order more, when you want to see a menu, when you haven’t got your dish yet, or anytime, you can call out “Sumimasen!” If you want to know their recommendations, ask them “Osusumewa?” “O SU SU ME WA?” To enjoy Japanese restaurant as much as possible, you should make the first step. That’s what I usually do when I go to a restaurant in Japan.

12. Your friend is still eating, but they will take away your empty plate

This is also one of the most shocking things for people from other countries. In Western cultures, a food server won’t clear your empty plate as long as someone in your company is still eating. However in Japan, they do. Because Japanese traditional cuisine is like French, a dish comes one by one. So they clear a plate each time guests have finished. Also, Japanese tables are not big, so they take away your unnecessary plates to provide you a wider space. So, even if your friend is still eating, they will ask you “May I clear your plate?” and take your empty plate away.

Solution: This is Japanese culture

It doesn’t mean they want you to leave. This is normal for us. So, please take it like “I have more space now”. If necessary, it’s a good timing to order another drink or dessert.

13. Where to pay depends on the house

In Western countries, you usually pay at your table except for fast food, but in Japan, it all depends on the house. Some restaurants have cashiers but some don’t. I’m Japanese but even I often get confused.

Solution: Ask them

I usually ask them “Excuse me, where should I pay?” So, you can ask them as well. Hold your check and ask “Dokode?” “DO KO DE?”, which means “Where?”, then they will tell you where to pay.

14. Many restaurants don’t accept credit cards

They have begun to accept credit cards little by little, but still, we can’t use them at many restaurants especially in the countryside. Some of them set a minimum fee of usage for credit cards like “We have a 5,000 yen minimum for credit cards.” Even for a Japanese like me, I get worried if I can’t use my credit card.

Solution 1: Ask them before they take you to a table

Some restaurants have VISA or Master card stickers at the entrance, but many of them don’t, even if they accept them. So, making sure when you enter the house is best. Show them your credit card and ask “VISA OK?” or “American Express OK?” It may sound repetitive, but please speak slowly and simply.

Solution 2: Tell the truth and run to ATM

You were so ready to pay by credit card but it was cash only. What was worse, you didn’t have enough cash in your wallet. I hope it never happens but if it does, tell them the truth honestly. If you say “ATM, and come back, OK?” I’m sure they’ll say “OK”. Then, find the closest International ATM. You can withdraw with your foreign card at most of Japanese major convenience stores, Seven Eleven, Family Mart, and Lawson.

15. Tip is unnecessary

We don’t have tip culture in Japan. Not only in restaurants, but even in taxis or hotels, you don’t have to pay it. We have many delicious and reasonable restaurants. Especially for lunch, you can find tons of lunch sets including a drink or dessert within 1,000yen, which is about 10USD. And no tip. Great deal! This is a suggestion from me. Because you don’t have to pay tips, why don’t you ask them “Osusumewa?”, which means “What do you recommend?” and try their best dish or drink. You invested a lot of money and came to Japan, so I really want you to enjoy something you can’t ever have in your own country. And, if the dish or drink was amazing, please give them a thumb up and tell them “Delicious!” They are very shy, but if you like what they recommended, they would be very happy and confident.

I have interviewed more than 1,600 people who have been to Japan about Japanese restaurants’ hospitality, but most of them told me “Their service was amazing”. “It is true that they didn’t speak good English, but they made an effort and tried to speak broken English with lots of gestures. That was very impressive.” When I heard that, I was very proud of being Japanese.

This is your first time visiting Japan. You may have some difficulties because language and culture are not the same at all, but if you say “I need your help”, someone would definitely help you. We are very shy, so we are not good at making the first step, but if you come, we would be happy to support you. So please do not hesitate to ask for help, and enjoy Japan. And, please come back. I really hope you have a wonderful experience in Japan.

Thank you for watching. See you in the next video.

15 Tips you Should Know about
JAPANESE RESTAURANTS Part. 1

Hi, my name is Miki. I’m a Japanese restaurant inbound specialist, and a writer.

I have interviewed more than 1,600 people who have been to Japan about Japanese restaurants’ hospitality. Then, I found out that due to the culture differences, there are many misunderstandings between Japanese restaurants and the tourists. For example, the people from other countries said “I wanted to order more, but I couldn’t”, and the Japanese restaurants said, “They came in but left without ordering at all.” It’s a shame for those who came all the way to Japan and was so ready to eat lots of delicious food, and for the restaurants, too. So, in this video, I would like to show you in which part the tourists got confused, and how to solve the problems based on more than 1,600 people’s feedbacks.

1. A restaurant is not easy to find

People often say “Japanese restaurants are hard to find.” This is because small buildings are densely packed in Japanese cities, and restaurants are not always on the 1st floor like Western countries. They may be on the 3rd, or basement floor. Also, I sometimes get into a situation where a restaurant’s sign faces a main street, but its entrance faces a back street. Even we Japanese often get confused and lost.

Solution 1: Google the store on the 1st floor beforehand

You can see the outside of the building that you want to go on Google My Business and Tripadvisor. How to find the building is not by the name of the building, but what store is on the 1st floor. Is the 1st floor Seven Eleven, a bank, or a flower store? If you know it beforehand, the building will be easy to find.

Solution 2: Google the floor beforehand

If you google, you can see what floor the restaurant you want to go is on. Find not only the address and phone number, but also the floor. By the way, how to read the floor is the same as the States, so 1F is on the first floor, 2F is on the 2nd floor, and B1F is the 1st basement floor.

2. Lack of employees

We don’t have hostesses and hosts in Japanese restaurants. An employee who notices new guests will take them to a table. But, restaurant industry is always lacking people. So, it may often happen that they won’t notice that you are at the entrance and waiting, or even though they have noticed you, they are too busy to welcome you.

Solution: call out “Sumimasen!”

You should wait for a while, but if they still won’t come to you, you can call out “Sumimasen!”, which means “Excuse me.” It’s “SU MI MA SE N”. Calling out to food servers like that is definitely not good idea in Western countries, but in Japan, it’s OK and everyone does that. You are not used to it and it may make you feel uncomfortable, but just think this is Japanese culture. Welcome to Japan!

3. There are many smoking restaurants

One of the most shocking things about Japanese restaurants for the tourists is, we still have many smoking restaurants in Japan. The number is decreasing little by little, but we still can smoke in small restaurants and restaurants where they provide alcohols like bars, izakayas, and clubs.

Solution 1: Google beforehand

If you don’t want to go in to a smoking restaurant, or you are not sure the restaurant you want to go is smoking or not, you better google. If you check “Tabelog” which is Japanese original restaurant website, it specifies if the restaurant is smoking or not.

Solution 2. find stickers

If you can’t find it on the Internet, it may have stickers at the entrance. But unfortunately, not even half of restaurants have these kind of stickers yet.

Solution 3. ask the employee

If you can’t find it on the Internet, or at the entrance, go inside the restaurant and ask the employee. Not many people speak English, but they will mostly understand if you ask “Smoking here?” with a smoking gesture. The employee will say “Yes” if they have smoking tables or smoking area, and “No” if they don’t.

4. Not many restaurants have English menus, especially in coutryside

Many restaurants which are in a big city but not franchised, or restaurants in countryside still don’t have English menus yet. You may be able to order if there are pictures on the menus, but some restaurants don’t even have photos.

Solution: Use Google Translate

If you are in that situation, Google translate can be your Superman. It’s a free app. When you aim your camera at the menu you want to read, it can show you all in English. In Japan, English city signs or menus are not wide-spread. So I strongly recommend you to download it before you come to Japan.

5. Many food servers are part timers and so they might not be able to explain the dishes

Some of you must think “If I have hard time reading Japanese menu, why don’t I call a food server”. However, like I mentioned the earlier, Japanese restaurant industry is always lacking employees, and many food servers are part-timers. Some of them work at a restaurant only on that day, which means, a daily part-timer. So, even if you ask them “What is this dish?” or “What’s in it?”, most of them can’t answer it immediately.

Solution: Enjoy something you don’t know

It s an exception if you have a food allergy, or you are vegetarian, or you can’t eat certain ingredient due to a religion, but if you can eat anything, don’t think about it deeply and try to order like “I’m not sure what it is, but it looks good so let’s order it”. You came to a country which has different language and culture from yours. So please enjoy the “unknown” and “challenge” which you can’t experience when you are back home.

6. You have to call a food server each time vol. 1

In Western countries, you have your food server and he/she will come and take your order, so you don’t have to call them each time. But in Japan, you have to call a food server. Some people whom I interviewed didn’t know that culture differences and just waited for a food server to come, but finally left the restaurant because noone came to take their orders. It’s a shame that they entered the restaurant but left without ordering anything.

Solution: call out “Sumimasen!”

When you want to order in a Japanese restaurant, there are 3 ways to do this.

• 1. Order with the tablet
• 2. Press the call button on your table
• 3. Call out “Sumimasen”

In a restaurant without tablets or call buttons, you have to call out to the employees. Otherwise, they won’t come to you. If you call out to them but they are still busy, just try again. Don’t worry, calling out to food servers is not rude in Japan.

7. English level is low, but they can understand if you speak slowly

Japan is the 3rd largest world economy, but we have learned English grammer mainly at schools, so not many people including young people can speak English. But many of them wish to speak and communicate in English with you.
Japanese people are basically shy, so they may not come and talk to you, but if you start talking with them, they will make efforts to communicate with you using gestures and as many English words as they know.

Solution: Speak slowly and simply

When you talk with Japanese food servers, please don’t forget to speak slowly and simply. Don’t say “Could we have 2 more small plates, please?” but just simply say “2 small plates, please”. You can delete “Could we have” or “May I get”. Perhaps, most of questions and demands can be established by using “please” and “OK?” Also, don’t forget to use gestures. If you do that, you might hit it off and they’ll be more friendly to you.

8. Not many people know about “vegetarian”, “vegan”, “gluten-free”, and “Muslim”

Even though McDonald and Burger King have vegetarian menus in Western countries, we don’t have in Japan yet. Generally speaking, “vegetarian” or “vegan” are not well-known, even people working in the food industry are not sure what these are. And, some food servers know the word “Muslim”, but they don’t know what the Muslim can’t eat, or they have heard of “gluten-free”, but they have no idea what it is specifically.

Solution: Show an image

So, if you have a certain ingredient that you can’t eat, show that image to the food servers. And tell them “I can’t eat this.” slowly with gestures. Then, they might tell you which dish you can or you can’t eat.