🍽 Food & Drink
Sushi restaurant etiquette in Japan: soy sauce, ginger, hands
Dip the fish not the rice, what the ginger is actually for, and when fingers beat chopsticks.
Avoid these
Drowning rice in soy
Dip the fish side lightly — never soak the rice. It falls apart and over-salts the piece.
Piling ginger on top
Gari (ginger) is a palate cleanser between pieces, not a topping.
Smothering it in wasabi
The chef already seasons each piece. Adding a wasabi mountain can quietly insult the work.
Do exactly this
Dip fish-side, lightly
Flip the nigiri and touch only the fish to the soy.
One bite, hands ok
Eat each piece in one bite — and yes, fingers are perfectly fine at the counter.
Trust the chef
Say the word below and let the chef guide the meal.
The phrase locals love
おまかせで
omakase de
“I’ll leave it to you.” Tell the chef “omakase” and they’ll serve their best, in the right order. The mark of a guest who trusts the craft.
📍 when you sit at the counter