So You Want to Eat and Drink in Japan

A guide for the hungry, the thirsty, and the slightly bewildered.

Why Are There 12 Sizes of Rice?

Your stomach rumbles. You could go to the konbini for onigiri for the 2nd day in a row, but you decide to brave a restaurant. Here is your survival guide.

Entering and Seating

  • Staff will usually greet you with a loud いらっしゃいませ (irasshaimase) - "welcome!"

    As we learnt in the shopping chapter, don't say it back.

  • Wait to be seated unless it's clearly a seat-yourself spot.

Useful phrases:

  • 何名様ですか (なんめいさま ですか / nan mei-sama desu ka) - "How many people are in your party?"

To which you may reply...

  • 1人です (ひとりです / hitori desu) - "There is one of me." (far more common in Japan than in the west so do not fear)
  • 2人です (ふたりです / futari desu) - "There are two of us."
  • 3人(さんにん / sannin) - "three (people)"
  • 4人 (よにん / yonin) - "four (people)"

  • Go Google it if you are so bountiful in friends that this does not cover you

  • 禁煙席ありますか (きんえんせき ありますか / kin'en seki arimasu ka) — "Do you have non-smoking seats?"

    The vast majority of restaurants are non-smoking. The vast majority of bars are a smog fest.

Ordering

You can flag a waiter by raising your hand and saying:

  • すみません (sumimasen) - "Excuse me."

Phrases you might hear:

  • ご注文はお決まりですか (ごちゅうもんは おきまりですか / go-chūmon wa okimari desu ka) - "Are you ready to order?"
  • 何にしますか (なにに しますか / nani ni shimasu ka) - "What will you have?"
  • 以上でよろしいですか (いじょうで よろしいですか / ijō de yoroshii desu ka) - "Is that everything?"
  • 少々お待ちください (しょうしょう おまちください / shōshō omachi kudasai) - "Please wait a moment."

"Okay, come on, how do I actually order?"

Format: [food/drink] を [number] お願いします
- ラーメンを1つお願いします (ラーメンをひとつ おねがいします / rāmen o hitotsu onegaishimasu) - "One ramen, please."
- たこ焼きを2つお願いします (たこやきをふたつ おねがいします / takoyaki o futatsu onegaishimasu) - "Two takoyaki (portions), please."

A lot of things have different counters. I will write an article about this one day, I swear. You can get away with using the default -tsu counter for everything really.

Useful bits and pieces:

  • おすすめは何ですか (おすすめは なんですか / osusume wa nan desu ka) - "What do you recommend?"
  • おかわり (okawari) - refill (usually rice or drinks).
  • 英語のメニューはありますか (えいごのメニューは ありますか / eigo no menyū wa arimasu ka) - "Do you have an English menu?"
  • これに[ピーナッツ]が入っていますか (これに [ピーナッツ]が はいっていますか / kore ni [pīnattsu] ga haitteimasu ka) - "Does this have [peanuts] in it?"
  • 食べ物 (たべもの / tabemono) - food
  • 飲み物 (のみもの / nomimono) - drink

Portion Sizes

Menus and machines often show these for sizes:
- 小 (しょう / shou) - small - 並 (なみ / nami) - standard/regular - 大 (だい / dai) - large

These are the shorter versions of 小盛 (komori), 並盛 (namimori), and 大盛 (oomori), just written in shorter, punchier form. You’ll often see the one-character versions on fast food machines or handwritten menus where space is tight.

(If you can’t decide, just say “nami”. It really is the Goldilocks of portion sizes.)

Mealtime Rituals

  • いただきます (itadakimasu) - said before eating, "I humbly receive" (like saying thanks for the meal).
  • ごちそうさまでした (gochisōsama deshita) - said after eating, "thank you for the meal" (you are very grateful for the meals in Japan).

(You don’t have to say these, but don't you want to?)

Eating and Table Etiquette

  • Water (お冷 / おひや / ohiya) is free, as is tea in many places.
  • No tipping. Ever.
  • Slurping noodles is fine, encouraged even. This will be rather obvious at most ramen places.

Paying the Bill

  • In many casual places, you pay at the counter, not the table.
  • To ask: お会計お願いします (おかいけい おねがいします / okaikei onegaishimasu) - "Could I get the bill please."

Mastering the Ticket Machine

In ramen shops and fast food chains, you’ll often encounter ticket machines. The flow:
1. Insert cash (sometimes IC cards).
2. Choose your dish (buttons may show pictures, text, or both).
3. Select extras — rice size, noodle firmness, toppings.
4. Collect the printed 食券 (しょっけん / shokken) ticket.
5. Hand it to staff.

Don't panic if you're slow and cause a line; you've committed now.

返却 (へんきゃく / henkyaku) - return/refund/"I fucked up" button

Drunk Salarymen

Imbued with new confidence from your epic restaurant skills, you venture out to a bar. This is how you acquire booze.

Cover Charges

Many izakaya and bars charge ¥300–¥800 per person as a チャージ (chāji). This includes a small nibble of some sort called お通し (おとおし / otōshi). It’s non-optional.

Ordering

  • 生ビール (なまビール / nama bīru) - draft beer.
  • ハイボール (haibōru) - whiskey + soda.
  • チューハイ (chūhai) - shōchū + soda + flavor.
  • レモンサワー (remon sawā) - lemon sour (similar to a chūhai, wildly popular).
  • 日本酒 (にほんしゅ / nihonshu) - what foreigners call sake.

You may come across 飲み放題 (のみほうだい / nomihoudai) - this is an all-you-can-drink offer usually lasting 90-120 minutes. Be careful and don't go ham. Or do. It's your life. Stay hydrated.

Special requests:

  • 氷なしでお願いします (こおり なしで おねがいします / kōri nashi de onegaishimasu) - "No ice, please."
  • レモンなしでお願いします (remon nashi de onegaishimasu) - "No lemon, please."

Specialty Drinking Spots

  • 立ち飲み (たちのみ / tachinomi) - standing bars, no seats, cheap, fast.
  • 居酒屋 (いざかや / izakaya) - casual Japanese pub.
  • スナック (sunakku) - tiny karaoke pubs, usually with a mama-san in charge.

7-Eleven, My Beloved

You wake up after your night at the bar and, unable to face another restaurant, trudge to the konbini to get some processed food to soothe the soul.

Revision from the shopping chapter (I probably mentioned these)

  • これください (kore kudasai) - "This please."
  • 袋要りますか (ふくろ いりますか / fukuro irimasu ka) - "Do you need a bag?" (answer はい / hai yes, or いりません / irimasen I don't need one).

Discount Hunting

  • 割引 (わりびき / waribiki) - discount.
  • 半額 (はんがく / hangaku) - half price.
  • Look for yellow stickers on bentos and sandwiches in the evening.

Konbini Food Glossary

  • おにぎり (onigiri) - rice ball, often wrapped in seaweed with a filling inside (tuna mayo, salmon, pickled plum, etc.).
  • からあげ (karaage) - Japanese fried chicken, usually bite-sized.
  • サンドイッチ (sandoicchi) - sandwich (famously fluffy bread and often egg salad).
  • 弁当 (べんとう / bentō) - boxed meal, usually rice + main + sides.
  • 焼きそばパン (やきそばパン / yakisoba pan) - bread roll stuffed with fried noodles.
  • カレー (karē) - curry, often in ready-to-heat packs or bentō form.
  • カップラーメン (kappu rāmen) - instant cup noodles.
  • 肉まん (にくまん / nikuman) - steamed bun with pork filling.
  • アイス (aisu) - ice cream, wide selection.

Bone apple tea. The food was one of my absolute favourite things about Japan and I miss it to bits.