When you travel to Japan, you will probably eat most of your meals in restaurants, but perhaps you will eat meals prepared by your friends or homestay hosts.

Most Japanese people try to understand other cultures, so behaving in the same way as you normally would is rarely a problem.

However, if they can see that you are friendly and trying to understand them, they will be very pleased. hey will respect you even more. This communication will make your trip even more emotional.

What is the most important thing for Japanese people when they eat?

using chopsticks correctly?
Pouring sake over each other?

No, not that there are not people who care about that, but they are not the majority.

What Japanese people value most is appreciation for food.

Especially for rice, it is believed that God resides in rice, and people used to hate leftovers so much that they used to say, "If you leave it, your eyes will be crushed.

Therefore, Japanese people do not like to leave food uneaten.

In particular, when a housewife is left with food she has prepared herself, she is hurt in no small way.

For example, in China, leaving food behind is a sign of "I am satisfied," and it is considered good manners to leave food behind, but in Japan, the opposite is true: not leaving food behind is a sign of "I am satisfied.

This is a local rule, but it is a universal value for the Japanese.

Therefore, if a Japanese person feels that he or she is about to leave food behind, he or she will ask for "less" when being served. Although it is against proper etiquette, in casual seating, they ask the person who can eat to eat with them. 2. And it is considered beautiful to leave no leftovers on the plate.

Nevertheless, as a foreigner, Japanese food is an unknown food and an adventure for you.

It is likely that many things will not suit your palate.

If you force yourself to eat it, your trip to Japan will become a painful memory.

For such a case, my friend had a card with this information written in Japanese.

「あなたの料理を思い切り味わいたいのですが、私は胃に疾患があり、治療をしています。もしも残してしまったときはおゆるしください」
(I would like to taste your food to the fullest, but I have a stomach ailment and am undergoing treatment. Please forgive me if I leave any leftovers.）

Then he talked about how delicious the food he ate was and expressed his many thanks to the person who cooked it.

And before eating, say "Itadakimasu" (Thank you for the food) and when you finish eating, say "Gochisosama" (Thank you for the food) with your hands together.

This is another way of saying thank you for the meal.

These words express gratitude not only to the person who prepared the food, but also to the person who grew the food, to the life of the food, and to God who gives us the blessings.