Culinary rituals from rice to sake

In Japan, eating is one of the highlights of the day. Traditionally there are no separate courses in a Japanese meal, so all dishes are usually served at the same time. A clear soup in a lidded bowl is usually the first dish. This is accompanied by appetizers such as sashimi or sushi. The main part of the meal consists of several small warm dishes with two or three side dishes of vegetable, salad or marinated food, together with a bowl of steamed rice and green tea. The side dishes are usually served in lots of small individual bowls and also provide a decorative element. Desserts are not normally eaten. Instead Japanese rice wine or sake is served at the proper temperature in tiny porcelain cups.

> Wash your hands

Hygiene and cleanliness is of vital importance to the Japanese when it comes to eating. In a very pleasant ritual, a warm, wet flannel called Oshibori is handed to each guest at the table to wipe their hands before starting the meal.

> Enjoy your meal!

Before tucking into their meal, the Japanese say "Itadakimasu" meaning "I am now starting to eat". Once the meal is over the Japanese thank their hosts for their food by saying "Gochiso sama deshita" ("Thank you for the feast").

> Cheers!

"Kanpai" ("cheers") is the appropriate toast for alcoholic drinks. When enjoying sake and other alcoholic beverages in Japan, it is polite to make sure that the glasses of other guests are always full but impolite to serve yourself with alcohol – always wait for someone else to fill your glass.

> Bowls at shoulder level

In Japan it is good manners to raise your bowl up to shoulder level to eat. This way, if food accidentally falls from your chopsticks it drops right back into the bowl and not onto the table. The lids of the bowls are removed to eat and put back on again when you are not eating.

> Drink soup

In Japan the correct technique to consume soup is to drink it. The soup bowl should be raised directly to the mouth to drink. Solid ingredients are then eaten with chopsticks. Occasionally a small porcelain spoon is provided for the soup. Soup is always eaten alongside the other main dishes of a meal, and not, as we know it, as a starter.

> Scoop rice

With the rice bowl in one hand and your chopsticks in the other, the sticky Japanese rice can be formed into clumps and "scooped" into your mouth. By the way, soy sauce is never poured directly over the rice!

> Spoon your noodles

Noodles are also eaten with chopsticks. The technique is to spoon the noodles into your mouth with your chopsticks. The bowl should be held close to your mouth, and slurping is allowed!

> Dip sushi

Sushi is always eaten with soy sauce as an accompaniment. Pieces of sushi are dipped into small bowls filled with soy sauce, taking care to dip the filled side not the rice side. Again, you should never pour soy sauce over your sushi. Larger pieces of sushi are eaten with the fingers.