When you’re at home, sushi etiquette is at your own discretion, but here are some recommendations for behaving in a sushi restaurant.
When you arrive at a sushi restaurant, greet the host or hostess. If you are interested in food preparation, sit at the sushi bar to be nearer to the chefs. Otherwise sit at a table.
Only order sushi at the sushi bar, order anything else from the menu (including soups, drinks etc) from a waitress.
Respect the sushi chefs (itamae), as they are quite busy. They usually love to chat and have been known to accept a beer or saki (only in the evening). Always complement highly as this may lead to great sushi rewards either later that meal or on a return visit. Be mindful though, that itamae have traditions that date back to the time of the Samuai.
Eat sushi without delay, the fresher the better. An exception is when considering Nare-zushi, which is a fish that is salted or vinegared. These fish and rice are placed together for a fermentation period.
Eat sushi with either your fingers (use your thumb & middle fingers) or chopsticks. To place your chopsticks correctly, place the chopsticks parallel to the edge of the bar, be sure to use the chopstick rest provided. It is impolite to place chopsticks on your plate, but if you do, place them across the plate.
If you are trying to decide whether to use your fingers or chopsticks, the general rule is : fingers for sushi, chopsticks for sashimi.
Try to eat sushi in one bite. Two bites is acceptable, however don’t put your food down in the middle of eating it. Pick it up and eat it all. Also, clean your plate of every grain of rice.
Don’t rush through your meal.
Don’t pass food from one chopstick to another. Pick up the food and place it on the other person’s plate so that they can then pick it up. In Japan, there is a ceremony at a funeral where family members pass the bones of the deceased to each other using chopsticks. Don’t stick your chopsticks in your rice vertically. This resembles incense that is burnt at funerals.
Sushi should always be eaten seafood side down or in a vertical motion, so the seafood reaches your taste buds first. The reasoning behind this is simple, the rice is flavoured with a sour ingredient (such as vinegar) so if this is the first to your taste buds, the seafood will be tasteless. You can either taste the seafood first, or at the same time as the rice, but never the rice first.
Either drink green tea, beer or saki with your sushi. There are hundreds of different kinds of saki. Hot saki is Sho Chiku Bai, cold saki is the unfiltered Nigori.
Drink your hot green tea with two hands. One hand holding the cup, and the other hand supporting it from underneath.
Apply soy sauce to the seafood or other ingredients rather than to the rice. This is because the rice (Shari) is used to decide the flavour of sushi.
Don’t drown your meal in soy sauce.
It is fine to add wasabi on your sushi, it’s also fine not to.
When at an O-sushi train, select the sushi you would like and take the entire plate. Don’t only take the sushi. Prices are determined by grades of sushi. 1st, 2nd 3rd, etc. The plate colours that you acquire help determine your bill total at the end of your stay.
Enjoy your sushi roll complete, just the way the chefs made it. To take it apart to rearrange is quite insulting.
By saying ‘O-ai-so’ at the end of your meal, you are signalling to the staff that you are finished and are ready for your bill.