8 Tips on Chopstick Etiquette

Photo by bennylin0724

Here are 8 tips on chopstick manners every gaijin should know.

1. Learn how to hold and use chopsticks properly.
2. If you have a hashioki (chopstick stand), use it whenever you want to lay down your chopsticks.
3. Don't stick your chopsticks into your rice bowl.
4. Don't pick up food by forking it with your chopsticks.
5. Don't suck or lick your chopsticks.
6. Don't pass food from your chopsticks to someone else's chopsticks.
7. Don't spend too much time choosing what to pick up. Choose without showing it physically.
8. When using waribashi (disposable chopsticks), make your own hashioki out of the paper cover.

Bonus Tip 1: Don't leave rice in your chawan (rice bowl). Not even one grain.
Bonus Tip 2: Finish your dishes at an equal pace. Don't just finish one dish and move on to the next one.

Be Careful with Bicycle Parking in Osaka

If you're careless, you can easily lose your bicycle in Osaka. There are two common causes for it: thieves and the authorities. Today's topic will be bicycle confiscation by the authorities.

You can find many bicycle stands near subway and train stations in Osaka, but it's worth noticing that most of them are tagged 有料, which means "money required". If you leave your bicycle without buying a parking pass, and if the authorities happen to check on it, they will take your ride away and you will have to go to the appropriate garage to pick it up and pay a ¥2500 fine (or ¥5000 for light motorcycles).

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