10 GOLDEN RULES FOR JAPANESE CHOPSTICKS MANNERS

The Japanese take their chopsticks - Ohashi  very seriously.

When you dine with them, Japanese people will understand that you don't know the rules and will probably forgive you the biggest mistakes in table manners. However, knowing a little about the local manners really goes a long way in making friends, winning business deals, or simply allow you to be a good guest.

Let's not lie, it's not easy at all. Using chopsticks is an art that even the Japanese themselves are constantly striving to perfect. The good news is that knowing these simple rules will bring you 99% closer to perfect decency:

1. HOLD YOUR CHOPSTICKS CORRECTLY - this is easier said than done, so this part takes time to practice. Watch others do it and just be patient. If you really want to learn, you have to practice as much as possible, so even when you eat alone at home, don't be lazy because no one is watching. Plus, you'll quickly find that chopsticks are much easier to use when you hold them correctly.

2. DON'T EAT DIRECTLY - when you take food from the shared dishes, always put it on your plate or bowl before eating.

3. USE YOUR CHOPSTICKS HOLDER - in many Japanese restaurants, a chopstick holder will welcome you on the table. When not in use, always put the chopsticks on the holder. If the chopsticks are disposable, you won't get a holder, but you can always make one yourself from the wrapper that the chopsticks were in.

Chopsticks should never be placed upright in your rice as this resembles a Japanese funeral ceremony!

4. DON'T BROWSE WITH YOUR CHOPSTICKS - don't hover your chopsticks over the food on the table while you think about what to get. This is considered greedy - Sashi bashi.

5. DO NOT DIG - always take food from the top of the dish in which it was served. Do not move or dig through the food looking for something special or "better pieces".

6. DON'T LICK - never lick the end of chopsticks - Neburi bashi.

7. BE CAREFUL GIVING FOOD TO OTHERS - never share food by passing from chopsticks to chopsticks, as this resembles the custom at Japanese funerals when the cremated bones of the deceased are ceremonially transferred to the urn. This is probably the biggest taboo at the Japanese dinner table. You can use your chopsticks to transfer the food to another guest's plate, and if he is far away, it is best if he passes his own plate to you. It is ideal to ask the waiter for another pair of chopsticks that will stand in the middle of the table and that everyone can use to share the food.

8. CHOPSTICKS ARE NOT TOYS - do not point your chopsticks at your interlocutor or other guests at the table and do not hold them in your hand when you are not eating for a long time. When you break them, never rub them against each other because it will make you think the chopsticks are cheap.

9. DO NOT CROSS YOUR CHOPSTICKS - when not in use, chopsticks must be placed parallel to each other on the holder. Crossed sticks are another sign reminiscent of a funeral ceremony.

10. DO NOT STIR - if you stir the soup with chopsticks, it means that you are trying to clean them. This is something tempting making you think that miso soup is not well prepared, and the ingredients are not dissolved and mixed properly. Resist that temptation!

In general, the biggest mistakes are those reminiscent of Japanese funeral ceremonies. Always remember that chopsticks are not toys but cutlery deeply embedded in Japanese culture. If you really try, everything will be fine, but always keep in mind that chopsticks are a challenge for everyone and even few Japanese people can boast that they have fully mastered the art of using them.