Staff greet you with irasshaimase, which needs no reply. Show your party size with your fingers, call staff with sumimasen, order by pointing and saying kore o kudasai, and ask for the check with okaikei onegaishimasu, then pay at the register. Many casual places use a ticket machine at the door instead. There is no tipping.
The moment you step inside, you will hear いらっしゃいませ (irasshaimase), "welcome," often shouted by several staff at once. English speakers feel they should answer "hi" or "thank you." You don't need to. A small nod is plenty, and most Japanese customers say nothing at all.
Next comes 何名様ですか (Nanmei-sama desu ka), "How many people?" Hold up fingers and say the number with the people counter. The first two are irregular, which trips up everyone:
| People | Japanese |
|---|---|
| one | 一人 (hitori) |
| two | 二人 (futari) |
| three | 三人 (sannin) |
| four | 四人 (yonin) |
| five | 五人 (gonin) |
So you answer 二人です (Futari desu). Staff may then say お好きな席へどうぞ (O-suki na seki e dōzo), "Sit wherever you like," or lead you to a table. You may be offered カウンター (kauntā), counter seats, or テーブル (tēburu), a table.
At many ramen, soba and beef bowl shops, you order at a 券売機 (kenbaiki), a ticket machine by the entrance. Put in money, press the button for your dish, take the ticket and hand it to the staff at the counter. English speakers often sit down and wait for a menu that never comes. If you see a machine near the door, start there.
A few words on the buttons help: 並 (nami) or 普通 (futsū) is the regular size, 大盛り (ōmori) is a large portion, and トッピング (toppingu) means extra toppings. Some machines take only cash, so carry coins and small bills. In ramen shops, staff sometimes ask how firm you want your noodles: 硬め (katame), firm, 普通 (futsū), regular, or 柔らかめ (yawarakame), soft.
In an American restaurant, calling out to a server feels rude, and the server checks on you anyway. In Japan it works the other way around. Staff usually won't come back until you call them, so raise your hand and say すみません (sumimasen), "excuse me," clearly enough to be heard. Many chain restaurants have a call button on the table, 呼び出しボタン (yobidashi botan). Waiting silently for someone to notice you can mean waiting a long time.
| Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| これをください (Kore o kudasai) | This, please (while pointing) |
| これを二つください (Kore o futatsu kudasai) | Two of these, please |
| ラーメンを一つお願いします (Rāmen o hitotsu onegaishimasu) | One ramen, please |
| おすすめは何ですか (Osusume wa nan desu ka) | What do you recommend? |
| 英語のメニューはありますか (Eigo no menyū wa arimasu ka) | Do you have an English menu? |
| お水をください (O-mizu o kudasai) | Some water, please |
| 以上です (Ijō desu) | That's all |
Don't translate "Can I get" or "I'll have" word for word. Japanese has no polite "can I get" for ordering. Use ください (kudasai) or the slightly softer お願いします (onegaishimasu). To say what you have decided on, use にします (ni shimasu): 私はカレーにします (Watashi wa karē ni shimasu), "I'll go with the curry."
When you order several items, the number goes after the item and its particle, with the counter つ (tsu): 餃子を二つ (gyōza o futatsu), two plates of gyoza. English order, "two gyoza," becomes "gyoza, two."
For dietary needs, the useful pattern is 〜が食べられません (... ga taberaremasen), "I can't eat ...": 豚肉が食べられません (Butaniku ga taberaremasen), "I can't eat pork." For an allergy, say 〜のアレルギーがあります (... no arerugī ga arimasu): えびのアレルギーがあります (Ebi no arerugī ga arimasu), "I'm allergic to shrimp." Be aware that dashi, the broth in many soups and sauces, is often made with fish, so a dish that looks vegetarian may not be.
These are full keigo, so they sound more formal than what you will say back. That is normal. You answer in simple desu/masu Japanese, and nobody expects you to match their register.
Say いただきます (itadakimasu) before you eat. It has no real English equivalent; it is closer to "I humbly receive" than "bon appétit." When you leave, ごちそうさまでした (gochisōsama deshita), "thank you for the meal," said to the staff on your way out, is one of the warmest things a visitor can say.
Two chopstick habits matter because they are linked to funerals: don't stand chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice, and don't pass food from your chopsticks to someone else's. At an izakaya, a small dish may arrive that you didn't order. That is お通し (otōshi), a starter that comes with a seating charge on the bill. It isn't a mistake, and it isn't a scam.
To ask for the check, call staff and say お会計お願いします (O-kaikei onegaishimasu). You will also hear お勘定 (okanjō) for the same thing. In most restaurants the bill comes to the table, often face down, and you take it to the レジ (reji), the register by the door. Paying at the table, the American default, is the exception.
At the register there is usually a small tray. Put your cash or card in the tray rather than in the cashier's hand, and your change will come back the same way. Don't leave a tip. Money left on the table is likely to be brought back to you, sometimes by a server chasing you down the street.
The easiest way to make these phrases stick is to say them out loud before you need them: walk through the whole meal, from irasshaimase to gochisōsama, with a tutor playing the server. Then try it at a real counter, where pointing, smiling and kore o kudasai will carry you a long way.
No. It is a greeting staff call out to every customer, and Japanese customers usually don't answer. A small nod or a smile is enough.
No. Saying sumimasen and raising your hand is the normal way to get service. Staff generally won't check on you, so if you wait to be noticed, you may wait a long time.
No. Tipping is not part of restaurant culture in Japan, and staff may return money you leave behind. Saying gochisōsama deshita on your way out is the thank-you that counts.
That is usually otōshi, a small starter served to every customer along with a seating charge. It is standard practice in many izakaya, not an error on your bill.
