Any experience with Japanese restaurants?

Question

My girlfriend wants to go to a Japanese restaurant with a group of our friens but we have never been is there anything we should know before going?

Answer 1

Let's start with do you like fish? If not well they serve other dishes that are fried or even like a big grill and they put on a show cutting things and flipping things.
Well if the sushi /sashimi are more what you wanted then they will seat you at a private table. I would say to try all you can but ask the waiters.

For the poster that commented that getting drunk is not pollite in a Japanese rest. well that is a bunch of crap. They have never been to Japan or around many Japanese that go out. It is usually common for you to drink too much in these places.

I have been to Japan and live close to it and they expect you to drink esp. when with company of Japaneese. It is impollite to not drink at least one shot of sake.

I would say to be the best host of your freinds to go all out and make this a true Japanese affair.
Go to the resturant eat and drink then go see if you can go to a bar and sing karoke.
In Japan it is different cause you rent your own room for singing and it is quite fun and great times to be had.

Enjoy the food as it is an art just as well as great tasting.

I would say try the live items, but in the states you can't get them, like in other places in Asia.
I pefer to pick my fish from the aquariums outside the restuarant and then watch them cut it up and then enjoy it. I also enjoy the live octopus as an appitizer. Great fun.

Answer 2

Well its not all as formal as you may think. Some places may have you remove your shoes at certain tables you may sit at. Make sure you have no holes in your socks.
There is much more at a Japanese restaurant than just raw fish. Sushi is vinegared rice with either raw or cooked fish on top or rolled fish, vegetables or pickled vegetables in rice.
Sashimi is slices of raw fish. If you aren't into bait, try a bento box (types vary and they will be explained on the menu) or terrriyaki. Always a good stand by.
Drink your Saki warm. Easy. It has a tendency to catch up with you. Plus...being stupid drunk in a Japanese restaurant is terribly impolite.
If a warm towel is provided before dinner...wipe your hands with it and then leave it folded on the plate it came on.
Tip your sushi chef nicely. You'll see a jar at the sushi bar. Never hand him money. It's dirty and he handles the fish, rice, etc. It's also impolite.

But on the whole. You'll have a fun time. Enjoy. It'll be a new taste and cultural experience for you.

Answer 3

A lot of Japanese cuisine in restaurants caters to Americans' palates. There are also some hints at true Japanese cuisines (like sushi, but it's still largely Americanized) that may seem weird. Most Japanese don't eat meat as an item but more as a flavoring, so you might not see steak served so much in Japan (because it's expensive as hell).

Go. You'll find something that you'd like to eat. But, be adventerous too. Eating raw salmon is OK. I promise.

You don't have to know how to use chopsticks either. However, you can ask your waiter to help you use them if you've never tried.

Answer 4

Japanese restaurants are, in general, quite formal. If you aren't used to a formal dining experience, you may feel uncomfortable; however, waiters at Japanese restaurants established in Western countries know to expect this, and can help you with:
- Understanding the name of a meal
- Understanding what a meal contains
- Cutlery -- if they are busy, they may not have time to teach you to eat with chopsticks, but they will happily provide a fork if you prefer.

Different foods served together are often designed to complement each other -- for example, sushi is served with soy sauce (a salty sauce that complements rice and raw fish well, and can help to alleviate the 'slimy' texture some people complain of when eating raw fish), gari (pickled ginger -- used to cleanse the palette between eating foods with different flavours, and sometimes used as a garnish) and wasabi (Japanese horseradish -- very spicy, used in small quantities to add an extra 'kick' to other foods).

Lastly, sake is a wonderful thing. If you order some and it is served warm, drink it while it is still warm; it will not taste as good when it cools. High quality sake can be served cold.

Answer 5

Well, if you are not sure if you like sushi, I would pick a Japanese retaurtant that also offers teriyaki steak and chicken. That way, you will have some things that you can enjoy while others may prefer sushi. You may also, like Tempura (batter fried veggies and shrimp). I say keep it simple if this is your first time and sample lots of things to find what you like but definatley, look for a place that has a variety. Oh yeah, make sure its "JAPANESE: and not like a combo Korean, Chinese, Japanese, etc place. p.s. Make sure you ask for a fork if you don't know how to use chopsticks.The food won't be as good at those places. It may be pricey but try Benihana's. They put on a nice show and they have a good variety of food. PS - make sure you ask for a fork if you do not know how to use chopsticks.

Answer 6

It won't really be different from any other dining experience except the menu. Have you eaten sushi before? There's some things to know. http://gojapan.about.com/cs/foodinformation/ht/ht_sushi.htm

When ordering sushi, each order includes at least two pieces, and sometimes as many as six (as in California rolls). Ask your waiter any questions you may have.

If there's a sushi bar at the front of the restaurant, the sushi chefs may greet you in a loud voice when you come in.

Thank you = domo arigato or just arigato

Answer 7

japanese restaurants in america are pretty easy user friendly
they serve either teppenyaki,sushi bar,or traditional,i would suggest you go to teppenyaki first,they seat you around a flat grill and you order self explannatory dishes they cook in front of you,really good fun to try chopsticks but there will also be a fork
from here you can try ordering some sushi as a appetizer small amounts allows you to know if you like it.for later sushibar visits
sushibars are good but can be very expensive,if you like fish start out with dishes you are familiar with take a moment before you go and look at sushi menus on net to familiarize yorself with what youre going to order,sashimi or raw tuna is my favorite all though is aquired taste go easy ordering a bunch of stuff blindly could result in a huge bill and your still hungry becuse you didnt like anything

be careful of little lime green paste, pure horseradish

Answer 8

to start off, do you like Sushi?

the first time I went I thought I was going to pass out, so didn't like the food. Now, I can live in a Japanese restaurant LOL

Answer 9

Not really! I LOVE Japanese food- it's my favorite! The waiter/waitress can answer any questions you have about entrees, etc. FYI- not all sushi is raw- some is cooked. The raw stuff is sashimi. Sushi and sashimi is DIVINE. I would suggest trying something with salmon- it's very mild and nice. Have a great meal!!!

Answer 10

Japanese food is great. But I prefer to go to the restaurants that cook in front of you. It is very stylish to go see them cook the food from scratch. It is hot and ready while you look on. It think your girlfriend would love it. I always enjoy it.