Dining Etiquette in Japan

At meals, it is normal to say itadakimasu before eating and gochisousama deshita afterward, and to handle chopsticks carefully by not sticking them upright in rice or passing food directly from chopstick to chopstick. In restaurants and homes, quiet, orderly eating is valued, and slurping noodles is widely accepted as a sign of enjoyment rather than bad manners.