Eating etiquette

I am looking forward to trying the food in Japan and have read all about table manners.Not wanting to purposely offend and have the whole restaurant up in arms what are the main don't do's?

Phil,

This very site seems to cover everything pretty comprehensively...

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e622.html

Hi phil, how do you normally eat ?

Are you worried that the Japanese have restaurant police who will come and arrest you ?

Do you think anyone will care about the "gaijin over there who looks a bit like a tourist" ?

I think you should relax more.

I also think you should relax. Table manners are supposed to be there for you and other people to enjoy the dining experience. As long as you are considerate, polite, and use your good manners, you will be fine. The more you practice, the more you will be comfortable. Meanwhile, enjoy the foods.

You could do as I am doing. Read the site a few times to remember the eating ettiquette rules, and try practising them at home!

The fact that I have a thing for sitting on the floor at my coffee table as I eat anyway is a good start. The other things are just down to memory and practise.

I'm sure no-one will be offended if you get a few things wrong. You are a foreigner afterall!

It is worth looking up how different dishes are eaten or study the other patrons to find out how it's done. I was eating soba in a restaurant one time and all of a sudden the waiter topped up the dipping sauce with hot water. What to do? Are you supposed to drink it? (you are ^_^) A fish I was served at breakfast in an onsen, do you eat the whole of the fish including head, etc? What to do with the hard cooked egg at breakfast when you realize that it is not cooked at all? At a breakfast buffet in a hotel, when there is a Japanese style and Western style food, can you take both Japanese and Western food on the same plate?

One time I saw a group of tourists in an okonomiyaki restaurant starting to bake the bacon and other fillings all separately so a waiter had to jump in and somehow rescue it and make it into an okonomiyaki. I'm sure you all have experiences like this. ^_^;;

if u eat Soba, Udon, Ramen or any other kind of Japanese noodles, u must ''slurp'' them.
Not slurping it seems like ur not enjoying it, and is bad manners. Besides, if ur not used to chopsticks, its easier to slurp it anyway.

P.S.
''Do not slurp spagetti''
Eat western food, the western way.