Comments on: On Dining Out in Japan | 外食と義理

By: A Link For Hungry Japanese Learners… | This Japanese Life. | 生命を外面九天です

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 03:12:07 +0000

[...] it out. And if you want to read more about restaurants in Japan, you can check out my old posts on dining out in Japan or on Japanese food [...]

By: owwls

owwls — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 02:19:54 +0000

Well, I get plenty of refills, but the difference is that I rarely get asked if I want a refill. The waiter either comes over and fills the glass, or waits for me to ask him to. There’s none of this coming-to-the-table-and-asking-how-everything-is stuff, no checking in to see if you want anything else, no chatty talk, etc. And when I get water, I never get interrupted by being asked if I want the water. The guy comes over and fills the glass before I can even say no, 9 times out of 10.

I didn’t mean to imply that they are inattentive, just that the structure is different.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 02:01:00 +0000

Yeah, like Blue Shoe said, I think it depends on the place too – don’t really think it’s a regional thing at all since this has happened to me in various places. Some places won’t refill water at all and you have to call out to them just for some water… but then like I said, there are various other places where they rush up to the table if they see your water glass nearly empty. But then of course there are also the places that allow you to get your own refills… In any case, my husband often asks for a pitcher at our table (at places we’ve been before and know there are pitchers there) so we can just refill our own glasses without interrupted conversation.

By: Blue Shoe

Blue Shoe — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 01:55:30 +0000

Nice post, Eryk. I think it depends on the place. I think a lot of servers won’t refill your glass unless you ask, but some do.

By: On Japanese Convenience Stores | コンビニ | This Japanese Life. | 生命を外面九天です

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:48:00 +0000

[...] glory of the konbini is a nod to Japan’s exceptional customer service and, more to the point, Japan’s expectations of exceptional customer service. Japanese [...]

By: owwls

owwls — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:05:24 +0000

I got a lot of practice when I thought the shopkeepers were yelling “Sumimasen” instead of “Irrashimasen.” After about three days of impersonation I think I have it down.

By: Laura

Laura — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:32:38 +0000

I feel awkward about sumimasenning sometimes still. Have you perfected the nasally pitch?

By: On Dining Out in Japan | JapanLike

On Dining Out in Japan | JapanLike — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 14:14:51 +0000

[...] On Dining Out in Japan 1 thisjapaneselife.org — When it came time to ask for the bill, I couldn’t do it. I sat, and I waited. And then, 10 minutes into waiting, it hit me: I will never stop being American. [...]

By: owwls

owwls — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 23:54:13 +0000

Hmm, maybe it’s a regional thing. When I get a refill of water, the waiter/waitress never says a word. They’re prompt and attentive, but they never talk.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 23:41:50 +0000

Hmm, I don’t know but I’ve been to a lot of places in Japan where the waitresses constantly interrupt to refill water. In fact it probably happens more often than not. Drives me crazy…

Anyway, appreciated your thoughts on giri and ninjo. Well said.