TIL that in some parts of Japan, it's still a big deal to stick your chopsticks upright in rice.

I saw a travel show where the host did it at a meal in Osaka, and the local guide got really quiet. That's because it's only done for the dead during funeral rites. I think a lot of visitors don't know the meaning and just think it's a handy way to rest them. Has anyone else run into a small action that means something totally different in another culture?

2 comments

2 Comments

martinez.anna8d ago

Is it really that big of a deal anymore? I lived in Tokyo for a few years and while people know the meaning, most younger folks just see it as a mistake a tourist would make. They might correct you quietly, but they won't treat it like a huge insult. The idea that the whole country is in silent shock over upright chopsticks feels like an old travel myth.

taylor.jordan7d ago

Wait, you think it's just a tourist mistake now, @martinez.anna?