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?

3 comments

3 Comments

martinez.anna3mo 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.jordan3mo agoMost Upvoted

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

tessa3941mo ago

My buddy from Osaka actually tested this once at a work dinner with his colleagues. He purposely stuck his chopsticks upright in his rice bowl to see how they'd react. Two of the older guys gave him a look like he'd just insulted their grandmother, but the younger ones just laughed and said "tourist move" in English. I'm probably the last person to judge though. I once spent a whole meal eating with my chopsticks crossed because I thought it looked cool like some kind of samurai. Nobody said a word, but later my Japanese friend told me that's also bad luck, just a different kind. So yeah, maybe it's not a national crisis anymore, but I figure it's still decent manners to avoid sticking them like incense sticks.