It is very common in Japan to start your meal at a sushi bar with sashimi, sliced raw fish always served without rice, and then move on to “Nigiri-zuzhi”, raw or cooked fish served on top of a small bed of rice. On the plate with sushi, you will be given a small portion of sliced ginger called “Gari”. Served alongside will be a small plate of soy sauce. However, sushi chefs in Japan will never serve you wasabi, a spicy condiment, on the plate with nigiri-zuzhi, only with sashimi. The small heap of wasabi is already put inside of each sushi and rice concoction. With your meal, it is traditional to drink green tea. Japanese tea is generally called “Ocha”, however it is called “Agari” in sushi bar.

When eating sushi at sushi bar, it is traditional to use your fingers and wipe them on a towel called “Oshibori”. You may also use chopsticks. Take a dab of wasabi on your chopstick, gently pick up a piece of sushi and dip the fish side of sushi in the soy. Do not dip rice side of sushi in the soy, as you will simply taste soy, rather than the flavors of both rice and topping. Put the sushi in your mouth with the topping side down, so the fish meets your taste buds first. Do not mix too much wasabi in the soy sauce, as you will drown the sushi with the flavor of the wasabi and soy.

After eating a piece of sushi, eat a slice of pickled ginger, gari, to clean your palate, or have a sip of greet tea to remove the oiliness of the fish. Then, eat the next sushi. As far as greet tea goes, sushi bars serve tea that has a slightly bitter flavor, sweet tea should be avoided as it diminishes the flavor of the sushi.