Tokio Restaurants ABC

By Michelle Feilen Rigol

5th dan

Aiki Feilen

Barcelona, Spain

It is believed that restaurants in Japan are expensive, but, actually, it isn’t true. In order to enjoy them, follow these tips:

• Check out the menu prices before getting in. Generally there are plastic models of food or pictures with the prices by the entrance. If you can’t find them, just don’t enter.
• Never tip the waiters – For Japanese, it can be rude!

A few handy sentences:

Kanpai - cheers
Itadakimasu - Bon appétit
Oishi -Good (use it during the meal)
Goshiso sama deshita - I enjoyed the meal (use it when you leave the restaurant)
Sumimasen - Excuse me (use it to call the waiter)
Kore - This
Eigo menu wa arimasuka - Have you got the menu in English?
Biru: beer
Mizu: water
Sakana: fish
Niku: meat
Shio: salt
Kosho: peper
Shoyu: soya sauce
Taberu: to eat
Sake: nihonshu
Tea: o-cha

There are many words that phonetically are similar in english and japanese so always try to say it in english like:

Toire - toilet
Naifu - knife
Fooku - fork
Koohii - coffee
Pan - bread (word introduced by portuguese)

Money ABC

It’s true that more and more credit card payments are accepted everywhere. But still, they rather be paid cash.

Therefore, it isn’t easy to find cash machines, so make sure you always carry enough cash with you.

If you need to get money from a cash machine, you must go to the post office. There’s a big one by the Keio Plaza Hotel and the City Hall (Shinjuku). There’s also a small post office between the Aikikai Hombu Dojo and the subway station Wakamatsu Kawada. Check well the post office schedule because they’re open only half day.