If you visit a sushi bar, you’ll have the chance to see firsthand how the chef meticulously crafts each piece with the finest ingredients into a delicious work of art. To make the most of the gastronomic experience, here’s how to eat sushi the right way.

A Guide to Sushi Eating Etiquette

Sushi bars often have three styles on their roster: sashimi, nigiri, and maki. Sashimi is simply raw fish, while nigiri is made up of vinegared rice topped with a slice of fresh seafood. Maki is a roll with rice, nori, fish or seafood, and vegetables, cut into bite-sized pieces. 

Sushi should be eaten in one bite to keep it from falling apart. When you dip a piece into soy sauce, aim with the fish and not the rice. In the case of maki, refrain from soaking up too much soy sauce with the rice to avoid the roll crumbling apart. The soy sauce is meant to enhance the taste, not alter it. It’s considered taboo to waste soy sauce.

Never mix wasabi in your soy sauce—most chefs will already smear a bit inside the sushi to bring out the natural taste of the fish. If you want a bit more zing, add wasabi on top of the fish before eating. As for ginger slices, they’re best eaten afterward to cleanse the palate. 

Chopsticks are the preferred utensils when eating at sushi bars, so don’t use a knife and fork. If you’re not comfortable with chopsticks, you can use your hands, which is the traditional way to eat sushi in Japan.

Why the Proper Way Matters

A sushi chef handpicks the freshest fish and ingredients to produce the tastiest pieces. When you drench your sushi in soy sauce or get heavy-handed with wasabi, its taste changes. Your chef might even feel insulted by your actions that suggest you’ve deliberately altered the taste because it wasn’t to your liking. Instead, use proper etiquette when eating sushi to show your appreciation of the food to the chef and staff.

Now that you know the proper way to enjoy sushi, head to Natsunoya Tea House in Honolulu, HI, to put those best practices to use. Known for their traditional Japanese cuisine like sushi, bento, and tempura, the century-old establishment also offers full-service catering and banquet halls. Call (808) 595-4488 to discuss catering packages, or check out the sushi bar offerings online.