The advantage of being a german... it feels just like home, but more exotic ^^ I really would like to know, why Germany and Japane have so many similiarites, despite being on the opposite site of the world in two totally different cultural and religious groups. Is it, because the netherlands were for most of the time the most important connection to the outside world? Or because of a common bad history? Geography? Or just pure luck?
@@Grothgerek I think it might be due to victorian era prudishness and ideas of polightness in all of Europe Which is very similar to the to the ideas japan was fixated on for a long time
@@Grothgerek According to a late 2012 Bertelsmann Foundation Poll, the Germans view Japan overwhelmingly positively, and regard that nation as less a competitor and more a partner. The Japanese views of Germany are positive as well, with 97% viewing Germany positively and only 3% viewing Germany negatively. They do seem opposite (they are in essence), but Germany's opposite New Zealand (5,000miles from Japan), whilst Japan is opposite Paraguay/Brazil. The Pacific Ocean is sometimes bigger than we realize, there's one point in the Pacific where it's opposite point... is still in the Pacific ocean! :D
For those who haven't tried really hot sake, I can thoroughly recommend it. It really is a very different experience to other alcoholic beverages, and an especially lovely feeling when eating spicy food. About number 4 and 5, my solution is when the second bottle comes on the table is to offer from the new bottle to the others, and simply emptying the rest of the first bottle to my own cup. Another tip, which may not be proper etiquette, is that in some restaurants in Europe the sake bottle is often heated in a water bath placed on your table. In these cases the bottle can be quite slippery. Sometimes there is a paper bow tied near the neck of the bottle, and it's easier to grip there to prevent dropping the bottle.
I mean it is not even that uncommon to drink alcoholic bevarages warm. Mead is traditionally also at least war, if not hot. Here in Germany we also have "Glühwein" during christmas time, which is sweetened red wine with some spices added. This is served boiling hot, optional with an additional "booster" of a little bit of rum. It is very nice to warm you up on a cold winter day, but it also makes you drunk real fast because of the sweetness and the heat. I am sure there are more hot alcoholic drinks out there.
Drinking saké and pouring saké to each other is considered a very important form of communication in Japan, and I really hope you can try it out when you visit Japan! I named this video “5 taboos of drinking saké,” but in a way it could be said “5 ways to fully enjoy saké” too! ・ ▼Instagram▼ instagram.com/lets_ask_shogo/ *Please ask me questions through the DM here!（⚠️I do not use e-mail） In this channel, you can take a closer look at Japanese traditional culture, tips upon traveling to Kyoto, and social problems in Japan. So learners and lovers of Japanese language and culture, be sure to subscribe to enjoy more content! Please check out the description box for more videos recommended for you! ▼Join our Membership▼ th-cam.com/channels/n7DCb9ttrcw9h3vh9dfnVw.htmljoin ●Membership benefits -Limited behind-the-scene videos th-cam.com/play/UUMOn7DCb9ttrcw9h3vh9dfnVw.html -Weekly live stream -Priority reply to comments Every single yen we earn from this membership, we will be donating to groups of people who are fighting to solve social problems in Japan, the Japanese schools where foreign students can study, or use it to spread the works of people working with traditional culture in Japan to preserve the arts they are doing. ▼Sub channel “Shogo’s Podcast”▼ th-cam.com/channels/ZAe1VayWxp5NLO4Net78DA.html The perfect channel to learn about Japanese culture and history in your spare time, during your walk to school or work, and when you are cooking or doing house chores. Not only will I be covering the topics in this main channel, but also some topics that you will only be able to enjoy in the sub-channel, like answering questions I receive, and my opinions towards some of the comments. Thank you again very much for watching!
One of things I missed visiting Japan, tasting different kinds of nihonshu. Tasted a good one in Yamagata Station restaurant, even took a picture of the bottle, but couldn't find it in the store nearby. Went to a sake festival in Kobe one time and had a good time tasting different ones. It's really too bad I couldn't read the labels.
Turn the tokkuri when finished pouring to keep the sake from dripping onto the table...... Now that is a life hack I wish I learned earlier. That homebrew ginger vodka was good, after all.
@@shishoka Had it in a Ukrainian food restaurant in Moscow, they made it on their own, but as I said, it was their own recipe, and it might not be in season all the time (I had it during late December).
I have been thinking about this one all day. In the Southern Hemisphere would you need to turn it in the opposite direction to keep from spilling it due to the Coriolis effect?
@@donkeysaurusrex7881 I think that is done with gravity, instead of turning the container so quickly that the Coriolis effect may be applicable. That is, imo, when you slowly raise the jug, turn it around so that the last drops drip down along the rim and then back into the jug other than off the opening and onto the table.
Holding the cup is the opposite of the rule in Occident when asking someone to refill your glass of alcohol. In Occident, you're supposed to leave your glass on the table and not touch it until the person pouring the alcohol is finished. 1) It's for stability. When 2 people are lifting the containers (glass and bottle), it moves around a lot and increases the chances of spillage; 2) There's an element of culture as pouring someone a drink is a bit of a "show" and you're supposed to let the "server" make the ceremonial display of their wine-pouring skills; 3) It's somewhat vulgar. Holding your glass as it's being refilled can be interpreted as a sign of alcoholism. It's as if you can't wait to drink, so you can't let go of your glass. ... There are exceptions, of course, like when the table is too full and there's no place to pour... or when you're at a party and everyone is standing up. As for the person pouring the alcohol, it's mostly the same rules... Except for the 1-hand; palm up display. In Occident, that's the way that the "sommelier" (wine stewart/expert) would pour the wine. It takes a lot of skills to do it right, so most people don't do it (you kinda look like an idiot if you spill wine everywhere and you're probably going to drop the bottle).
I’m so glad you included the overfilling example...when this happened to me at first I wondered if maybe it was an insult or something?! Given the chef seemed very friendly & welcoming to gaijin, I figured that wasn’t the case...then I was worried about how I was supposed to drink it out of the box (without doing something incorrect!). Thanks!
Many thanks for explaining the Masu, I was once at a small restaurant and it was the first time my Sake came in the Masu. I was totally confused as to how to handle this, finally the server noticed my confusion and whispered a few hints on how to drink the Sake this way, But he didn't explain why. Thank you!
I love how eloquently spoken you are in all your videos! It seems like you always conduct yourself with a level of professionalism and it really shows in the quality of your videos so please keep making this amazing content!
yes! the overfilling of the glas into the "masu" really got me.i though it was somthing like an a ancient japanese life lesson/philosophy...like some equivalent to lao tzus "a bowl is most useful when it is empty"...so it took me a while,my host found it hilarious XD it was a one of my best evenings ever thank you japan
The temperature one was new for me. I have once drunk sake (albeit nat original Japanese one, I believe it was some German sake), but the bottle was stored in my room, so it was around roo temperature. It actually tasted very good and it did not feel like it was too warm at all, like you would feel with, for instance, a beer if it was like 20-something Celsius warm. Now I know why, thank you!
I live in Southern California and they're is alot of sushi spots here and they often serve sake in bottles. The one I tried was a lemon flavored. Very delicious. I really want to go back and try more. But given how my father is an alcoholic I'm afraid I might have his tendencies so i should watch myself 😁
Refraining from pouring with the palm up is a Yiddish custom, as well. The way I heard it, the reason is because that is how one pours the water when preparing a body for burial. On Passover night, the universal Jewish custom is for guests to pour the four ritual cups of wine for one another, to enhance the feeling of royalty. Some are also careful not to overfill the cups, so as not to denigrate the wine. However, on Saturday nights, we _purposefully_ overfill the cup at the havdalah ceremony to tangibly represent the blessing of plenty for the new week.
Thank you.4 taboo. The Bible says: "Young wine is stored in young wineskins, and old wine is stored in old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will sweat its taste and the wineskins will deteriorate (break through)."The same with sake. If you mix sake, then the taste, temperature, mood will not be the same if you drink from separate vessels (respect for the owner also plays a role).
Shogo, been a long-time lurker because I’ve always admire Japanese culture/traditions. Now that I’m taking my wife to visit Tokyo, Kawaguchiko and Kyoto this Nov, we’re binging your videos! Thank you for this and the chopstick taboos. Greetings from Vancouver!
Once when I lived in Japan I drank so much sake at an izakaya I went to a hanami afterward in Ueno park and peed on a bunch of sakura trees because the bathroom lines were so long. Apparently, this is "improper etiquette" when drinking sake.
These are wonderful "insights" into the culture and way of thinking. As someone who has been making saké cups and tokkuri, I can appreciate your points clearly. カンパイ！
Thank you so very much !!!! Not just for this video , that I believe I've broken each of these rules numerous times , but won't any more ,,, but for all that you do !!!! どうもありがとうございました
Me, A German hearing about rules: *interest peaks* Also me learning these rules are meant to not look like a barbarian when alcohol is involved: *profused sweating*
I just started to learn nihongo. I learned hiragana and katakana. Learning culture of Japan is very interesting. Thanks a lot for this channel! ありがとうございます!
LoL! I'm sorry that did strike me funny. I'm so worried about visiting Japan as I'm sure I'd be unintentionally rude or offensive. My brother (who's been several times) says as long as I'm trying and not deliberately being a jerk I get a pass as a foreigner but I'm still very nervous and intimated.
I think the most important thing is that you make an effort. If you try to understand and follow local rules and customs, even if you don't quite do it right, you should be fine. And if you show your appreciation to anyone who helps you understand, I'm sure there will be no hard feelings. This applies to basically anywhere in the world you're unfamiliar with, and I expect Japan will be no exception. Maybe it helps to think of it this way: no one was born knowing all the rules. Everyone who knows them has had to learn them at some point. It's not shameful in any way if you don't know how to do things properly, because as a foreigner, I'm sure people are aware you haven't had the same opportunities to learn. So conduct yourself as if you're a student of the culture, and the people around you are your teachers, because that is essentially the truth. Just pay attention, ask questions if you need to, and remember to be thankful for their advice. I think out of all of this, I do want to especially stress the "ask questions" part. And I don't mean ask questions of random people on the street, but rather, when you interact with someone in a particular context, don't hesitate to ask questions about how that context should inform your behaviour. Capital C Communication is key, no matter where you are. Misunderstandings can only occur when people aren't on the same wavelength, so behave accordingly.
you have nothing to worry about - if you come on vacation you wont be hanging out with any dinosaurs who will even think to demonstrate any of this. Candidly most japanese want to hang out with foreigners because its an escape from having to care about the arbitrary / antiquated traditions.
@@Gamesaucer It strikes me that if you unwittingly transgress, to the point where someone is BOTHERED by it, you could say "Please forgive my ignorance." Wouldn't that be a "Japanese" way of defusing the situation?
Local teahouse serves sake. Nowadays I don't even need to order when I go there. Thanks to these tips now I won't seem like just another drunk, but also an educated one.
When I passed my Shodan test In Aikido in Chicago my Sensei ,the late Fumio Toyoda Shihan said you are now Shodan you must try Sake. So I didn’t want to insult him and I drank it. It was sweet and didn’t even taste like alcohol until I felt tipsy later. He brought it directly back from Japan on his many back and forth trips to the Aikido headquarters dojo in Japan. I haven’t been able to find any Sake in any local liquor stores that taste anything like what he gave us. He was asked by many students what brand it was ,he just said country flavor. I wish I could find the type of Sake he gave us. He’d always give adult students a taste of sake when they passed a Dan test.
Great job! I have brewed sake for 5 years and you explained well the etiquette of serving and receiving sake. These tips are helpful, though as the drinking continues, not always observed.🙃
Another gift and lesson that I am truly grateful for, may you and your family and friends be well and prosperous all your days, my deepest and most sincere gratitude ‼️‼️‼️💯💯💥💥🤩🤩😀😀‼️‼️
In Japan, the rules are often seen as strict, but I think it's just respect to the creator. The most important thing is to have fun! If people enjoy saying "Japanese people do interesting things", it's great! I think that's what it means to be in contact with foreign culture☺
I was planning a video where I try a special kind of sake, but I see that I should probably get a masu box. I heard the wood used confers a special taste to the sake as well. With all those great ways of having sake, I want to do it right and try both in an ochoko and the mori-koboshi style. Thank you so much for your insight!
On Memorial day a couple years back I talked my friend into visiting his father's grave. When we were there we had some sake. We felt his spirit even though we only had a shot each. I don't know if it was taboo, but it felt good. I was given the bottle by another friend that had health issues in a box of other wines.
Pouring from one tokkuri into another is a little odd. That'd would be like ordering a second beer here in the states, and pouring the last bit from your first bottle, into the second. I love how similar the world really is. Its like my uncle had always told me "we are more alike, than we are different."
In England we focus on our words more than our actions when it comes to being polite. I love how Japanese culture is so symbolic with its two hands to hold and pour or the "generosity" cup.
I remember being a bit perplexed the first time I was served sake in a masu. I did exactly as you explain in the video, as it was the only way to drink it without spilling it all over the place. This was at a restaurant in California; this type of service seems uncommon here, but I have encountered it a few times. At home, I usually just use a wine glass, but I have a basic sake set which I will sometimes use when I'm in the mood, and I'll also sometimes use it for the Chinese baijiu, as the little cups are a good size for that potent spirit. The next time I have sake with other people, I'll have to remember these rules, if only to try to make the experience a little more authentic.
wow im so into your videos !!! im not even a japanese language learner or planning to travel there, but the information is so interesting and your whole demeanor and delivery is just addicting!! thanks for making this content
4 and 5 seem quite logical once given some thought, though easy to mess up. Wouldn't have been able to guess the first three though. Thanks for explaining.
Hi Shogo! I like watching your videos. I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We have a sake brewery and restaurant here in Minneapolis called Moto-i. It's one of my favorite places to go and many of my friends also choose to celebrate special occasions there.
Great video about nihonshu drinking etiquette. We have Don Quijote stores in Hawaii and I have taken to trying various nihonshu, preferably while watching Kita no Kuri Kara. ;-) I've learned that the quality of sake is dependent upon how much polishing the rice undergoes. High quality sake is called junmai daiginjo.
This was a really interesting video, Shogo!! 🙂 I’ve been a fan of Japanese culture for many years now and I learned many things from this video that I didn’t know!
The masu is a traditional rice measure (although you rarely see it outside of a sake bar nowadays). You can drink out of it directly (from the corner) in less formal situations. Each holds 180ml, so a bottle of sake will fill 10. A small keg of sake will fill 200 masu, and a large keg 400. You can take the top off a sake keg with a hammer, and use a masu with a stick nailed to the side as a ladle. This is all you need to know to plan a countryside party.
Curious and honest question here. When are Japanese citizens allowed to just relax and break tradition? I've never been to Japan but it seems like I would be so stressed out from fear of disrespecting your culture because of so many rules.
I am Slav,, I see these sooooo many rules and think 🤔,why would I go to place like that? I eat with my fingers,fork or spoon 🥄,, I drink from a cup or a bottle..The way you present them to me I don’t care 🤷♂️..Japanese think that their tradition is something sacred and need to be upheld into 21 century,maybe so,but I would never live in such oppressive country and society that would bash me for something hilariously stupid… To summarize everything,, I don’t care about drinking sake or Japan 🇯🇵…Does Japanese person knows how to drink Rakija??
I think that when you grow up in that environment, the rules are more inherent and easier to follow. For a foreigner, it’ll be much harder to adapt to everything. Plus there will always be people who don’t follow every rule outlines in these videos. But I do agree that being in Japan and following social rules seems incredibly stressful on top of speaking a whole new language 😅
They are pretty simple rules to follow and they all pretty much make sense. Most have to do with simply being respectful which should be an easy thing. And as a foreigner visiting, they know that you don't know their various customs and should feel at ease if you accidently don't do something quite right.
Thank you for this. Very well presented. I have to say, I think one of the most vulgar displays I ever saw was at a Japanese restaurant a friend of mine owned. A group of 3 men came in and sat oppoiste side of sushi bar, ordered a saké (hot) and proceeded to start drinking it like they were doing shots of whiskey, knocking them back in rapid succession. Leo, the sushi chef (not sure what his name was in Japanese) walked past me and the co-owner and mumbled something as he went to the kitchen. I asked her what he said. She giggled and said, "Those men over there, they have no respect for the beverage" I was appalled at their behaviour, like they were in some neighbourhood dive bar. There's a time and place for everything, a Japanese restaurant is not the place for that.
I went to Tokyo and Kyoto when I was younger and played the role of an ignorant American pretty well, but the Japanese people are so friendly I had no issues. Even when I was asking for “socky” at the bar lol they didn’t know what I was talking about. Thanks for the video!
"It's even more polite to use both hands." In my (very, very limited) experience just always use both hands when giving or receiving anything ever, it's always the polite thing to do.
Other than specific directions like having your palms up/down and holding the cup while it’s filled… These are fairly standard table manners that everyone should technically know and already be using (especially in formal situations).❤️
Fascinating to think there are so many rules to drinking and eating in Japan. It really makes me wonder what rules we in America have when it comes to the same things.
Thank you for those fascinating insights. In France and Switzerland too, it is considered rude to pour wine with the palm up, especially to someone sitting to your right, since you would then not be facing him while pouring and therefore show a lack of consideration for him. Holding your glass , or at least putting it closer to the person who is pouring is considered basic manners too. And of course, overfilling a glass is also a no-no, unless you're having fun with very close friends. In France, you would get killed should you add the content of one bottle of wine into another, especially since you never can guarantee that the taste of one bottle will exactly match another … You don't shake bottles of (good) wine too, and only someone really drunk would try to look inside the bottle.
"However, there are some rules you should follow..."
Everything in Japan in a nutshell. 😀
The advantage of being a german... it feels just like home, but more exotic ^^
I really would like to know, why Germany and Japane have so many similiarites, despite being on the opposite site of the world in two totally different cultural and religious groups.
Is it, because the netherlands were for most of the time the most important connection to the outside world? Or because of a common bad history? Geography? Or just pure luck?
@@Grothgerek I think it might be due to victorian era prudishness and ideas of polightness in all of Europe
Which is very similar to the to the ideas japan was fixated on for a long time
@@Grothgerek According to a late 2012 Bertelsmann Foundation Poll, the Germans view Japan overwhelmingly positively, and regard that nation as less a competitor and more a partner. The Japanese views of Germany are positive as well, with 97% viewing Germany positively and only 3% viewing Germany negatively.
They do seem opposite (they are in essence), but Germany's opposite New Zealand (5,000miles from Japan), whilst Japan is opposite Paraguay/Brazil. The Pacific Ocean is sometimes bigger than we realize, there's one point in the Pacific where it's opposite point... is still in the Pacific ocean! :D
They’re both representing the most advanced societies of their realm . Japan in the far East and Germany of Europe. Henceforth similarities.
My grandma left Japan in the 60s and I never got the privilege of learning too much about our heritage. So I am quite thankful I found your channel
@Long Legged Larry she died when i was 13. Before she got sick i was too young. Thata incredibly insensitive.
I am sorry for you. I can understand your feelings, as this has happened to me, but I an not Japanese.
Are you still full Japanese?
@@ask-mw5hk no, I've always been part japanese
Not missing much.
For those who haven't tried really hot sake, I can thoroughly recommend it. It really is a very different experience to other alcoholic beverages, and an especially lovely feeling when eating spicy food.
About number 4 and 5, my solution is when the second bottle comes on the table is to offer from the new bottle to the others, and simply emptying the rest of the first bottle to my own cup.
Another tip, which may not be proper etiquette, is that in some restaurants in Europe the sake bottle is often heated in a water bath placed on your table. In these cases the bottle can be quite slippery. Sometimes there is a paper bow tied near the neck of the bottle, and it's easier to grip there to prevent dropping the bottle.
I mean it is not even that uncommon to drink alcoholic bevarages warm. Mead is traditionally also at least war, if not hot. Here in Germany we also have "Glühwein" during christmas time, which is sweetened red wine with some spices added. This is served boiling hot, optional with an additional "booster" of a little bit of rum. It is very nice to warm you up on a cold winter day, but it also makes you drunk real fast because of the sweetness and the heat. I am sure there are more hot alcoholic drinks out there.
I would think that heating would burn off some of the alcohol...?
@@greyghost1365 Nothing is burning, you mean evaporation and on that note yes some does but not so much that it's a real loss or a mess.
I have tried sake in its many forms… not for me BUT… my daughter loves it hot.
Now I do drink my beer warm and I do love a well made hot toddy.
This. I wasn't a fan of sake until we got a tokkuri of it warm. Made it so much better
Drinking saké and pouring saké to each other is considered a very important form of communication in Japan, and I really hope you can try it out when you visit Japan!
I named this video “5 taboos of drinking saké,” but in a way it could be said “5 ways to fully enjoy saké” too!
・
▼Instagram▼
instagram.com/lets_ask_shogo/
*Please ask me questions through the DM here!（⚠️I do not use e-mail）
In this channel, you can take a closer look at Japanese traditional culture, tips upon traveling to Kyoto, and social problems in Japan.
So learners and lovers of Japanese language and culture, be sure to subscribe to enjoy more content!
Please check out the description box for more videos recommended for you!
▼Join our Membership▼
th-cam.com/channels/n7DCb9ttrcw9h3vh9dfnVw.htmljoin
●Membership benefits
-Limited behind-the-scene videos
th-cam.com/play/UUMOn7DCb9ttrcw9h3vh9dfnVw.html
-Weekly live stream
-Priority reply to comments
Every single yen we earn from this membership, we will be donating to groups of people who are fighting to solve social problems in Japan, the Japanese schools where foreign students can study, or use it to spread the works of people working with traditional culture in Japan to preserve the arts they are doing.
▼Sub channel “Shogo’s Podcast”▼
th-cam.com/channels/ZAe1VayWxp5NLO4Net78DA.html
The perfect channel to learn about Japanese culture and history in your spare time, during your walk to school or work, and when you are cooking or doing house chores.
Not only will I be covering the topics in this main channel, but also some topics that you will only be able to enjoy in the sub-channel, like answering questions I receive, and my opinions towards some of the comments.
Thank you again very much for watching!
One of things I missed visiting Japan, tasting different kinds of nihonshu. Tasted a good one in Yamagata Station restaurant, even took a picture of the bottle, but couldn't find it in the store nearby. Went to a sake festival in Kobe one time and had a good time tasting different ones. It's really too bad I couldn't read the labels.
theres a google translate feature thatll translate texts from pictures
@@raddishforthenight Thanks. I'll do that.
Turn the tokkuri when finished pouring to keep the sake from dripping onto the table......
Now that is a life hack I wish I learned earlier. That homebrew ginger vodka was good, after all.
Ginger vodka? That sounds like something that I would drink.
@@shishoka Had it in a Ukrainian food restaurant in Moscow, they made it on their own, but as I said, it was their own recipe, and it might not be in season all the time (I had it during late December).
I have been thinking about this one all day. In the Southern Hemisphere would you need to turn it in the opposite direction to keep from spilling it due to the Coriolis effect?
@@donkeysaurusrex7881 I think that is done with gravity, instead of turning the container so quickly that the Coriolis effect may be applicable. That is, imo, when you slowly raise the jug, turn it around so that the last drops drip down along the rim and then back into the jug other than off the opening and onto the table.
I remember my early 20's, when I could go out with my friends and drink like a fish.
Well. I *mostly* remember 😅
Holding the cup is the opposite of the rule in Occident when asking someone to refill your glass of alcohol. In Occident, you're supposed to leave your glass on the table and not touch it until the person pouring the alcohol is finished.
1) It's for stability. When 2 people are lifting the containers (glass and bottle), it moves around a lot and increases the chances of spillage;
2) There's an element of culture as pouring someone a drink is a bit of a "show" and you're supposed to let the "server" make the ceremonial display of their wine-pouring skills;
3) It's somewhat vulgar. Holding your glass as it's being refilled can be interpreted as a sign of alcoholism. It's as if you can't wait to drink, so you can't let go of your glass.
... There are exceptions, of course, like when the table is too full and there's no place to pour... or when you're at a party and everyone is standing up.
As for the person pouring the alcohol, it's mostly the same rules... Except for the 1-hand; palm up display. In Occident, that's the way that the "sommelier" (wine stewart/expert) would pour the wine. It takes a lot of skills to do it right, so most people don't do it (you kinda look like an idiot if you spill wine everywhere and you're probably going to drop the bottle).
What s occident?
@@akale2620 Japanese/Eastern term for a white person/ Westerner.
@@akale2620 the countries of the West, especially Europe and America.
More literal definition.
@@akale2620 opposite of Orient
Kool. Didn't know that.
I’m so glad you included the overfilling example...when this happened to me at first I wondered if maybe it was an insult or something?! Given the chef seemed very friendly & welcoming to gaijin, I figured that wasn’t the case...then I was worried about how I was supposed to drink it out of the box (without doing something incorrect!). Thanks!
Many thanks for explaining the Masu, I was once at a small restaurant and it was the first time my Sake came in the Masu. I was totally confused as to how to handle this, finally the server noticed my confusion and whispered a few hints on how to drink the Sake this way, But he didn't explain why. Thank you!
I love how eloquently spoken you are in all your videos! It seems like you always conduct yourself with a level of professionalism and it really shows in the quality of your videos so please keep making this amazing content!
Very intriguing to see how many common points there are with the drinking culture in my country. Thank you for the video, Shogo!
Thank you for taking the time to share your culture with us and the world. We need more sharing and less hate!
Sake is hands down one of the smoothest alcohols to drink also it tastes wonderful warm
“The label has to be upward”
*flashes back to that scene in Aggretsuko”
This is a cool and useful topic that I never would have thought to ask for. Thanks Shogo!
You know what I love? How considerate Japanese culture is not only to the self, but of others as well. It's, imo, one of the best things 🙂
"Nihon shu" is a new vocabulary I just picked up thank you I'm slowly trying to learn Japanese for when I hopefully visit in a few years from now.
I am interested in drinking and dining cultures... But after watching this I binged 4hrs of your content. You are my new content
Great video man, again very informative
So many of these rules seem intuitive enough that I've been following them without realizing! It's all about respect.
yes! the overfilling of the glas into the "masu" really got me.i though it was somthing like an a ancient japanese life lesson/philosophy...like some equivalent to lao tzus "a bowl is most useful when it is empty"...so it took me a while,my host found it hilarious XD it was a one of my best evenings ever thank you japan
The temperature one was new for me. I have once drunk sake (albeit nat original Japanese one, I believe it was some German sake), but the bottle was stored in my room, so it was around roo temperature. It actually tasted very good and it did not feel like it was too warm at all, like you would feel with, for instance, a beer if it was like 20-something Celsius warm. Now I know why, thank you!
I live in Southern California and they're is alot of sushi spots here and they often serve sake in bottles. The one I tried was a lemon flavored. Very delicious. I really want to go back and try more. But given how my father is an alcoholic I'm afraid I might have his tendencies so i should watch myself 😁
Refraining from pouring with the palm up is a Yiddish custom, as well. The way I heard it, the reason is because that is how one pours the water when preparing a body for burial.
On Passover night, the universal Jewish custom is for guests to pour the four ritual cups of wine for one another, to enhance the feeling of royalty. Some are also careful not to overfill the cups, so as not to denigrate the wine.
However, on Saturday nights, we _purposefully_ overfill the cup at the havdalah ceremony to tangibly represent the blessing of plenty for the new week.
Thank you.4 taboo. The Bible says: "Young wine is stored in young wineskins, and old wine is stored in old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will sweat its taste and the wineskins will deteriorate (break through)."The same with sake. If you mix sake, then the taste, temperature, mood will not be the same if you drink from separate vessels (respect for the owner also plays a role).
Thank you Shogo-san. This has cleared up my questions. Water.
Look at Shogo looking so dapper in that stunning light kimono ☆ such a nice color
So many things to learn 先生、ありがとうございました
Shogo, been a long-time lurker because I’ve always admire Japanese culture/traditions. Now that I’m taking my wife to visit Tokyo, Kawaguchiko and Kyoto this Nov, we’re binging your videos!
Thank you for this and the chopstick taboos.
Greetings from Vancouver!
Once when I lived in Japan I drank so much sake at an izakaya I went to a hanami afterward in Ueno park and peed on a bunch of sakura trees because the bathroom lines were so long. Apparently, this is "improper etiquette" when drinking sake.
These are wonderful "insights" into the culture and way of thinking. As someone who has been making saké cups and tokkuri, I can appreciate your points clearly. カンパイ！
Really kind and usefull things to notice! Its a nice way to communicate, it's polite and respectful if you know what to do! :D
Thank you so very much !!!!
Not just for this video , that I believe I've broken each of these rules numerous times , but won't any more ,,, but for all that you do !!!!
どうもありがとうございました
I love the look of the tokkuri and sake cups
Me, A German hearing about rules: *interest peaks*
Also me learning these rules are meant to not look like a barbarian when alcohol is involved: *profused sweating*
most of these I never thought about but felt instinctively, and made sense once mentioned
Fantastic information Shogo. Arigatou!
I just started to learn nihongo. I learned hiragana and katakana. Learning culture of Japan is very interesting. Thanks a lot for this channel! ありがとうございます!
“Would you like some sakè?”
“Yes please”
*Menacing smile* “Okay”
Thank you for helping us not being rude.
To be honest, I could make one of these five mistakes while having sake. But thank you for bringing this up. Thank you, Shogo.
lovely, especially the flowers.
Thank you, Shogo for these informative videos. I plan to visit Japan and you are a very good teacher! Arigato.
Thanks for the etiquette lesson; there is always room for knowledge. I actually live two blocks from my city's sole saki purveyor.
LoL! I'm sorry that did strike me funny. I'm so worried about visiting Japan as I'm sure I'd be unintentionally rude or offensive. My brother (who's been several times) says as long as I'm trying and not deliberately being a jerk I get a pass as a foreigner but I'm still very nervous and intimated.
I think the most important thing is that you make an effort. If you try to understand and follow local rules and customs, even if you don't quite do it right, you should be fine. And if you show your appreciation to anyone who helps you understand, I'm sure there will be no hard feelings. This applies to basically anywhere in the world you're unfamiliar with, and I expect Japan will be no exception.
Maybe it helps to think of it this way: no one was born knowing all the rules. Everyone who knows them has had to learn them at some point. It's not shameful in any way if you don't know how to do things properly, because as a foreigner, I'm sure people are aware you haven't had the same opportunities to learn. So conduct yourself as if you're a student of the culture, and the people around you are your teachers, because that is essentially the truth. Just pay attention, ask questions if you need to, and remember to be thankful for their advice.
I think out of all of this, I do want to especially stress the "ask questions" part. And I don't mean ask questions of random people on the street, but rather, when you interact with someone in a particular context, don't hesitate to ask questions about how that context should inform your behaviour. Capital C Communication is key, no matter where you are. Misunderstandings can only occur when people aren't on the same wavelength, so behave accordingly.
you have nothing to worry about - if you come on vacation you wont be hanging out with any dinosaurs who will even think to demonstrate any of this. Candidly most japanese want to hang out with foreigners because its an escape from having to care about the arbitrary / antiquated traditions.
@@Gamesaucer It strikes me that if you unwittingly transgress, to the point where someone is BOTHERED by it, you could say "Please forgive my ignorance."
Wouldn't that be a "Japanese" way of defusing the situation?
This man said “tips for traveling Kyoto!” The historical capitol of Japan 🇯🇵.
Gominasai ❤
Subscribed .
Local teahouse serves sake. Nowadays I don't even need to order when I go there. Thanks to these tips now I won't seem like just another drunk, but also an educated one.
Thanks for the video
It's good to learn about the culture before visiting the country.
When I passed my Shodan test In Aikido in Chicago my Sensei ,the late Fumio Toyoda Shihan said you are now Shodan you must try Sake. So I didn’t want to insult him and I drank it. It was sweet and didn’t even taste like alcohol until I felt tipsy later. He brought it directly back from Japan on his many back and forth trips to the Aikido headquarters dojo in Japan. I haven’t been able to find any Sake in any local liquor stores that taste anything like what he gave us. He was asked by many students what brand it was ,he just said country flavor. I wish I could find the type of Sake he gave us. He’d always give adult students a taste of sake when they passed a Dan test.
Great job! I have brewed sake for 5 years and you explained well the etiquette of serving and receiving sake. These tips are helpful, though as the drinking continues, not always observed.🙃
I would like to try sake one day. It sounds like a nice drink to have for a birthday
Another gift and lesson that I am truly grateful for, may you and your family and friends be well and prosperous all your days, my deepest and most sincere gratitude ‼️‼️‼️💯💯💥💥🤩🤩😀😀‼️‼️
In Japan, the rules are often seen as strict, but I think it's just respect to the creator.
The most important thing is to have fun!
If people enjoy saying "Japanese people do interesting things", it's great!
I think that's what it means to be in contact with foreign culture☺
Awesome, useful advice! Thank you very much for your work!
I was planning a video where I try a special kind of sake, but I see that I should probably get a masu box. I heard the wood used confers a special taste to the sake as well. With all those great ways of having sake, I want to do it right and try both in an ochoko and the mori-koboshi style. Thank you so much for your insight!
On Memorial day a couple years back I talked my friend into visiting his father's grave. When we were there we had some sake. We felt his spirit even though we only had a shot each. I don't know if it was taboo, but it felt good.
I was given the bottle by another friend that had health issues in a box of other wines.
Pouring from one tokkuri into another is a little odd. That'd would be like ordering a second beer here in the states, and pouring the last bit from your first bottle, into the second. I love how similar the world really is. Its like my uncle had always told me "we are more alike, than we are different."
This is useful for other types of drinks as well
めちゃ勉強した！教えてくれて本当にありがとうございました
Thanks for all these tips!
I love these videos. Very educational
In England we focus on our words more than our actions when it comes to being polite. I love how Japanese culture is so symbolic with its two hands to hold and pour or the "generosity" cup.
Thank you for the lesson! I’ll keep this in mind when serving my Sakura sake to my friends when they arrive from Japan~
Very informative and rewarding video!
I never knew that there were things you do and do not do with sake. Thank you for making this.
Thank you for your videos.
I love Japanese culture and hope to travel there one day. Love your videos
I remember being a bit perplexed the first time I was served sake in a masu. I did exactly as you explain in the video, as it was the only way to drink it without spilling it all over the place. This was at a restaurant in California; this type of service seems uncommon here, but I have encountered it a few times. At home, I usually just use a wine glass, but I have a basic sake set which I will sometimes use when I'm in the mood, and I'll also sometimes use it for the Chinese baijiu, as the little cups are a good size for that potent spirit. The next time I have sake with other people, I'll have to remember these rules, if only to try to make the experience a little more authentic.
My stomach hurts just thinking about baijiu.
Cool video, well presented too! Nice! 😃
wow im so into your videos !!! im not even a japanese language learner or planning to travel there, but the information is so interesting and your whole demeanor and delivery is just addicting!! thanks for making this content
I’m more of an umeshu person, but this was still interesting to watch.
4 and 5 seem quite logical once given some thought, though easy to mess up. Wouldn't have been able to guess the first three though. Thanks for explaining.
Excellent. Thank you. It all makes sense.
I wish I learned about these rules before drinking sake in Japan. And I drank sake in Kyoto!! :D
Thank you for your efforts in helping us gaijin at appreciate Japanese Culture. Arigato Gozaimashita. 🍶🍵🍻
Awesome video! keep up the good work!
Hi Shogo! I like watching your videos. I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We have a sake brewery and restaurant here in Minneapolis called Moto-i. It's one of my favorite places to go and many of my friends also choose to celebrate special occasions there.
Great video about nihonshu drinking etiquette. We have Don Quijote stores in Hawaii and I have taken to trying various nihonshu, preferably while watching Kita no Kuri Kara. ;-) I've learned that the quality of sake is dependent upon how much polishing the rice undergoes. High quality sake is called junmai daiginjo.
Let's ask Shogo if he was using water or sake. Great content as always.
I always love watching your videos and especially like that I don't do any of these taboos, and now I know why what a do is actually correct :)
This was a really interesting video, Shogo!! 🙂 I’ve been a fan of Japanese culture for many years now and I learned many things from this video that I didn’t know!
The masu is a traditional rice measure (although you rarely see it outside of a sake bar nowadays). You can drink out of it directly (from the corner) in less formal situations. Each holds 180ml, so a bottle of sake will fill 10. A small keg of sake will fill 200 masu, and a large keg 400. You can take the top off a sake keg with a hammer, and use a masu with a stick nailed to the side as a ladle. This is all you need to know to plan a countryside party.
In some regions of Italy we have the same taboo regarding the palm but for different reasons
Curious and honest question here. When are Japanese citizens allowed to just relax and break tradition? I've never been to Japan but it seems like I would be so stressed out from fear of disrespecting your culture because of so many rules.
I am Slav,, I see these sooooo many rules and think 🤔,why would I go to place like that? I eat with my fingers,fork or spoon 🥄,, I drink from a cup or a bottle..The way you present them to me I don’t care 🤷♂️..Japanese think that their tradition is something sacred and need to be upheld into 21 century,maybe so,but I would never live in such oppressive country and society that would bash me for something hilariously stupid…
To summarize everything,, I don’t care about drinking sake or Japan 🇯🇵…Does Japanese person knows how to drink Rakija??
I think that when you grow up in that environment, the rules are more inherent and easier to follow. For a foreigner, it’ll be much harder to adapt to everything. Plus there will always be people who don’t follow every rule outlines in these videos. But I do agree that being in Japan and following social rules seems incredibly stressful on top of speaking a whole new language 😅
@Long Legged Larry My Leader?How do you know who my leader is?Can you tell me? I am curious to know…
I think most cultures have similar rules but we don't think of them as being strict -- just second nature
They are pretty simple rules to follow and they all pretty much make sense. Most have to do with simply being respectful which should be an easy thing. And as a foreigner visiting, they know that you don't know their various customs and should feel at ease if you accidently don't do something quite right.
Thank you for your guidance!
I appreciate that you did this!!
Thank you!
Moira
From England.
The little box thing you overflow it in reminds me of the extra glass they give you from a shaker's contents, like a martini
very informative. thank you
THANK YOU!!!
ENJOY RESPONSIBLY.
Thank you for this. Very well presented. I have to say, I think one of the most vulgar displays I ever saw was at a Japanese restaurant a friend of mine owned. A group of 3 men came in and sat oppoiste side of sushi bar, ordered a saké (hot) and proceeded to start drinking it like they were doing shots of whiskey, knocking them back in rapid succession. Leo, the sushi chef (not sure what his name was in Japanese) walked past me and the co-owner and mumbled something as he went to the kitchen. I asked her what he said. She giggled and said, "Those men over there, they have no respect for the beverage" I was appalled at their behaviour, like they were in some neighbourhood dive bar. There's a time and place for everything, a Japanese restaurant is not the place for that.
I went to Tokyo and Kyoto when I was younger and played the role of an ignorant American pretty well, but the Japanese people are so friendly I had no issues. Even when I was asking for “socky” at the bar lol they didn’t know what I was talking about. Thanks for the video!
"It's even more polite to use both hands."
In my (very, very limited) experience just always use both hands when giving or receiving anything ever, it's always the polite thing to do.
Why is #5 taboo? You had great explanations for #1!
Other than specific directions like having your palms up/down and holding the cup while it’s filled…
These are fairly standard table manners that everyone should technically know and already be using (especially in formal situations).❤️
Fascinating to think there are so many rules to drinking and eating in Japan. It really makes me wonder what rules we in America have when it comes to the same things.
Thank you for those fascinating insights.
In France and Switzerland too, it is considered rude to pour wine with the palm up, especially to someone sitting to your right, since you would then not be facing him while pouring and therefore show a lack of consideration for him.
Holding your glass , or at least putting it closer to the person who is pouring is considered basic manners too. And of course, overfilling a glass is also a no-no, unless you're having fun with very close friends.
In France, you would get killed should you add the content of one bottle of wine into another, especially since you never can guarantee that the taste of one bottle will exactly match another …
You don't shake bottles of (good) wine too, and only someone really drunk would try to look inside the bottle.
I love how almost everything mentioned is what samurai in movies do. Especially characters played by Toshiro Mifune.
Wonderful informative video's. Thank you.
Do you have any video's regarding Japanese Whiskey?