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Are chopsticks reuseable in Japan? | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages |  | |
| Voltman Newbie Australia Joined 4900 days ago 39 posts - 44 votes | Message 1 of 5 13 February 2011 at 9:42pm | IP Logged | ||
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Once you have used a pair of chopsticks for a particular meal in Japan, do you just throw away your chopstics or do you was them for reuse?
I'm just curious and I also don't want to appear "babaric" or "uncivilised" by washing them and reusing them when I've already used them once before if I ever go to live in Japan. Well, I don't think they'd really consider it barbaric but I could be wrong. I think if you were to eat rice for example, with nothing but your hands you'd probably be considered uncivilised for doing so. Would anyone agree? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| TixhiiDon Tetraglot Senior Member Japan Joined 5273 days ago 772 posts - 1474 votes  Speaks: English*, Japanese, German, Russian Studies: Georgian | Message 2 of 5 13 February 2011 at 11:01pm | IP Logged | ||
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Every family uses reusable chopsticks, which you wash and use again. There is usually
one set per person, maybe a few extras, and maybe some fancy ones received as gifts or the like. In restaurants you sometimes receive reusable chopsticks but more often waribashi, which are wooden chopsticks that are thrown away after a single use. If you are a guest in a home you will probably also receive waribashi. According to the Japanese religion Shinto, old things and dead things are considered impure (the main Shinto shrine at Ise is rebuilt every 20 years for this reason). This is why guests in both homes and restaurants are honoured with new chopsticks. 6 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Lucky Charms Diglot Senior Member Japan lapacifica.net Joined 6758 days ago 752 posts - 1711 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese Studies: German, Spanish | Message 3 of 5 14 February 2011 at 4:39am | IP Logged | ||
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Yes, the wooden ones that come in a paper sleeve, that you have to split apart, and
that look as though they might give you splinters if you're not careful are thrown away after the meal. The wooden ones that are smooth and painted are kept. If you don't like the idea of throwing away chopsticks after every meal, you could consider getting a personal set to carry around with you, called "my hashi". If you don't need anything particularly fancy, both the chopsticks themselves and their cases are available at any 100 yen shop. Phil, aren't all wooden structures rebuilt every 20 years because they get damaged by the humidity? Edited by Lucky Charms on 14 February 2011 at 12:01pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| TixhiiDon Tetraglot Senior Member Japan Joined 5273 days ago 772 posts - 1474 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese, German, Russian Studies: Georgian | Message 4 of 5 14 February 2011 at 7:06am | IP Logged | ||
Quite possibly. I did a module on Japanese religion for my MA and I'm pretty sure I read that thing about Shinto and Ise Jingu in a book at some point. Hmmm... Maybe I should have added "I think I'm right in saying...." 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Arekkusu Hexaglot Senior Member Canada bit.ly/qc_10_lec Joined 5190 days ago 3971 posts - 7747 votes Speaks: English, French*, GermanC1, Spanish, Japanese, Esperanto Studies: Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Estonian | Message 5 of 5 14 February 2011 at 10:56pm | IP Logged | ||
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Every time I was a guest at someone's house, I was always offered reusable chopsticks. In
restaurants, I don't recall every seeing reusable ones, but I have dined with one person who disliked throwing stuff away (mottainai desyou?) and who brought my wooden chopsticks home to wash and reuse. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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