Do the Japanese drink whiskey?

Yes, they do. Japanese traditional drink is sake. That's rice wine, not whiskey. But they can get almost every kind of whiskey in Japan. Some kinds are more expensive than in the West, but it is available, and people do drink it. They have good Japanese whiskey too.

There are a lot of bars in Japan. They have all sorts of drinking places: Japanese -style, western-style, sometimes both together.

Is sake strong?

It's only about 16 percent alcohol, or 32 proof. But westerners seem to think it's much stronger than wine. They drink it hot and straight or chilled and straight, but some westerners like it on the rocks to dilute it.

Water, milk, fruits and vegetables in Japan

Is the water safe to drink?

Yes. Tourists don't have to worry about drinking the tap water in Japan It's perfectly safe. Their  drinking water is like the water in the United States or in Westen european countries. If you drink the tap water there, you can drink it in Japan. If you prefer bottled water in general, you can find that in Japan too. But you don't need to boil tap water or add tablets to purify it.

What about the milk?

That's quite all right too. The milk is pasteurized and safe to drink. Milk and milk products sold commercially are prepared under sanitary conditions. It's the same as in other advanced countries.

And the fruits and vegetables? 

The same as with milk and water - you don't have to boil or soak fruits or vegetables before using them. The standards of cleanliness are high. The risks of food contamination are about what they'd be in the States or Western Europe.

How often do Japanese use soy sauce?

All the time. Japanese keep it on the table as westerners do salt and pepper. And they reach for it automatically when the food is served. It's an essential part of a Japanese meal - as basic as rice. Many people use it on western food too. There are jokes about Japanese who carry their own soy sauce in pocket containers when traveling abroad.

How do they use it?

At the table, in two basic ways. They might pour it directly onto the food, like pickles for example. Or they might pour some into a tiny sauce dish and dip pieces of food into it.

Do they every cook with soy sauce?

Yes, shoyu as Japanese call it, is a basic ingredient in many dishes. Suiyaki, yakitori, and teriyaki are some of the dishes that use shoyu in the cooking or preparation. And shoyu can be used as one of the ingredients for marinating before cooking.

How often do Japanese eat rice?

It depends on the individual. In the past, most Japanese ate rice three times a day. These days, they're eating it less often. Rice still is Japanese staple food. But many of them now eat a western breakfast - toast and eggs instead of rice, fish, and pickles. And they might eat noodles for lunch instead of rice. But most people still eat rice with dinner every night.

How do they cook rice?

Most people have an electric rice cooker - for Japanese it's an essential appliance. First, you wash the rice well, and then put it with the water into the cooker. You turn it on to start the process, and the cooker turns off automatically when the rice is done. Almost all cookers have a thermal device which keeps the rice warm all day.

Do they eat a lot of rice?

Yes, when they eat it, they do eat a lot of it. Most Japanese eat more rice at a time than westerners do. Three or four refills of a rice-bowl would not be unusual, especially for men or teenagers.

How often do Japanese use chopsticks?

Japanese use chopsticks whenever they eat Japanese food. For some people, that's all the time. And they use chopsticks for Chinese and some other kinds of Asian food too. But if they're eating western-style food they usually use knives, forks, and spoons. At some meals you might see a table set with both shopsticks and western utensils.

It's not difficult to use chopsticks for Japanese, they've been doing it all their lives. It's quite natural. And Japanese chopsticks are easy to use - they're shorter than the Chinese kind, and somewhat lighter.

Japanese keep the food from slipping off. It's just a matter of practice. But one caution - it's much easier to use chopsticks made of plain wood or bamboo. Those made of ivory or lacquered ones can be difficult for beginners - too slippery.

Literacy rate in Japan!

It's close to one hundred percent - perhaps the highest literacy rate in the world. And Japanese do read a lot. They have one of the world's highest ratios of newspaper circulation to population. And they have the world's largest number and variety of weekly and monthly magazines. Also, Japan ranks fourth in the world in the number of books published each year.

All this reading take place almost everywhere. People read at home, of course. And expecially while waiting in line or getting from one place to another. The commuter trains are filled with people reading newspapers books, and magazines.

There are a lot of bookstores in Japan, especially in the cities. There are secondhand books available too. Japanese are avid book buyers. And there's probably more browsing in book stores in Japan than anywhere else in the world.

Tipping in Japan

Tipping for standard service is not a Japanese custom. It's very different from the practice in western countries. They don't tip waiters or cab drivers, for example. These people are paid for their work. They're proud of doing a good job, and they don't expect anything extra from the customer.

Some employees of western-style hotels are getting used to westerners' tipping them. They don't always refuse the tip, but they don't expect it. And now western-style hotels add a service charge to the bill.

Japanese may tip for special service. If someone does something for them that's really extra, then they tip to show appreciation. But it's not expected for standard good service.