[Nyororin]

A really odd one that no one seems to know (until they`ve been here and scolded for it) is to make sure you use *both* hands while eating. Don`t leave the plate sitting there and just pick things out of it - actually pick it up, or at the very least hold it still (even if it is big and doesn`t move) while you`re eating. Don`t move your hands out of sight below the table while you`re eating.

I am not really sure of the origins or reasons for this, but having come from a family where we never put the hand we weren`t using on the table, and picking up a dish was taboo - I was scolded quite a few times in the first month I was here.