Okay, well, the title is a bit of clickbait, obviously. At first, I was going to compile a list of “culture-shocks” / culture differences as an American living in Japan, but that list would have to be updated, and thought about before I go about posting it, so I decided to just write individual posts about things I come across.
Anyway, back to today’s topic. For a country that has a reputation for being clean and with such a prevalent small-eatery food culture, you’d really think napkins are more commonplace. Again, is this the priviledged American part of me that’s talking? At this point, I’m taking for granted that we get decently-sized napkins no matter the quality at any food establishment.
At the very least, when you go eat at a place, they’ll hand you a small packaged wet wipe, which is meant to wipe your hands before you eat. For more low-key, small places, that’s it. I find that if I want to wipe my hands or mouth during or after my meal, I’ll have to go back and reuse the wet wipe. At higher-end places, it’ll be an actual wet towel, which is nice and fancy, but sometimes just can’t beat a disposable napkin.
The next tier up, is a tissue box. Some places will have a tissue box on the table, and you use and find tissues in place of what would normally be napkins at a place in America. One time, my boyfriend and I were eating, and he wanted a napkin, so he made me go ask an employee if they had any, and she just handed me a box of tissues.
The best thing you’ll get that’s closest to a proper and normal American napkin, is this:
More normal-sized everyday eateries will likely have asmall wooden holder or box that contains a stack of these ‘napkins’. They’re not only tiny, but are also thin and slightly waxy, and not entirely too effective. I often end up using at least a couple. Am I just a dirty American who can’t eat right in this country?
Note of caution: The katakana word ‘napkin’ will most likely mean a menstrual pad to a Japanese person, but I’m sure if you’re a clueless foreigner asking for a napkin in a restaurant they’ll understand what you mean.
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