It’s a well-known fact that chopsticks came to Japan from China in the 12th century. They are traditionally made of bone, wood, metal, ceramics. Chopsticks can be painted, decorated by different patterns and even encrusted with precious stones. Some of them are real pieces of art.

For Japanese people chopsticks are not only a part of tableware for everyday use. They are holy symbols of fortune and long life. That’s why Japanese people often present each other with chopsticks. For example, a newly wedded couple always gets a beautiful pair of chopsticks. If a husband and a wife keep it carefully, their union will be happy, stable and long-lasting.

Japanese children start using chopsticks on the 100th day since they were born. It happens during the ceremony called "The first chopsticks" when little Japanese are allowed to use “hashi” for the first time. Then kids begin using them regularly and gradually become more and more skillful. It’s believed that this tradition is wise because children who eat with chopsticks and start using them early develop much faster. It has been proved that eating with chopsticks trains small muscles. That’s why mental abilities develop rapidly.

If you decide to eat with chopsticks (especially when Japanese people are near), you shouldn’t forget about certain rules or taboos. The most important ones are the following.
1) It’s forbidden to stick chopsticks into food.
2) It’s absolutely unacceptable to stick chopsticks into rice! The Japanese do it only at funerals.
3) It’s not allowed to indicate people with chopsticks.
4) It’s bad to shake chopsticks while eating.
5) It’s forbidden to hold chopsticks in a mouth.
6) One can’t put chopsticks on a plate before a meal is over.
7) It’s rude and strange to call a waiter by knocking on a plate with “hashi”.
That’s not all actually…