Many who visit a Japanese restaurant for the first time may be curious on how to use chopsticks. They are, after all, the preferred delivery system for the fine cuisine served there.

Chopsticks should be held in the right hand, even by left-handed people. Although left handed use of chopsticks is more acceptable in the 21stCentury, there are traditionalists who consider this improper etiquette- as a left handed user may accidently elbow a right handed user when sitting close together.

The chopstick should be held between the thumb and fingers of the hand, used like tongs to pick up portions of food which is prepared and brought to the table in small and convenient pieces. Chopsticks are traditionally thought as of an extension of one’s fingers. They may also be used in a Japanese restaurant as means for sweeping rice and other small morsels into one’s mouth directly from the bowl.

For chopstick users, food is generally made in small pieces, save some larger pieces of Sushi. Some designs have carved rings encircling the tips to aid in grasping such pieces. Rice itself is more difficult to eat unless prepared with more water than western cultures often do.

Finally, some final bullet points:
- Food should not be transferred from one's own chopsticks to someone else's chopsticks. Japanese people will always offer their plate to transfer it directly, or pass a person's plate along if the distance is great.
-The pointed ends of the chopsticks should be placed on a chopstick rest when the chopsticks are not being used. However, when a chopstick rest is not available as it is often the case in restaurants using disposable chopsticks, a person may make a chopstick rest by folding the paper case that contained the chopsticks.
-Reversing chopsticks to use the opposite clean end is commonly used to move food from a communal plate, although it is not considered to be proper manners. Rather, the group should ask for extra chopsticks to transfer food from a communal plate.
-Chopsticks should not be crossed on a table, as this symbolizes death, or vertically stuck in the rice, which is done during a funeral.
-It is rude to rub wooden chopsticks together after breaking them apart, as this communicates to the host that the user thinks the chopsticks are cheap.
-Chopsticks should be placed right-left direction; the tips should be on the left. Placing diagonal, vertical and crossing each stick are not acceptable both in home and restaurant manners.