These plastic models make it easy to make a visual selection if you do not understand the language. The prices are written next to each dish in numerics or in kanji . People make use of toothpicks quite openly although women usually cover their mouths with the opposite hand while picking their teeth. A tip is not necessary. Most traditional Japanese restaurants serve only a certain type of dish or dishes.
Many restaurants have traditional tatami rooms where shoes are taken off.
If you have been invited out, your host will most likely pre-order the dishes and you may not even see a bill come to the table. As a gesture of formality, use both hands to pour or receive a drink. A quick bow of the head acknowledges the other person's kind gesture. For businessmen, the ritual and time spent drinking is a very important part of building the business relationship. It is the only time that you are excused for frank and candid opinions or that you are allowed to become quite childish in behaviour.