JAPANESE ARUARU

The Usual Seat

A host directs a guest toward another chair at the dining table

At a Japanese friend’s home, you approach an empty chair and hear, “That’s Dad’s seat.” The other chairs seem to have regular occupants too. No names are written down, but the table apparently has a seating plan.

Everyday ARUARU — More ARUARU

A guest lifts a soup bowl while the host notices an unused spoon

Bowl in Hand

At dinner with a Japanese friend, the soup bowl may rise with every sip. The host, who laid out a spoon, notices it is not needed. By the end of the meal, the spoon alone is still perfectly clean.

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A reader beside an empty deckchair while a friend swims

The Unused Chair

At an outdoor pool with a Japanese friend, you might open your book just as they put on goggles and get in the water. After several lengths, they pause, then swim again. The neighboring deckchair spends most of the day holding a bag.

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Friends offering each other a plate with one dumpling left

One Piece Remains

Sharing food with Japanese friends, you may find one final piece left. “Go ahead.” “No, you.” The plate moves between them. The conversation has changed subjects, but that piece is still in the middle of the table.

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Two friends looking at a plate of cooked and vegetable sushi

A Taste for Sushi

Invite a Japanese friend for sushi and you might hear, “I love it, just not raw fish.” They order omelet sushi, cucumber rolls and inari. A plate arrives, but its cast looks rather different from the one you pictured.

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