Today's Japanese Tips are 'Itadakimasu' and 'Gochisousama'

These phrases are used, when you have meals. Just before having meals, you can say 'Itadakimasu' and after the meal,'Gochisousama'. You can use these words at breakfast, lunch and dinner, but you do not need to say these phrases at tea time.

The meaning of 'Itadakimasu' is 'Thanks and I will start eating' and 'Gochisousama' is 'Thanks and I finished eating'. You might think it is odd custom. But as for Japanese, it is really natural to say that.

It is just like the custom when a person makes a sneeze, you usually say 'God bless you' in the Western countries. On the other hand, Japanese do not say anything when a person gives a sneeze. So when I came to the UK and people said it, I thought it was odd a bit at the beginning.

Although Japanese do not say anything at the time of sneezing, Japanese superstition says a sneeze is just okey, but two sneezes in a row mean somebody else is talking about you and three sneezes in a row mean you have got a fever.