” ITADAKIMASU “ . It is so inspiring to share knowledge to others, especially to tourists. My pleasure to do it for your reference.
In some other Asian countries, there are practices done before and after eating. For Christian countries, they pray before and after meals as a symbol of gratitude for the food on the table. In Japan, we also do practices before and after meals.
” ITADAKI MASU “ and ” GOTISOU SAMA DESITA “.
Before meals, Japanese say ” ITADAKI MASU “ with praying gestures. This means “Thank you for everything” .Thank you for the gift of life , for the harvest , for cooking and serving us, about everything.
After meals, we say ” GOTISOU SAMA DESITA “. Again, thanks for everything.
Actually, some people don’t know our religion. Hence, we adapt our customs from there. When you are here, try to do it before and after your meals. Japanese people feel welcome in Japan when we see and hear you doing this practice.
