You are learning meal etiquette: you will read the scene it happens in, learn 10 words and phrases, take apart the pattern behind them (etiquette: what you may and must not do), hear them in a conversation, rehearse them, and finish by saying one thing out loud to be graded.
Formal dining at Kanda (かんだ), Minato-ku — a three-Michelin-star Japanese restaurant where every gesture at the table carries meaning. The ritual begins before the first bite.
Kanda is a quiet restaurant on a quiet street in Minato-ku. Chef Hiroyuki Kanda has three Michelin stars and no interest in spectacle. The room is spare — wood, stone, a single flower. The meal is kaiseki: eight courses, each one a haiku in food.
The stranger sits. A hot oshibori arrives. He wipes his hands — only his hands. 「おしぼりで顔を拭いてはいけません。」 The first rule.
The first course appears: a clear dashi in a lacquered bowl. He lifts the lid. Steam rises. He brings his hands together. 「いただきます。」
For the next ninety minutes, each course teaches a lesson. He lifts small bowls to his mouth — this is correct. He never passes food chopstick to chopstick — this is forbidden. He never points with his hashi.
The final course: rice, miso, pickles. He sets his chopsticks on the rest. 「ごちそうさまでした。」 The chef bows. The meal is complete. Every gesture was language.