← Guides · By Ray Lei · Published 2026-11-14

How do I order food in Japan if I don't speak Japanese?

Japan has built a remarkably foreigner-friendly food ordering system: plastic display models outside restaurants, picture menus inside, touch-screen tablets, and ticket vending machines. With a few phrases and a menu scanner app, you can eat anywhere. Say "sumimasen" (すみません) to get a server's attention; point to order.

Japan's restaurant industry has developed around the expectation that customers — including non-Japanese speakers — need to understand what they're ordering quickly and accurately. The result is a visual communication infrastructure that is arguably the most sophisticated in the world for this purpose: wax or plastic food models (食品サンプル, shokuhin sanpuru) in display cases, laminated photo menus, illustrated touch-screen tablets, and ticket vending machines with labeled buttons and photos.

This guide covers the practical mechanics of ordering, the useful phrases, and what to do when none of the systems above are present. For help reading actual Japanese characters on menus, see the guide to reading a Japanese menu.

Step 1: Use the plastic food display outside

Thousands of Japanese restaurants — from neighborhood ramen shops to department store food courts — have glass display cases outside the entrance showing plastic or wax replicas of their dishes at exact scale. These models have been a feature of Japanese restaurants since the early 20th century and are still manufactured by specialist workshops today.

What to do:

1. Browse the display before entering. Each model usually has a label with the Japanese name and a price.
2. If you spot something you want, note the item name or take a photo of the label.
3. When inside, point to the photo you took or lead the server to the display case and point to the model. The phrase "kore wo kudasai" (これをください, "this one please") confirms your choice.

Step 2: Navigate picture menus and QR codes

Many Japanese restaurants provide menus with photographs alongside or instead of Japanese text. In tourist-heavy areas, these often include English translations. In neighborhood restaurants, the photos alone are sufficient to order without language.

• QR code menus are now standard at many restaurants. Scan the code and you may find the same menu with an English option — look for a language toggle, often labeled EN or 英語.
• When no photo is available, use a menu scanner app: photograph the menu and get a full translation with dish descriptions. ChefBear handles Japanese menus including handwritten text, reads all three scripts (kanji, hiragana, katakana), and generates AI photos of dishes.
• Scan before you enter — looking up a restaurant's menu on Google Maps or their website before arriving gives you time to identify what you want without pressure.

Step 3: Touch-screen ordering tablets

A large and growing number of Japanese restaurants — particularly family restaurants (ファミレス, famiresu), chain ramen shops, and izakaya — have replaced paper menus and human order-taking with tablet ordering systems. The tablet is placed at your table; you browse photos of every dish, tap your choices, and submit. The order goes directly to the kitchen.

These tablets are often multi-language. Look for a flag icon or a language selector button, usually in the corner of the screen. Many tablets support English, Chinese, and Korean alongside Japanese. If you can't find the language option, use the photos to navigate — tapping a photo, confirming the quantity, and pressing the submit button (usually a prominent colored button at the bottom of the screen) is typically sufficient even without reading anything.

Step 4: Ticket vending machines (shokken-ki)

Many casual ramen shops, curry restaurants, and gyudon (beef bowl) chains use a ticket vending machine (食券機, shokken-ki) at the entrance. You buy a printed ticket before sitting down.

1. Look at the machine before inserting money. Many machines have small photos or illustrations on each button, and plastic food models are often displayed alongside.
2. Use an AI menu scanner on the machine's buttons before inserting cash. This takes about 10 seconds and gives you a full translation of every option.
3. Insert the required cash amount (most machines are cash-only, though IC card and card readers are becoming more common).
4. Press the button for your chosen dish. A ticket prints.
5. Bring the ticket to your counter seat or hand it to the server when they approach.

Step 5: Calling a server and placing a verbal order

Even with tablets and vending machines, you will sometimes need to interact with staff. The standard approach:

• Say "Sumimasen" (すみません, "excuse me") — this is the universal attention phrase and works in every restaurant in Japan. Use a clear, moderate volume; do not shout.
• Many tables have a call button (呼び出しボタン), often labeled with a bell icon or the word 呼出. Press it to summon a server without raising your voice.
• When the server comes, point to the item on the menu or photo. Add "kore wo kudasai" (これをください) to confirm.
• To ask what the server recommends: "Osusume wa nan desu ka?" (おすすめは何ですか).

Key ordering phrases

Practical notes

• Water is usually served free at most restaurants. At smaller establishments, ask "Omizu kudasai" (お水ください, "water please").
• Paying: in Japan, payment is typically made at a register by the exit, not at the table. The server will not bring the bill unless you ask. When ready to leave, go to the register or ask for the bill.
• Tipping: Japan does not have a tipping culture. Do not leave money on the table. It may be returned to you.
• Allergies: verbal allergy communication at a restaurant where no English is spoken is genuinely difficult. Carry a written allergy card in Japanese. This is not covered fully in this guide — see the vegetarian in Japan and gluten-free in Japan guides for specific dietary phrase cards.
• For reading and translating Japanese menus, see the complete guide to reading a Japanese menu.

Frequently asked questions

How do you call a server in Japan?

Say "Sumimasen" (すみません) clearly — it means "excuse me" and is the universal way to get a server's attention in Japan. Many restaurants also have a call button at the table. At some modern restaurants, you order entirely from a tablet and never need to call a server.

How do you use a Japanese ticket vending machine (shokken)?

Insert cash, press the button for the dish you want, receive a printed ticket, then hand it to the staff when seated. Many machines have photos or plastic food models nearby so you can match what you want. Use an AI menu scanner to identify buttons on the machine before inserting money.

Do Japanese restaurants have English menus?

It depends on the restaurant and location. Tourist areas frequently have English menus or QR code menus with English. Neighborhood restaurants and small ramen shops often have no English. Even without an English menu, most restaurants have photos in the menu, plastic food displays outside, or touch-screen ordering tablets with images.

What does "osusume" mean on a Japanese menu?

Osusume (おすすめ) means "recommended" or "chef's suggestion." If you are unsure what to order, asking "osusume wa nan desu ka?" (おすすめは何ですか) invites the server to point to their suggested dish.

Is it rude to point at a menu item in Japan?

Pointing at a dish on a menu or at a plastic food display is completely acceptable in Japan and is a common way non-Japanese speakers order. Pointing at another diner's food to indicate "I want that" is also understood and not considered rude in a restaurant context.

Related guides

• How to use a Japanese ramen ticket machine
• Food allergies in Japan: shellfish and egg
• Halal and pork-free eating in Japan and Korea
• How to read a Japanese menu

Further reading

• Eating and drinking in Japan — Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)
• Japan food and drink guide — Lonely Planet