How to Order Food in Japan: Ticket Machines, Counters, and the Phrases That Get You Fed

Nearly every restaurant in Japan runs on one of three systems: a ticket machine at the door, calling the staff over, or a tablet on the table. Figure out which one you're in within ten seconds of entering, and ordering becomes easy — even at zero Japanese.

Here's the flow for each, plus the script the staff will use on you. That last part matters: the hard part of ordering in Japan usually isn't saying your order — it's catching the questions that come back.

System 1: the ticket machine (食券しょっけん)

Ramen shops, gyudon chains and many casual places put a vending machine at the entrance. You pay first, receive a small ticket, and hand it to the staff — often before you even sit down. No wallet appears again for the rest of the meal, and no tipping exists anywhere in Japan.

The machine's buttons are the menu. Look for the big buttons at the top (the shop's signature dishes) and these recurring words: 大盛りおおもり (large portion), 並なみ (regular), and at ramen shops 替え玉かえだま (an extra serving of noodles for your remaining soup — a beloved custom from Hakata).

If the machine defeats you, the escape phrase is pointing at a photo and saying これをください — “this one, please”. Staff see lost travelers at the machine every day and will happily push the buttons with you.

System 2: call the staff — yes, by (politely) shouting

At izakaya and traditional restaurants, you summon staff by calling すみません! across the room. To many visitors this feels rude. It's the opposite: in Japan calling out is the correct, expected move, and waiting silently for eye contact (the Western way) just means nobody comes.

Once they arrive: point at the menu and say これをください, or これと, これをお願いしますこれをおねがいします for several items. Finish with 以上ですいじょうです — “that's all” — and you'll sound like you've done this before.

One izakaya surprise to expect: a small appetizer you didn't order, the お通しおとおし, appears automatically and is added to the bill. It's a cover charge in food form, not a mistake.

System 3: the tablet (or QR code)

Chain izakaya and family restaurants increasingly hand you a tablet, and most have an English toggle hiding on the first screen. This is the easiest mode — browse, tap, and food arrives. Your only remaining job is the staff script below.

The staff script: what they'll say to you

Staff questions are formulaic, which is great news — the same five lines cover nearly every restaurant in the country.

Paying: go to the register, not the table

In most Japanese restaurants the bill is settled at the register by the door, not at the table. Take the slip from your table, walk up, and say お会計お願いしますおかいけいおねがいします. Money often goes on a small tray rather than hand-to-hand — put your cash or card there and nobody is being cold, it's just the custom.

Then the best part: as you leave, staff will call out thanks, and you can reply with nothing at all, a nod, or a cheerful ごちそうさまでした — “thank you for the meal”. Say it and watch the whole counter light up.

Your ten-second decision tree

Machine at the door → buy a ticket first. No machine → sit, then call すみません! when ready. Tablet on the table → tap away. Whichever system you land in, これをください + 以上ですいじょうです + お会計お願いしますおかいけいおねがいします will feed you anywhere in Japan.