Quote:
Originally Posted by masaegu
Columbine explained it perfectly above. It is called お通し（おとおし） in Eastern Japan and 突き出し（つきだし） in many parts of Western Japan.
This custom is completely "understood" between drinking places and customers and it has been practiced for hundreds of years, so there is no sneakiness about it. Just like all the other customs of any culture, it is written nowhere. Tipping, for example, is also just practiced without officially explained to the members of the cultures that do practice it. I, as an outsider to that tipping culture, do not call it "sneaky, gah!".
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Except you don't absolutely have to tip. Its an optional extra which is just the polite thing to do and standard practice- when places back home do include a service charge on the bill though then I feel fully within my rights to moan about it, that is just wrong and defeats the point of a tip.
And wow, so much agro in this thread.
I like Japan too, that doesn't mean I even defend the bad parts of it.