Skip to content
Locals Japan
EN
Travel Tips & HonneYouTubecomments on a 2023 video

"Rude to the Shops That Stock It": Is It Rude to Order Salmon at a Sushi Restaurant in Japan?

Short answer

No, if it's on the menu: the top Japanese reply (3,801 likes) says shaming it is rude to shops that stock it. Traditional Edomae bars often don't.

3,801 likes on the most-liked comment4,953-comment thread · 2023 video

「サーモン置いてる店にも失礼」回らない寿司屋でサーモンを頼むのは恥ずかしいのか

By Rakutaro · Tokyo, Japan

Japan Etiquette (What Japanese People Actually Do)NationwideSushi

No, not if the place has it: in a November 2023 Japanese thread about a woman who called ordering salmon at a high-end sushi bar embarrassing, the top reply (3,801 likes) says that attitude is rude to the shops that stock salmon. A reply with 3,241 likes says that if a sushi place has salmon, ordering it is fine. The only real counterpoint is about the shops that don't: commenters note that traditional Edomae counters often leave salmon off, and that asking for it without checking is the one way to feel silly. What they suggest instead is simple, and it takes about five seconds at the counter.

These comments are from a video published in 2023. Prices, rules and crowds may have moved since; anything we checked ourselves is marked with a source.

“It's rude to the shops that stock salmon, too”

サーモン置いてる店にも失礼

— @famfam___
This placeWhat Japanese people say about Japan Etiquette (What Japanese People Actually Do)Read all 18 roundups on the place page
（YouTube · ガグル〈話題の事 語る奴〉）

What Japanese people said — picked from the top 200 of 4,953 comments

  • If the sushi place has salmon, I think it's fine to order it. Anyone who'd go off you over that, you're better off breaking up with them fast.

    寿司屋にサーモンがあるのなら別に頼んでもいいと思う。 それで相手を嫌いになるような奴とはさっさと別れたほうがいい。

    — @nyanya41643,241 likes

  • So the point is that 99 percent of so-called high-end sushi places don't stock salmon, and someone who orders it without knowing that, in conveyor-belt sushi mode, is the embarrassing one Everyone obviously knows they won't have hamburg steak, but people who go to high-end places don't know that one, so there's a chance of embarrassing yourself

    いわゆる高級寿司店は99パーセントサーモンは置いてないので、それを知らずに回転寿しのノリでサーモン頼むやつは恥ずかしいって事ね ハンバーグとかは流石に置いてないのはみんなわかってるだろうけど、高級店に行ったやつはそれ知らないから恥をかく可能性はあるね

    — @cogito557627 likes

  • Basically, salmon isn't part of the Edomae stance. Know that much

    基本、江戸前というスタンスにサーモンは含まれない。これは知っとけ

    — @平野淳一-q2l22 likes

  • If they've got salmon, I think it's fine to order salmon The shop bought it in, so if nobody eats it the shop takes the loss

    サーモンあるならサーモン頼んでも良いと思う 店が仕入れてるんだから食わないと店が損するだろ

    — @しゆうた-e9n648 likes

  • If ordering salmon at a place that has salmon is embarrassing, you should be embarrassed about going to a sushi place that has salmon in the first place.

    サーモンがある店で、サーモン頼んで恥ずかしいなら、そもそもサーモンがある寿司屋に行ってる事を恥じるべき。

    — @mumami99721,096 likes

  • What's the point of making counter sushi places even harder to walk into like that? The chefs don't care what things get called, and it's way too rude to the shops that stock salmon.

    そうやって回らない寿司屋の敷居を上げてどうすんねん。 職人さんたちは呼び方とか気にしてへんしサーモン置いてる店に失礼すぎるわ。

    — @リボ払いと契約してグレたキュウべぇ332 likes

  • @かな-o6h2m Even high-end Edomae places at 15,000 yen and up per person at night stock salmon, no problem Not just any salmon, of course, it's pretty good stuff from Hokkaido or the Okhotsk

    @かな-o6h2m 夜は1人15000〜の江戸前の高級寿司でも、普通にサーモン置いてるで 流石にその辺のじゃなくて北海やらオホーツクやらの結構ええ奴やけども

    — @o_fc93111 likes

  • If they tell you "We don't carry it," then yeah, that is embarrassing

    「置いてないんですよ」と言われれば確かに恥ずかしい

    — @サンシャイン-b2i79 likes

  • I think quietly saying "the pricey places don't have salmon" is also a kindness.

    お高いところはサーモン無いよって小さい声で言ってあげるのも優しさと思う。

    — @いちごのおうじ-k9f268 likes

  • Watching someone you love happily eat the thing they love is the most adorable sight in the world. Can't help it if they don't carry salmon, though.

    好きな人が好きなものを美味しそうに食べている姿は世界で一番愛おしい。サーモン置いてないのは仕方がないけど。

    — @サバ味噌-t4d2,544 likes

What Japanese people do instead

  • You can order it, you know It's true that some sushi places that fly the Edomae banner are particular about seafood landed in Edo Bay (Tokyo Bay), but for a lot of Japanese people salmon has actually become a top favorite topping, so some sushi places stock it as a matter of course You won't know whether they carry salmon unless you ask

    頼んでもええんやで 江戸前寿司を掲げてる寿司屋は江戸湾（東京湾）に水揚げされる海産物にこだわりを持ってる店があるのは事実だけど、実際に多くの日本人にとってサーモンは好きな寿司ネタの代表格になってるから普通に仕入れてる寿司屋もある サーモン置いてないかどうかは聞かないとわからない

    — @もりまさ-d8x10 likes

  • If a high-end sushi place doesn't carry salmon, the staff will tell you the moment you order it without looking at the menu. lol

    高級寿司屋にサーモン置いていなかったら、メニュー見ずにサーモン注文した時点で店員が教えてくれる。w

    — @雪嘲-s8m64 likes

  • Some high-end sushi places don't even have a menu. Omakase only.

    高級な鮨屋にはメニュー自体ない場合があります。おまかせのみ。

    — @べーぐるべーぐる11 likes

FAQ

Is it rude to order salmon at a sushi restaurant in Japan?
No, as long as the restaurant serves it. A reply with 648 likes says that if the shop bought salmon in, not ordering it just leaves the shop with a loss, and another (1,096 likes) says anyone embarrassed to order salmon where it's served should be embarrassed to be at that restaurant at all.
Why don't some traditional sushi restaurants in Japan serve salmon?
Traditional Edomae sushi didn't use it. Nippon.com reports that serving imported, farmed salmon as Edomae sushi was once close to heresy among Tsukiji shops, and that a high-end Ginza shop has since put it on the menu. A commenter (22 likes) puts the rule bluntly: salmon isn't part of the Edomae stance.

Sources: nippon.com — checked 2026-10-21

How do I know if a sushi bar has salmon?
Look at the menu, and if there isn't one, ask. One commenter (10 likes) says you can't tell whether a shop carries salmon without asking. Another (11 likes) notes that some high-end sushi bars have no menu at all and serve omakase only, so you eat what the chef chooses.
Can I ask a sushi chef to get salmon in for me?
You can, but expect to pay for it. One commenter (3 likes) warns that a special request costs more, and that asking a shop without salmon to buy some in can mean being charged for the whole fish.

Japanese people also answered

Still wondering about something?

Read next · Japan Etiquette (What Japanese People Actually Do)

Free Rice at Japanese Ramen Shops: Can You Leave It? What Japanese Commenters Say

“Once it's free, a certain number of people think, "It's free, so I can treat it carelessly." Hiroyuki has the right answer: if you charge for it, neither side feels stressed.”

Read this roundup

More from Japan