Do I eat sushi with chopsticks or with my hands?
Short answer
Either. Hands are entirely correct for nigiri, and at a counter they are arguably the better tool.
Hands are not a shortcut
The tourism body says it directly: you can eat sushi with your hands. Pick up a piece, dip it in the soy sauce, eat it. There is no lapse being forgiven here.
This surprises people who assume chopsticks are the formal option and hands the casual one. For nigiri the reverse is closer to true — hand-formed rice was made to be picked up.
Why it works better at a counter
A piece of nigiri is a loose construction. Chopsticks squeeze it, and a firm grip is what makes the rice fall apart on the way to the soy sauce.
Fingers hold it from the sides without compressing it, which is also why you dip the fish side rather than the rice side. Rice absorbs sauce and then collapses.
What still uses chopsticks
Sashimi, rolls served in a bowl, pickles and anything in liquid are chopstick food. Hands are specifically for the hand-formed pieces.
A damp towel arrives before the meal partly for this reason. Using it, eating with your fingers, and using it again is the whole sequence.
Good to know
- Dip the fish side, not the rice — rice soaks up sauce and then falls apart
- The damp towel at the start is for your hands, not the table
