When I first moved to Japan at the turn of the century, I was told that noodle lovers need not fret about making slurping sounds while eating. Among some, that attitude is changing. There is now concern over “noodle harassment.”
Or in Japanese, nuuhara (ヌーハラ、which is short for “nuudoru harasumento”). The word came to a wide audience in fall 2016 when Japanese morning show Tokudane! (via Matome Naver) did a noodle harassment segment.
Co-host Rei Kikukawa had to explain what the heck “nuuhara” meant to the Japanese viewing public.
And what did visitors think of Japanese noodle eating habits?
Those Swedish folks visiting Japan for the first time thought the noodle slurping sounded like a pig.
These visitors from the U.S. thought the same.
This New Zealander visiting Japan for the first time said it made her feel like not sitting in the seat next to a slurper.
This young man from the U.K. said if his friends slurped like that, he might tell them to shut up. [The Japanese subtitles have incorrect English.]
Here, on another show, listed reasons why (some?!) foreigners don’t like slurping. Included was the previously mentioned pig noises as well as other complaints, such as how noodle slurping apparently sounds like a toilet flushing.
OK. Sometimes television, especially morning television, in Japan can be a bit overblown. Yet, long after the segment aired, people continued to talk about nuuhara online.
Much of the reaction in Japan was people feeling like they should eat noodles however they liked in their own country. I agree!
But as Excite News pointed out, there’s concern about how this will look during the Tokyo Olympics if visitors are getting annoyed at restaurants across the city.
The top of noodle harassment continues in 2019! Recently, the Japanese media once again covered it as part of “sound harassment” (音ハラ or oto hara). This man from France said that he’s bothered and annoyed with someone slurps next to him.
フランス人観光客「そばを啜る音が不快」
これは私もフランスから日本へ帰ってきたとき感じた
もちろん日本ではそう食べるのが一般的で食文化でもあるということは理解しているけど、私自信抵抗がある最近の若い女性は啜る人がほとんどいないと思う
食文化も変容していけばいいね pic.twitter.com/uqWld222S3— はるか (@Kg5GhATZPPA1WKx) May 4, 2019
The Twitter user who posted this screenshot did point out that these days most young women in Japan do not slurp. No doubt, among certain segments of Japanese society, the food culture is changing.
Slurping noodles is not unique to Japan (here, Anthony Bourdain is teaching President Obama how to slurp noodles in Hanoi.) Plus, not every Japanese person slurps. Some cannot, while there are those who do think it’s bad manners.
ヌーハラかますエルドレッド pic.twitter.com/uys50GEpCv
— なあこ＠好きにまみれろ (@KagawaNami) January 28, 2017
Of course, not all foreigners are against noodle slurping! Hiroshima Toyo Carp first baseman Brad Eldred says that he slurps on purpose because he knows it pisses off other foreign players.
Most Japanese noodle aficionados, however, do slurp to varying degrees of slurpiness. Why? There are several reasons, with one being that noodles are hot, so slurping them helps cool them. Another reason includes that noodles are a working person’s food, so manners can be checked at the door.
But the best reason I’ve heard is that by slurping, the noodles and their broth taste better, because you as slurp, you are opening up your nasal passages and inhaling all the soup’s delicious scents. If you were to just bite off noodle pieces, you’d miss all those aromas and flavours.
So, for goodness’ sake, if you are eating noodles, whether that’s ramen, udon, or soba, please slurp. If anyone gets annoyed while you are doing that, pay them no mind because they’re missing the point entirely.
This article has been updated since its original publication.
Comments
31 responses to “Japan’s Noodle Slurping Noises Disturb Tourists, It Seems”
What it comes down to is culture clash. In western countries, we’re taught it is extremely bad manners to slurp, chew with our mouth open, etc. We have this drilled into us from a very young age and are taught to associate those sounds with unpleasant things, until it becomes a subconscious association which has the potential to make a person physically uncomfortable. Most eastern cultures aren’t hung up on that, they don’t have that indoctrination. Rather, they are taught it either doesn’t matter, or as in noodle eating, it is the correct way to do it. Neither side is necessarily correct, it’s just cultural differences, and requires understanding and tolerance to avoid unpleasantness for all concerned
False. Both eating with your mouth open, and slurping, are a great way to throw your germs everywhere with the food and liquids you’re spraying about.
Don’t do it. It’s wrong.
If other countries find it acceptable, great. It’s still dirty.
Slurping is only going to flick liquids from the noodles, not from your mouth. Also you’d have to be chewing and talking for food to come out of the mouth, just eating with it open isn’t going to spray.
Nonsense. Eating with your mouth open doesn’t spread any more germs than breathing does, and as @pointzeroone said slurping happens before the food gets to your mouth so it’s not going to spread germs either.
I’m guessing you were taught that by someone to justify you not doing it. Long story short, they are wrong, as the other two gentlemen commenting have pointed out.
The long version is: Slurping is the noise caused by suction as you inhale being interrupted by liquid/semi-liquid food substances. All of the motion involved is into the mouth, except for that being caused by momentum of the food, which, assuming they actually flick the food around, will only be food particles being distributed, nothing of the bodily fluids containing germs. And chewing with the mouth open does not result in any greater distribution of germs than breathing, as the particulate mist from the food as it is broken up is interrupted due to humans chewing with their molars, not their incisors or canines. Therefore, the only food matter being distributed would be that departing your mouth along with your breath. It will not contain any more germs than the individuals breath would ordinarily, aside from that contained within the food itself. So as you can see, whilst both of these potentially result in food particles being distributed more than they would in western cultures eating habits, there are no additional germs involved in slurping and chewing with your mouth open than not.
This. It’s disgusting. The people who go overseas and then slurp like a pig giving birth, drawing the concerned looks of everyone in the room, in some misguided belief that it’s a cultural norm give the rest of us foreigners a bad image. I find the practice is akin to someone from say, singapore, coming here to australia and then spitting at your feet on the sidewalk in the mistaken belief that because it’s not illegal here it’s an acceptable thing to do.
Japanese hold the noodles between their chopsticks as they slurp to prevent the broth/liquid from spraying onto everyone in their vicinity. The primary reason Japanese slurp their noodles is because they believe you should be focused on enjoying the noodles and not sitting on a stick tense as a new trapeze artist. Japanese would consider you dirty for the standard western culture of not showering before you bath or go to the pool/onsen. It’s best not to get into a superiority complex and to instead just look at a culture without the constrains of foreign standards.
Personally I can’t fucking stand it… but hey that’s just me.
Im a pretty placid guy but i really hate the sound of eating it bugs the hell out of me I barely manage to listen to me eat without getting angry
To slurp, or not to slurp: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to slurp
The noodles and aromas of outrageous flavour,
Or to take arms against a sea of slurpers
Japan gives a license to slurp noodles in public, and people complain about it?
I hate people.
I’m all for cultural awareness and multi-culturism as well – but – my one objection is slurping. I love eating noodles but in Sydney it’s impossible to do without someone sitting next to me and slurping and chewing like a pig. So slurp in Japan if it’s ok but in Australia it is not ok to slurp and it is not ok to eat with your mouth open like a pig so save that for your home and not out in public. Otherwise I don’t care what you do 🙂
I’m in Australia, and if I’m eating ramen (or udon, or hiyashi chukka etc etc) I’m slurping the hell out of it. Not only does it make the noodles and broth taste better, but it can also be considered a compliment to the chef and ultimately, if you don’t like it, then why are you in a ramen shop in the first place? I suggest anyone who is anti slurping sit down and watch Tampopo.
Absolutely disgusting.
Yea! When you’re in my country follow my rules, and when I’m in yours…I’ll accept your barbaric ways. But damn sure I’m gonna let you know about it before hand. Just like I know you do the same to me….
Isn’t the world a wonderful place…
(Personally, I’ve never even paid attention to how people eat around me. As long as they’re enjoying their meal just as I’m enjoying mine)
I acknowledge that there is much cruelty to animals in Australia. I do not eat them and I campaign about the cruelty.
However, to call us barbarians when you cook and eat living, moving animals? What about your whale massacres? What about crush videos? What a hypocrite!
Seems you missed the point as it flew over head…
Who knew we had closet noodle nazis here.
No slurp for you!
I love slurping ramen nowdays although I was raised not to. My wife is japanese and I love when we go to eat Ramen in melbourne with other Japanese because I can slurp all I want. It does make it taste better. I’m slightly frustrated when I head out with non japanese and I have to eat my noodles in silence out of politeness. It feels wrong, like eating dumplings or chinese food with a fork. It’s unnatural. Slurping is the way soupy noodles are meant to be enjoyed.And for those of you that get angry, it’s because you are broken and have misophonia http://m.slashdot.org/story/322085
As someone who suffers from this and loves ramen I’d go as far as to say you are being selfish.
When travelling I will tolerate and adapt, but when I am home I kind of expect to not have something that could be considered offensive rammed down my throat. I am also in Melbourne.
Really, selfish becuase it could offend you, if I dislike the colour red should everyone stop wearing red so they don’t offend as well.
Everything can be offensive in some way to someone, we can’t walk around questioning every little action an word at the risk of potetionaly offending someone
Dislike? Did you read the link? It’s not a choice of mine it’s considered a condition. I wish I wasn’t like that.
Why are we all so damned determined to make everyone the same?
Dont do this, do do that, everyone act, behave, live like everyone else so we can all be good little robots.
FFS, how dull and boring this world would be if we all became one bland, global culture
If people dont like the way the Japanese eat in their own country, DONT GO!
I was just in Tokyo for 5 weeks, and you better believe I slurped every last damn noodle I ate, it helps cool the noodles, makes it taste better, and shows the chef that I genuinely enjoy what they have served me
It’s not so much about making everyone the same as it is making everyone behave exactly the way *I* (from the perspective of the individual) want everyone to behave. This is why World Peace is never going to be achieved. We either need to allow everyone to behave as they want without imposing any rules or restrictions on them to prevent conflicts with their beliefs and morals or we strip every bit of individuality from everyone so we all think and act alike, removing all possible sources of conflict.
Kotaku, like how you have spoiler warnings in articles, can you please also add trigger warnings.
Nothing makes me angrier than listening to someone chew with their mouth open, slurp and smack their lips with every mouthful. I will leave the room.
If all the people who hate the slurping noise left the room then we could enjoy our noodles without having to hear the noise of people constantly complaining.
My favourite part of this article is that Excite somehow still exists in Japan.
When it comes to noodle slurping
LIBERTY OR DEATH! DOWN WITH THE SLURP OPRESSORS!
Its how thick noodles were meant to be eaten
This makes me want to move to Japan just so I can slurp noodles at tourists and upset them.