Room for …..

When I go to a coffee shop, I often order a café latte. The other day, I ordered regular coffee. It had been awhile since I had last ordered regular coffee. The staff asked me whether I would need some room for cream. I said that I didn't need it. He poured coffee up to the brim of the cup and handed it to me carefully. It’s common to see really full cups of coffee at coffee shops in the U.S., but I have never seen a cup which is filled to the brim at a coffee shop in Japan.

Every time I see a coffee cup filled to the brim, I recall the first time I was asked if I needed cream at a coffee shop.

The staff asked me, “Do you need room for OOOOO?” I was not able to catch the word OOOOO. Since the coffee shop was packed and most of the seats were taken, I thought that he had suggested there were no tables. I answered him, “No problem. I’ll take it to go.” Of course, I didn’t know the expression, “Do you need room for OOOOO?” The staff paused for a second with a surprised expression and asked me again “Do you need room for cream?”

I understood what he needed to know! I answered, “No thanks”, blushing in shame. He handed me a coffee cup, which was filled to the brim. Needless to say, I took it to go.

It’ not common to fill beverages to the brim in Japan, but there is one exception. At a Japanese-style pub, sake is served in a glass with a small saucer. The staff fills and spills the sake on purpose.

Here is how to drink it.

1. Watch while the waiter/waitress pours sake into the glass.

2. Make sure if the waiter/waitress spills some sake. If he/she doesn’t, you should request some more.

3. Drink sake from the glass first.


4. When there is enough room in the glass, pour the sake which was spilled on the small saucer in to the glass.

5. Enjoy the remaining sake.

Making good use of sake is the basic idea of this custom. It’s not only a gift for the customer from the pub but also lets the customers express appreciation to the brewers and the farmers. Many Japanese people enjoy this custom at the end of a day.

Unfortunately, this Japanese custom doesn’t work for me. Since I’m not big drinker, I can’t handle a glass of sake. Instead, I’m a coffee lover. Every morning, a full cup of regular coffee makes me happy.