{"id":27850,"date":"2026-10-04T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/?p=27850"},"modified":"2026-10-02T20:52:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T11:52:19","slug":"japanese-kids-politeness-the-true-meaning-of-itadakimasu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/ja\/japanese-kids-politeness-the-true-meaning-of-itadakimasu\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese Kids&#8217; Politeness: The True Meaning of Itadakimasu"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"27850\" class=\"elementor elementor-27850\" data-elementor-settings=\"{&quot;ha_cmc_init_switcher&quot;:&quot;no&quot;}\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7122117 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7122117\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e674d32 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"e674d32\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-43a69b5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"43a69b5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Foreigners are often amazed by how naturally polite Japanese children are, whether they&#8217;re bowing, greeting others or cleaning up after themselves. These behaviours are not forced through strict discipline, but are absorbed naturally from Japan&#8217;s cultural and educational environment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For families who frequently visit Japan, allowing your children to experience this <\/span><b>&#8216;culture behind the language&#8217;<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is invaluable.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fc61266 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fc61266\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3><b>Teaching gratitude through meals<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>&#8216;Itadakimasu&#8217;<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>&#8216;Gochisosama&#8217;<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are essential at the Japanese dining table, but they mean much more than just &#8216;Let&#8217;s eat&#8217; and &#8216;I&#8217;m done&#8217;.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>&#8216;Itadakimasu&#8217;<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> shows gratitude for &#8216;receiving life&#8217; from the ingredients on your plate.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>&#8216;Gochisosama&#8217;<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> thanks everyone involved in bringing the food to the table, from the farmers who grew the ingredients to the person who cooked the meal.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46f511e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"46f511e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-49b14ed elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"49b14ed\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"emoji\" role=\"img\" draggable=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/svg\/1f4a1.svg\" alt=\"\ud83d\udca1\" \/> <\/span><b>A quick note:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\ud83d\udca1 <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Toranomon Language School&#8217;s Winter Kids Programme, we practise these greetings daily before breaks and lunches. Rather than just memorising vocabulary, your child will experience the heart of Japanese culture through daily habits.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \ud83d\udc49 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/winterkids2026-en.toranomon-ls.com\/\" data-wplink-edit=\"true\"><b>[Learn more about winter kids programme]<\/b><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1b55f6d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1b55f6d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div>\n<h3><b>Compassion and discipline blended into daily life<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Japanese politeness extends beyond mealtime. In Japanese educational settings, children naturally learn:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Cleaning up their own spaces:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Fostering responsibility and consideration for the next person who will use the space.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Bowing while greeting others:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Expressing respect for others with their whole body.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These behaviours are rooted in a culture that values group harmony and respect. Developing this &#8216;consideration for others&#8217; from an early age builds essential soft skills for global collaboration.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since standard sightseeing rarely provides opportunities to learn this &#8216;everyday etiquette&#8217;, children need an immersive environment in which to experience this living culture firsthand.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>\u00a0<\/h3>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"5\">Go Beyond Language This Winter Break<\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"6\"><strong>Children can&#8217;t grasp the true charm of Japan just by sightseeing. That&#8217;s why the <a href=\"https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/japanese-program-for-kids-summer-special-courses\/\">Winter Kids Programme at Toranomon Language School <\/a>prioritises real-life experiences.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"7\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"7,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"7,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Practical Daily Skills:<\/b>\u00a0 As well as learning classroom etiquette, students take a 20-minute daily break to experience shopping at a convenience store. They choose items and interact with staff at the till, gaining practical language skills.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"7,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"7,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">&#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/japanese-half-day-crash-course-walkandlearn\/\">Walk and Learn<\/a>&#8216; Events:\u00a0<\/b> Our bi-weekly event takes students to science museums or art galleries, where they can absorb new knowledge and language in a fun, active setting.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8\"><strong>Give your child the gift of a special winter break in Tokyo, where they can immerse themselves in Japanese culture and experience the living language first-hand.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-90bca18 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"90bca18\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cd81f1c ha-has-bg-overlay elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cd81f1c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p data-path-to-node=\"4\"><a href=\"https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/japanese-program-for-kids-summer-special-courses\/\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4\" data-index-in-node=\"3\">2026\/2027 Winter &amp; Spring Kids Programme Schedule<\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/p><p data-path-to-node=\"4\"><strong>Choose between Morning (9:30-12:00) or Afternoon (13:00-15:30) sessions to fit your holiday plans!<\/strong><\/p><p data-path-to-node=\"4\"><strong>(Each session includes a 20-minute daily break)<\/strong><\/p><ul data-path-to-node=\"5\"><li><p data-path-to-node=\"5,0,0\"><strong>Winter Programme: 11th \u2013 30th December 2026<\/strong><\/p><\/li><li><p data-path-to-node=\"5,1,0\"><strong>Spring Programme: 19th March \u2013 9th April 2027<\/strong><\/p><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-150e6a3 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"150e6a3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e3c3146 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"e3c3146\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/winterkids2026-en.toranomon-ls.com\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Learn More About Winter Kids Programme<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dfcfc52 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"dfcfc52\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f16992d ha-has-bg-overlay elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f16992d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\ud83c\udf81 <\/span><b>Early Registration Campaign \u2013 Until 31st October 2026!<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Register by the end of October and the <\/span><b>16,500 yen registration fee will be completely waived<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. With small class sizes and many returning families, places are strictly limited.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\ud83d\udc49 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/winterkids2026-en.toranomon-ls.com\/\"><b>[Learn more about Winter Kids Programme]<\/b><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6300ee0 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"6300ee0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70fb145 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"70fb145\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/booking.toranomon-ls.com\/book-online?category=ff0cd35e-ac4f-4f26-9b1d-4d87acd8cc03\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Book Free Consultation<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-91813c4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"91813c4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"66\" src=\"https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-30-124135-300x66.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-25407\" alt=\"Toranomon Language School logo\" srcset=\"https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-30-124135-300x66.png 300w, https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-30-124135-1024x226.png 1024w, https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-30-124135-768x170.png 768w, https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-30-124135-1536x339.png 1536w, https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-30-124135-18x4.png 18w, https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-30-124135.png 1821w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Foreigners are often amazed by how naturally polite Japanese children are, whether they&#8217;re bowing, greeting others or cleaning up after themselves. These behaviours are not forced through strict discipline, but are absorbed naturally from Japan&#8217;s cultural and educational environment. For families who frequently visit Japan, allowing your children to experience this &#8216;culture behind the language&#8217; is invaluable. Teaching gratitude through meals &#8216;Itadakimasu&#8217; and &#8216;Gochisosama&#8217; are essential at the Japanese dining table, but they mean much more than just &#8216;Let&#8217;s eat&#8217; and &#8216;I&#8217;m done&#8217;. &#8216;Itadakimasu&#8217; shows gratitude for &#8216;receiving life&#8217; from the ingredients on your plate. &#8216;Gochisosama&#8217; thanks everyone involved in bringing the food to the table, from the farmers who [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2289,"featured_media":27852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[428,333,329,455,335],"tags":[67,28,323,24,112],"class_list":["post-27850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-japanese-culture","category-japanese-seasonal-course","category-kids-japanese-program-2","category-life-in-japan","tag-japanese","tag-japanese-culture","tag-japanese-for-kids","tag-learn-japanese","tag-tokyo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2289"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27850"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27850\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27868,"href":"https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27850\/revisions\/27868"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toranomon-ls.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}