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In Japan, press the button on your table and a server appears [1]

['Ellsworth Toohey']

Date: 2026-08-13  

Many restaurants in Japan put a small plastic device on tables. When you press it, a chime rings at the waitstaff station or in the kitchen, and a server comes to your table.

Algis Tamosaitis writes the newsletter Japan or Die, and he explained the table call button for travelers. "When you're ready to order, simply press the doorbell-type button and a member of the waitstaff will usually appear within 30-seconds."

Tamosaitis said the button exists because Japanese servers work differently. "Since Japanese servers don't come over and check on you constantly like American and some other Western countries do, you need a way to get their attention," Tamosaitis wrote. The Japanese name for the device is 呼び出しボタン (yobidashi botan), or call button.

No button? Just say "sumimasen," which means "excuse me," and a server comes to your table.

Previously:

• This Japanese restaurant has robot waiters

• A visit to a self-service sushi restaurant in Japan

• A YouTube channel of Japanese restaurant videos

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