Many visitors to Japan are surprised to find small buttons placed directly on restaurant tables. In some countries, pressing a button to call staff might feel unusually direct or even impersonal. In Japan, however, table call buttons are often considered one of the smoothest and least stressful ways to request assistance. Rather than forcing customers to search for staff or repeatedly make eye contact, the system allows communication to happen only when needed. Call buttons are common in many Japanese restaurants, especially family restaurants, izakaya, conveyor belt sushi restaurants, and chain restaurants. Customers simply press the button ...
