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Green tea, Japanese beer, and sake are all appropriate accompaniments to a Japanese meal. Green tea, which is made from unfermented tea leaves, should be drunk very hot without cream or sugar. Sake (pronounced sah-kay) is appreciated in Japan much the way fine wine is appreciated in the West. A spirit made from fermented rice, it is usually served heated  in a small porcelain bottle with small ceramic cups (see below). It can also be enjoyed chilled in the summer. Sake is not meant to be drunk with rice as rice and sake are considered too similar to complement each other.      According to custom,  you should never pour your own sake or beer. The host should first pour for his or her guest and then the guest would pour for the host. Each then should be attentive and refill his or her companion's cup when it is empty. (In this situation good manners can, and often does,  result in more than slight inebriation.) If you don't want your companion to pour another drink again soon, simply leave your cup full; when you have have enough for the evening, turn your cup upside down.      Back to Basic Etiquette