Hands? You monster! I just use my lips. Sluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurp!
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Since Japanese people have painful memories of having to learn to use chopsticks from the age of three, it’s possible that they are sort of overestimating how hard it is to learn to use chopsticks. I don’t think that it is meant to be patronizing.
ETA: It is important to remember that Japanese people (for the most part; there will always be assholes out there) really and truly are appreciative of foreigners who take the time to learn the language and the culture. I think that the “ohashi jouzu” thing also contains a bit of “thank you for learning to use chopsticks” as well.
ETA 2: By the way, the correct response to “ohashi jouzu” or “nihongo jouzo” is to say そんな事ありませんよ。(sonna koto arimasenyo, which means “Not at all.”) Responding in this way not only disarms them, but also shows that you know the social norms (in terms of demuring when complimented).
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Erroneous explained it well.
I’m probably very dense, but I didn’t realize it wasn’t a genuine compliment for quite a few years of speaking the language. It was quite a rude awakening when I realized that Japanese people really only praise people in that way when they’re very small children or incompetent. It’s meant to be encouraging, kind of in the same way you praise a small kid for pooping in the potty.
When I actually did nail the chopstick skills it actually made one of my coworkers deeply uncomfortable, like I had somehow lied about my origins, or read the secret code book or something. Dude actually started getting angry with me.
There’s really no winning the language/culture thing. Both sides can be isolating.
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FYI: Bobby’s career ended after he was arrested for beating his wife.
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I started to learn Japanese 30 years ago. Something you learn early on is that when the Japanese tell you you’re good at Japanese, they mean you’re bad but they are too polite to say it, though they appreciate your efforts. You know you’re starting to get good when they begin to criticise you.
Absolutely. In my personal experience (approximately a year and a half spread over roughly five years of long-term stays for work in Japan), most Japanese are kind and considerate people. They don’t always understand gaijin any more than gaijin always understand them. But the stereotype of Japanese as xenophobic racists is really reductive and about as constructive as applying that stereotype to any other culture.
My hosts would sometimes laugh at something I did differently. They weren’t being cruel. There are absolutely some Japanese humans who are jerks.
Caveat: I have more privilege than the average gaijin, and racism and sexism are harmful anywhere in the world.
Over the years, I’ve had the happy opportunity to teach maybe a half dozen willing mealtime companions how to use chopsticks. It usually takes a few minutes. And I’m not doing anything special, just teaching as I was taught. I found chopsticks to be an incredibly useful utensil for many (but by no means all) dishes long before I ever set foot in Japan. That said, if someone doesn’t want to use them or wants to use their hands or anything else, life is short so get that deliciousness into your mouth anyway you want.
If I were aboard a Klingon warship, I’d be the one p’takh eating gagh with chopsticks.
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I knew how to use chopsticks before I immigrated to Japan way back in 2005, but I remember developing some gnarly wrist pain in those first couple of months of daily use.
I can’t imagine doing it with my left hand, so it must be really tough for a toddler.
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The thing it reminded me most of was learning from my fellow goof-offs to do silly pencil tricks as a sixth grader. 
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The person in the OP video forking their sushi isn’t even good at using a fork. You can’t stab rice and expect for it to stay together. I hope that was staged for TV and not a real adult westerner who can’t even use a fork.
I do appreciate chuckles from cultural differences. To travel you have to be open to humbling/embarrassing situations.
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これは面白いですね
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日本の伝統や現代社会を風刺するシリーズを出していますよ。ユーチューブでThe Japanese Traditionで検索すればいくつか出ますので、是非ご覧下さい。
For those who don’t speak Japanese.
They have a whole series of videos lampooning Japanese traditions and modern society. You’ll find several videos if you search for The Japanese Tradition on YouTube, so please watch them by all means.
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Japanese expats working in the US seldom do.
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Yeah, a lot of the people my company sends are factory engineers or quality control specialists, which means that they took the STEM path from high school, so language skills and intercultural understanding took a back burner in their education. They get training before going, but they still require a lot of support while over there.
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A lot of people my wife has worked for in Japanese companies based in NY are finance people/business school grads. They seldom learn functional business English, relying on “local hire” Japanese like her.
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I have found that, among Japanese college students, those studying business are the laziest and hard-partying-est of them all.
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My first time in Japan we grabbed our first meal at a diner kind of place, it had counters in a large rectangle with the servers in the middle, so you were facing people on the opposite counter. I had tried chopsticks a few times in the states and failed miserably and hated it and couldn’t believe a couple billion people hadn’t starved to death trying to get food into their mouths with those things. But I was in Japan, open to new things, and well why not give it a solid try. And… it worked, though often my fingers went into an improper position that nonetheless worked. I was not a vision of grace but I succeeded in eating a meal. And we could see groups across from us looking and giggling, we smiled back, it felt good natured and a good time was had by all.
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Come to think of it, the chopsticks in Korea are much harder to use as they are longer, thinner, heavier and made out of metal. When I am in Korea and a Korean person says, “I can’t believe you can use our chopsticks so well,” I take that as a compliment.
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At your service:
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