Etiquette in Japan been used. In Japanese restaurants, customers are given a rolled hand towel called "oshibori". It is considered rude to use the towel to wipe the face or neck; however, some people, usually men, do this at more informal restaurants. Nonwoven towelettes are replacing the cloth "oshibori". In any situation, an uncertain diner can observe what others are doing; and for non-Japanese people to ask how to do something properly is generally received with appreciation for the acknowledgment of cultural differences and expression of interest in learning Japanese ways. When using toothpicks, it is good etiquette to cover one's mouth with
A Japanese Tragedy cousin. Alexander Jacoby regarded the basic story of the mother and her selfish children to be more "vivid" than the wider context provided by the newsreels. Isolde Standish points out that the newsreels give credence to the "subjective memories" of the characters that are shown in the film's flashback scenes. For example, newsreel footage of American soldiers cavorting with Japanese women foreshadow a flashback scene depicting Haruko's decision to become a prostitute. According to film critic Donald Richie, "A Japanese Tragedy" was one of the first post-war films to focus on Japanese mothers, as Mikio Naruse's "Repast" was one of