I've lived in Japan for a long time. Form trumps function here. My ex-mother-in-law once pointed out that I was holding my chopsticks slightly wrong. So, I pointed out that she was sitting in her chair (an item introduced by the West) wrong. Who gives a shit as long as the food gets into your mouth without dropping, right? I recently saw a Japanese friend of mine stab a piece of chicken with his chopsticks. That's supposed to be a no-no as well.