In Japan, when going out eating or drinking with friends, there is a cultural practice called “shime”, the finishing course.
In general, ramen or ochazuke (tea over rice with pickled plums) correspond to this final course, so that on a trip someone will say “lets go to the shime ramen”, and everyone will go to eat ramen to put a cap on the day’s activities. For this reason, ryokans in hot spring areas are sure to have ramen shops that stay open late into the night.
If you are having a party at a pub or other drinking establishment, you would say “lets have ochazuke as the final course.”
Ochazuke is a rice dish with pickled plums, salmon, seaweed or other ingredients served with Japanese green tea poured over it.
In Japan it is often eaten on hot summer days or times when you have little appetite, but it is also common to eat it after you have been drinking to calm your stomach.
At Japanese supermarkets or convenience stores you can also find a product called “Ochazuke no Moto”, an ochazuke mix. Many hotels have a microwave oven in their room, so by buying rice that only needs to be heated, ochazuke mix and cold green tea, you only have to pour the mix on top of the heated rice and pour the green tea over them both to enjoy a finishing course of ochazuke in your own hotel room.
When you travel to Japan, I hope you enjoy eating Japanese food all the way to the finishing course.