日本人は食事の時にお茶碗を持ち上げますって英語でなんて言うの？

It is normal in Japan to lift your plate or bowl when you are eating.
日本では食べる時にお皿やボウルを持ち上げるのは普通です。

When you are eating in Japan it is normal to lift your plate or bowl.
日本では食べる時にお皿やボウルを持ち上げるのは普通です。

In Japan it is normal to lift your plate or bowl while you are eating.
日本では食べる時にお皿やボウルを持ち上げるのは普通です。

Lift your plates and bowls all you like since it is the norm of course anyway. So, when a confused foreigner comes to you and asks such a question you can use one of these three sentences to set them straight and let them know that it is normal to lift your plate or bowl while eating in Japan.

Try one out, and see how you get on.

I hope this helps.
Have a great day.
Will

You want to explain that in Japan people often lift their bowls to their mouths whilst eating. In that case, any of the above suggested comments may fit your scenario.

zoroさん

ご質問どうもありがとうございます。
様々な表現があると思いますが、いくつか自然な表現を紹介します。

• In Japan, people will often lift their plates and bowls when eating.
• In Japan, people will often hold up their plates and bowls when eating.

--- hold up = 持ち上げる
--- lift = 持ち上げる
--- plate = お皿
--- bowl = お茶碗

ちなみに、下記の例文も紹介したいです。
In Japan, it's okay to lift small plates and bowls when eating while this might be considered rude in other countries.
訳: 日本は、食事の時にちいさなお皿やお茶碗を持ち上げたりすることは特に問題ないですが、他に国では無礼と見なされる恐れがあります。

お好みに合わせて使い分けてみてください。
ご参考にしていただければ幸いです。

Notice that there are two different word movements happening in both of these sentences. The first one, "In Japan," can be either placed at the beginning or end of the sentence. "Often," can also be moved to the front of the verb its describing or after the noun it effects.

In Japan, it is common to lift your plate or bowl to your mouth whilst eating. This, however, is not the case in other countries where it is customary for the plate or bowl to remain on the table and the person eating brings their fork or spoon to their mouth and then back to the plate/bowl.

You can use, "it's usual," "it's normal," "it's common," in the same way to show that it a custom, something that is a social norm.
Custom - means a common practice, this word is often used when describing unique things that apply to a certain culture.

To explain how people Japanese people eat, you can use the verb ' to lift'. 'To lift' means the same as 'to raise'. It Is also helpful if you add the clarification '...to their mouths...' so that the listener knows to where the people lift the bowl to.

In Japan it is normal/culturally acceptable to pick up your plate/bowl and bring your plate/bowl to your mouth to eat. In other countries this may be seen as bad table manners, it is normal in many western countries to eat with your knife/fork or spoon, while your plate/bowl remains on the table/bench, etc.

In some countries it is just part of the tradition and culture to do certain things. You could use the above sentence to explain that people in Japan like to lift their bowls or keep it in their hands while eating their meal.

Example;
- I have a Japanese colleague at work and every time he eats he lifts his bowl.