In most Japanese restaurants and sushi bars, the chopsticks are those ridiculous splinters of disposable wood that don't deserve a proper chopstick rest. However, I always end up folding the wrapper into a nice little "bench" to rest the tips of my chopsticks do that they don't touch the table.
In nice restaurants, you might get a ceramic chopstick rest shaped like a fish or perhaps a leaf, or sometimes it's just a flat, polished stone. I can't remember what they are officially called in Japanese, but these simple shapes in light, pastel colors from Muji in the UK are beautiful for home.
They're £0.50 per piece.
New York Times Magazine's food issue
Chicken McNuggets frolic at New York City pet store
Eat your broccoli orbs! 
