There are so many foods are available in Japan. Here we’d like to introduce typical Japanese foods for you.
Sushi
Sushi is the best place for entertainment if you like Sushi. The price varies the level of Sushi restaurant. 1000 to 10000 Yen /person. At Sushi Bar (counter) it costs more than a table. A Sushi Shokunin (Itamae ie. cook) assembles the Sushi according to your request in front of you at counter.
The price tag says Ebi sushi is 200 Yen for example but Itamae, sushi cook serves it to you with two pieces. It means it costs you double, 400 Yen.
Sushi of is normally served by one piece.
Chirashi-sushi
Chirashi-Sushi is one of assorted Sushi.
Various sea foods(sashimi) are topped on top of sushi rice in a bowl.
Shrimp, tuna, yellowtail, octopus and so on.
Same level of chirashi-suchi is same as nigiri suhi.
Inexpensive Sushi? Kaiten Sushi
If you like to try an inexpensive Sushi, “KuruKuru Sushi” or “Kaiten sushi” is where you should go.
Sushis on a dish on the belt conveyer turn in front of you.
You can pick up any dish that you want
One plate costs 100 to 120 Yen. Colored plate cost 150 or 200 Yen.
Some of plates cost 300, 400 Yen and Market price.
You need to find the price table at the beginning.
One funny story about the conveyer is:
A foreigner started to eat sushi at the converyer sushi bar,
After he ate sushi on a plate, he returned the empty plate on the belt. So there was no plate on his table.
Sashimi
Sashimi is also very popular Japanese food.
Sliced raw seafood, mainly fish and shellfish, is served.
Using the soy sauce and Wasabi, HotJapanese horse radish.
Tuna, Squid, Yellow tail, salmon, Sea bream, shrimp, scallop
Shredded daikon, Japanese radish, is always served together.
The leaf of the perilla is often put out with Sashimi
Tempura
Tempura is the best Japanese food for every body.
The taste and stile are very similar to
the deep fried shrimps and vegetables.
It is the best choice for everybody
even though you are not good for Japanese foods.
Ebi-fry (Deep fried prawn)
This is an easiest try for Japanese food.
It is deep fry of shrimp.
It is similar to the shrimp Tempura.
The batter coating is a little bit different.
The size of shrimp varies at restaurant.
Some is a tiger prawn. Other may be shrimp.
You can find the size in show case but normally actual size is smaller
than shown.
Curry rice
If you like oriental flavor, please try to eat curry rice.
It came from India and was very hot and spicy foods but Japanese cooks make it mild for everyone.
It tastes like beef stew with spicy flavor( Curry flavor). sauce and rice are served together on same plate. Ingredient: Choice of Beef, pork , chicken or sea food and vegetables and carrot, potato, etc.
“Katsu curry” is also popular.
Pork Cutlet, “Katsu”, is served on the top of the rice.
Vegetable curry is one of variety of curry rices.
Ingredient: Tomato, pumpkin, potato, etc.
Steak
Steak is expensive in Japan.
“Kobe Ushi” and “Matsuzaka Ushi (Gyu)” are famous as the best beef It costs more than 5000 Yen /person in a good restaurant. We are informed that some dairy farmers get cows drink beers to make the meat soft and tasty. Believe or not?
Here is special story for Matsuzaka beef.
Only Japanese Black heifer Cattles which are raised in specific area in Mie prefecture can be called Matsuzaka Gyu.
570,000 Japanese Cattles are raised yearly in Japan but only 1,600 Cattles can be called as Matsuzaka Gyu. If the quality of meat isn’t good enough, the beef can’t be called Matsuzaka Gyu
The retail price of real Matsuzaka beef at meat shop is more than 3,000 Yen / 100 gram.
One of interesting cooking is Hibachi style restaurant.
It is told that Rocky Aoki developed and started this type of restaurant.,
We did see few Hibachi restaurants in Japan.in past
But Many hotels have penthouse steak restaurants. The price of steak dinner for one person is more than 10,000 yen at such restaurant. The cook fixes your dinner on the hot iron table in front of you Beside of very good taste of steak, you can enjoy the good view of illuminated city.s.
Sukiyaki
Sukiyaki is also very good Japanese food.
Very thin sliced beef like ham and various vegetables, Japanese mushroom and Tofu on the plate will be served on your table with portable Hibachi and pan.
You just boil beef and vegetables with stock which is made with sugar and soy-sauce.
When it is ready to eat, you are supposed to dip them in a beaten raw egg if you like.
Shabu-Shabu
It is very popular Japanese food.Very thin slice beef and vegetables.
In front of you, the boiling water pot is prepared.A plate with very thin sliced beef and various vegetables more than ten items, beautifully arranged, will be served on your table.
The word of “Shabushabu” is expressing the action of wave chopstick with meat in the hot water pot. You need to a slice of beef and dip it in the hot pot. Then you shake it right and left in the pot to make it cook well. Since the beef is very thin and it want to take long to be Weldon.When the meat changes to pink is the best time to eat. There are two or three types of dip sauce are prepared on the table. One is sesame sauce, other is mixed sauce of soy sauce and vinegar and green onion and radish are came along with for an additional flavor. No rules for vegetables to put them into the pot and when you think they are cooked well, it is time to eat.
Yakiniku (Korean BBQ)
Yakiniku means grilled meat. Meat, offal, shellfish, shrimp and vegetable are grilled on a iron net or iron lattice plate
Tables in Korean BBQ restaurants is designated to have table cooking stove.
Gas or charcoal is used. The restaurant using charcoal is more expensive than others.
Spicy dipping sauce is served and dip cooked ingredient before eating.
Grated garlic and hot spicy soybean paste are used to your taste.
Tonkatsu
Pork Cutlet
This is a sample of Tonkatsu
There are several menus at Tonkatsu.
Filet, pork medallion, pork loin,
Unagi
Grilled eel marinaded with sweeten Soy sauce
Normally served with rice.
Everybody who doesn’t know what he/she is eating say “Great Taste”.
You should try it without knowing what it is.
It is great taste.
Zarusoba
If you have buckwheat allergy, you should not eat “Soba”.
Some Japanese food use “Buckwheat”. Please check it to the cook before eating.
This is one of traditional Japanese dish.
It is a kind of noodle.
Made from Soba powder.
Put sliced green onion (scallions) into the dipping sauce.
Dip Soba to dipping sauce.
It is a good manner for Japanese to slurp Soba.
Tempura and Zarusoba is good combination.
The price gets higher but it taste better.
Deep fried shrimp and vegetable make the dipping sauce tasty.
Ramen
It is noodle with shoyu-based (soy-sauce based ) soup.
Originally it was from China but it is one of best Japanese dishes.
There are many sorts of Ramen.This is called as “Tanmen”.
Topping is different from regular Ramen.
Stir-fried meat and vegetables with thicken salt soup is favor of “Tanmen”.
This is called “Cha-shu-men”.
Topping by sliced of “Cha-shu”, Chinese-style barbecued pork.
The pork is basted with soy sauce during roasting.
Udon
Udon is a thick wheat noodle.
There are various type of Udon with topping and soup.
This is the noodle with shoyu-based (soy-sauce based ) soup and abura-age (fried tofu) on top.
This is called “Curry Udon”.
The soup is based curry and shoyu-based (soy sauce).
It is very thick soup.
It is easy to drop from chopsticks when you eat curry noodle. Clothes are often stained by the cause such as splash of the curry soup.
Onigiri
Onigiri is one of great invention of Japanese.
It is called “Rice ball”.
There is core food in the center of Onigiri.
You can buy them in convenience store.
The picture shows baked shake locates in the center of Onigiri.
Normally it is wrapped by Nori, “Sea weed”.
American foods
You may want to eat American foods during your stay in Japan.
Here is a list of American foods in Japan.
You can find a McDonald, Wendy’s, Buskin Robinson etc in any area.
Ask Bell Captain or concierge at your Hotel.
Appetizer
Edamame
This is boiled soy beans.
It is very popular for appetizer of beer.
It is not served at fine restaurant.
You should try them if available.!!
It is popular in summer.
Pods are not eatable. Just press the pod with your fingers and get them jump out to your mouth.
Yakitori
This is Barbecued Chicken flavored with salt or Soy sauce
They are skewered by bamboo stick.
Yakitori is also very popular as appetizer.
Various type of Yakitori:
White meat, Red meat, liver,
Negima – Chicken and leeks is good starter for a Yakitori Beginner.
Gyoza
Gyoza is a Chinese dish originally but it becomes one of typical Japanese food.
They consist of vegetables and grounded meat and are wrapped by flattened Chinese pastry from wheat flour.
Normally they are fried after steamed.
Mixed sauce of soy sauce and rice vinegar is having advantages to dip them
If you like hot stuff, try to drop dollop of “Raa oil”.Ra-YU, chili sauce
It is made of sesame oil with red pepper.
Bevarage
Lager beer
There are four major beer brewers in Japan.
Kirin, Asahi, Sapporo and Suntory
Kirin’s brand name
>Lager, Ichiban Shibori
Asahi’s brand name
>Super dry(It gets a favorable reputation.)
Sapporo’s brand name
>Ebisu (I like it.)
There are many size of bottle for beer.
-Large 633 ml
-Medium 500 ml
-Small 333 ml
At restaurants, Large or Medium bottle are served normally.
Draft beer
Japanese Draft Beer is also very good.
Most popular season is summer.
Even though, many restaurants serve draft beer all seasons.
The size of glass varies at each restaurant.
Sake (Japanese rice liquor)
Japanese traditional Alcohol is Sake.
We taste it hot style or cold style.
It is made from rice.
Clear drink.
Alcohol percentage is around 14, like wine
We use special small cup called “Ochoko” for sipping hot sake.
Cold sake is very popular now.
Shochu
Shochu is distilled liquor.
It is made with sweet potato, sesame, wheat
It is very popular in Japan now.
The price of Shochu is inexpensive.
Young people likes cocktail based Shochu.
With lemon and soda, grapefruit and soda etc.
Old people likes shochu with hot water.,
Umeboshi (Pickled plum) is dropped depending on individual taste.
Green tea
Green tea, Japanese tea, Ocha in Japanese
Water and green tea are free at restaurants.
You can ask for another serving without any charge.
A few Japanese restaurants serve very good Japanese tea.
But some Chinese restaurant charges for Chinese tea in Japan.
Diet Coke
Diet coke and other diet drinks aren’t popular in Japan.
You can merely order diet coke at restaurant.
Of course, you can buy them at grocery shops, convenience stores and super markets.
Diet coke is not so popular in Japan.
Because of taste? I don’t know.
It’s very difficult to get diet coke at vending machine and even restaurants.
This is newly introduced to Japanese market in addition to Diet Coke.
The Diet Coke is not so accepted by Japanese.
This is first trial in the world by Coca-Cola.
Canned drink
There are two types of canned drinks.
A can is made by steel and another is made by Aluminum.
Normally Hot drinks, coffee tea etc uses steel can.
If you are used to drink aluminum can beverage, you feel some is left in the steel can because it is still heavy.
Recently pet bottled water, mineral water is getting popular.
You can request mineral water if you are asked for beverage.
Canned coffee
Canned Coffee is very popular in Japan. There are so many venders to distribute a lot of canned coffee.
You can select with-sugar, without-sugar, with milk and without milk.
Iced Coffee
In addition to canned coffee, Ice coffee is also popular.
You can taste it at coffee shops.
PET bottled drink
PET Bottled drinks are very popular in Japan.
Main category is soft drink, Japanese tea, Woo-long tea and cola etc.
Since you can drink it anywhere, it is very convenience to carry it during walking around in Japan.
