A fast guide to eating in Japan

Eating in Japan is an incredible experience that can result in either the most delicious experience ever, or one of the most disastrous. Nevertheless, nihon ryori, or Nippon cuisine, is one of the greatest tourist attractions of this Asian country. What’s more, its gastronomy includes much more than sushi and tempura. The main ingredients you will find are soy sauce, miso, tofu, mame (beans) and, of course, rice.

Plastic food in Nagoya

Rice in Japan is like bread in Spain; without it, no meal is complete. Indeed, in this country 70 kilos of rice are consumed by each person a year on average. For instance, one meal can include a rice bowl with fish and vegetables cooked with soy sauce and mirin (sweet rice wine), with a bowl of miso and garnished with pickled vegetables. Rice is used to prepare rice soup, rice balls and sushi, among other dishes.

Salmon roe sushi

Mame, or beans, are used in all their varieties, from the bigger ones – soybeans - used to prepare miso or tofu, to the smaller ones for the sweets of the tea ceremony, or the red rice beans used to celebrate a girl’s first period.

Miso is eaten three times a day: for breakfast, lunch and dinner, usually cooked in soup. It is a mixed of steamed beans, fermented and salted. Another ingredient made from soy beans is tofu, one of the most sublime creations of Nippon cuisine. You can find it cooked in two different ways: first, in a softer version used in soups such as miso soup, and a harder form fried in soy oil.

Vegetables shop in Kyoto

Although soy sauce is a symbol of this gastronomy, it actually appeared quite recently. Nonetheless, it has quickly become popularized and is frequently used to enhance the flavour of meat and fish.



Conveyor belt of sushi in Tokyo

                                   

Now that we know some of the ingredients that are found in Japanese restaurants, let’s look at some of the most typical dishes.

Noodle soup or ramen is one of the most delicious fast foods in the world, and its high temperature will help the visitor warm up during a cold night. It’s served very hot in a bowl with diverse garnishes such as pork, beans or leeks. Surprisingly, it isn’t considered bad manners to slurp the noodles and in fact, the Japanese do it because they think you can appreciate the taste of the broth better.

Cooking tempura in Kyoto

Okonomiyaki means “cook what you want” and is usually compared with the pizza or the omelette, but it has very little to do with them besides the form. Eating in an okonomiyaki restaurant is a good way to meet people, as long as everyone is seated round a grill where you can either cook your own meal, or you can let the cook do it for you, especially if you are a foreigner. It has a base of flour, eggs and water and then ingredients like meat, shellfish and the sauce are added.



Okonomiyaki restaurant in Hiroshima



Okonomiyaki and sake in Hiroshima

                                         

The internationally known veal of Kobe is found in many restaurants all over the world; however, the best place to eat it is Kobe, a city close to Tokyo. Its exquisite taste is achieved by a selective raising and feeding of the animals. It’s characterized by its high quality and the streak of fat it has.

If the visitor is seeking a more dangerous gastronomic experience, he shouldn’t miss the opportunity to try fugu. The balloonfish used to be known as “the gun” because it could kill imprudent diners in only a few minutes. The reason for this is tetrodotoxin, a transparent poison that is found in some organs of the fish and this is why it needs to be prepared by specialist chefs. This fish and others can be seen in the Tsujiki Market of Tokyo, the biggest seafood market in the world, where more than 2,000 tons of fish are traded every day. There you can also see tunas weighing more than 300 kilos. It’s surrounded by many restaurants, where you can eat fresh sushi sitting in a bar in front of a conveyor belt with different varieties.

    Tuna at Tokyo's Tsujiki Market

As in other countries, there are some customs that you may want to know about before eating in Japan. First of all, it’s not polite to fix the chopsticks in the rice bowl, or to offer food from yours to another diner, as these are funerary rituals. Secondly, it is bad manners to fill your own glass. You should fill the others’ glasses and then wait for them to fill yours. Finally, remember that you can slurp the noodles without shame, as it a normal habit among the Japanese.



 Plastic sushi


I hope this guide is useful and can help you when choosing food at restaurants; if not, don’t worry too much, as many establishments have plastic food reproductions which may give you an idea of what they have.

Wildcat