Japan Food and Drink, Japan

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Food in General Food, of all types and from every country under the sun, is one of the great pleasures of life in Japan. Not only has Japan developed one of the world's great cuisines, which offers palate-tickling sensations that range from the subtle joys of "sashimi" to the hearty basics of its noodles, but some of the best world-class chefs have come to Japan to cook for its discriminating gourmets. Tokyo especially, as befits its status as a global capital of finance and business, is host to a lipsmacking cornucopia of food flavors and textures.

To begin scratching the surface of Japan's vast selection of culinary variety, take a walk in the vicinity of any subway or train station. The eating and drinking estabishments that congregate here are sure to represent a plethora of domestic cooking, with prices generally quite reasonable. For non- Japanese speakers, some restaurants display plastic and wax replicas of their dishes in their front windows, or provide a menu with color photos.

Another good place to find reasonably priced meals is in larger department stores, which will often devote an entire upper or basement floor to different restaurants. Some modestly priced restaurants ask patrons to purchase tickets for each dish, either from the cashier's counter or a vending machine. Tipping, by the way, is not practiced in Japan.

Japanese Cuisine

Once known in the west either in the form of "sukiyaki" or the more exotic "sushi," Japanese cuisine has in recent years become much more familiar and appreciated around the world. Many visitors to Japan will have already sampled the pleasures of raw fish or batter-fried shrimp. But few first-time visitors to Japan are prepared for the variety and sumptuousness of the food as it is traditionally prepared. Eating in Japan is an experience to be enjoyed and remembered fondly for the rest of your life.

Among the types of cooking found in Japan are:
Sukiyaki is prepared right at the table by cooking thinly sliced beef together with various vegetables, tofu and vermicelli.

Tempura is food deep-fried in vegetable oil, after being coated with a mixture of egg, water and wheat flour. Among the ingredients used are prawns, fish in season and vegetables.


Sushi is a small piece of raw seafood placed on a ball of vinegared rice. The most common ingredients are tuna, squid and prawn. Cucumber, pickled radish and sweet egg omelette are also served.
Sashimi is sliced raw fish eaten with soy sauce.

Kaiseki Ryori is regarded as the most exquisite culinary refinement in Japan. The dishes are mainly composed of vegetables and fish with seaweed and mushrooms as the seasoning base and are characterized by their refined savor.

Yakitori is made up of small pieces of chicken meat, liver and vegetables skewered on a bamboo stick and grilled over hot coals.

Tonkatsu is a deep-fried pork cutlet rolled in bread crumbs.

Shabu-shabu is tender, thin slices of beef held by chop-sticks and swished in a pot of boiling water, then dipped in a sauce before being eaten.


Soba and Udon are two kinds of Japanese noodle. Soba is made from buckwheat flour and Udon from wheat flour. They are served either in a broth or dipped in a sauce, and are available in hundreds of delicious variations.

Japanese "sake," or rice wine, goes extremely well with a variety of Japanese dishes. Brewed with rice and water, sake has been a Japanese alcoholic beverage since ancient times. Because it can be drunk warmed up, the "feelings" come on more quickly and in winter it warms the body.

When drunk chilled, good sake has a taste similar to fine-quality wine. There are local sake breweries in every region across the country, which make their respective characteristic tastes based on the quality of rice and water as well as differences in brewing processes.

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