Food can be an adventure. Particularly in Japan.
Japanese food is alive with vibrant tastes, aesthetics and culture. The following challenge will take you to interesting places and please your taste buds.
Should you complete it, you'll know Japanese food fairly well. The challenge covers most well known Japanese foods and is ranked by difficulty.
Okonomiyaki are also a festival favorite.
Both udon and soba (above) are staples of the Japanese diet. For whatever reason, young people tend to prefer udon and the older set prefer soba. If you prefer udon, it's a sure sign you're young (or young at heart).
Yakitori restaurants are invariably lively drinking spots.
If it's not aesthetically pleasing, it's just chunks of fish.
Kushiage places are typically drinking spots.
Many hotels in Japan offer a Tamago Kake Gohan breakfast bar as part of their breakfast buffet.
Yakizakana is Japanese grilled fish (often served whole). It's a common breakfast to eat at home. For this reason, most Japanese stoves have a fish grill.
As an island nation, fish is traditionally a key part of the Japanese diet. Some people still eat fish 3 times a day.
Yakiniku restaurants are the smokiest places in Japan. If you're not skilled at grilling, you may incidentally cause a great deal of smoke and flame. The staff will rush over to help you put out your fires — this is generally embarrassing.
The best thing about tonkatsu is tonkatsu sauce. It's similar to Worcestershire sauce but thicker and sweeter. The Japanese put tonkatsu sauce on a great number of dishes. It's so ubiquitous in Japan that it's known simply as "sauce" (sosu).
Himono are baked and served whole. They have a rich, salty flavor as compared with fresh fish. They're a popular breakfast food. Himono are also good with sake in the evening.
Japanese food is alive with vibrant tastes, aesthetics and culture. The following challenge will take you to interesting places and please your taste buds.
Should you complete it, you'll know Japanese food fairly well. The challenge covers most well known Japanese foods and is ranked by difficulty.
1. Sushi
Sushi is as popular outside Japan as inside. It's available in hundreds of varieties.
2. Miso Soup
A simple soup that has a pleasing umami flavor (Japan's favorite taste). Its ingredients: kombu, miso, dashi and tofu are all national passions in Japan.
3. Tempura
Seafood or vegetables in a light batter. The batter is prepared in small batches using cold water to ensure a light texture. Some chefs use cold sparkling water.
4. Soba
Thin Japanese buckwheat noodles served chilled with a dipping sauce or in a hot broth. Whichever you choose, it's perfectly polite to loudly slurp your noodles.
5. Okonomiyaki
A savory Japanese pancake and specialty of Osaka. Evolved as a way to use up leftovers. Okonomiyaki can be roughly translated "grill what you like." Any good okonomiyaki restaurant will let you build your own from a list of ingredients. Usually you cook it yourself at your table.Okonomiyaki are also a festival favorite.
6. Onigiri
Onigiri (rice balls) are a wide category of food that include any rice that's intended to be eaten by hand. They're as common in Japan as sandwiches are in America.
7. Udon
Thick wheat flour noodles served hot in a soup or chilled with a dipping sauce of dashi, mirin, and shoyu.Both udon and soba (above) are staples of the Japanese diet. For whatever reason, young people tend to prefer udon and the older set prefer soba. If you prefer udon, it's a sure sign you're young (or young at heart).
8. Yakitori
Yakitori (literally: grilled chicken) is grilled meat and vegetables on sticks. There are dozens of common varieties of yakitori.Yakitori restaurants are invariably lively drinking spots.
9. Sashimi
Sashimi is raw fish or meat. It's both simple and sophisticated. Sashimi demands the highest quality ingredients. It's judged as much by aesthetics as taste.If it's not aesthetically pleasing, it's just chunks of fish.
10. Mochi
Everyone likes mochi rice cakes. For a real adventure, make your own with a giant mallet.
11. Ramen
Hot Chinese-style Japanese wheat noodles in a meat, fish, miso or soy sauce broth. It's a cheap, filling, easy to find snack. Instant ramen are also extremely popular in Japan as a snack or cheap lunch.
12. Yakisoba
Fried noodles in a thick sweet sauce resembling tonkatsu sauce. Despite the name, Yakisoba isn't made from soba noodles but a wheat noodle similar to ramen.
13. Kushiage (or Kushikatsu)
Kushiage (also known as Kushikatsu) are deep fried meats, seafoods and vegetables in a panko batter served with tonkatsu sauce. Kushiage isn't a particularly common food in Japan. Kushiage restaurants tend to be found in bunches. Yurakucho in Tokyo and Shinsekai in Osaka are known for kushiage.Kushiage places are typically drinking spots.
14. Tamago Kake Gohan
A popular Japanese breakfast that's nothing more than a raw egg on rice with optional toppings such as nori or soy sauce. Be careful with raw eggs. Eggs in Japan are considered somewhat safe to eat raw. This is not the case in every country.Many hotels in Japan offer a Tamago Kake Gohan breakfast bar as part of their breakfast buffet.
15. Yakizakana
The Japanese don't eat all their fish raw.Yakizakana is Japanese grilled fish (often served whole). It's a common breakfast to eat at home. For this reason, most Japanese stoves have a fish grill.
As an island nation, fish is traditionally a key part of the Japanese diet. Some people still eat fish 3 times a day.
16. Yakiniku
Yakiniku (literally: grilled meat) is Japanese style barbecue. Yakiniku restaurants typically feature a coal grill built into the table. You can order from a selection of bite-sized meats and vegetable plates. You cook the food at the table. It's a pleasant and social dining experience.Yakiniku restaurants are the smokiest places in Japan. If you're not skilled at grilling, you may incidentally cause a great deal of smoke and flame. The staff will rush over to help you put out your fires — this is generally embarrassing.
17. Tonkatsu
A type of breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet served with shredded cabbage that everyone's wild about in Japan. Tonkatsu also comes in a popular sandwich (known as Katsusando).The best thing about tonkatsu is tonkatsu sauce. It's similar to Worcestershire sauce but thicker and sweeter. The Japanese put tonkatsu sauce on a great number of dishes. It's so ubiquitous in Japan that it's known simply as "sauce" (sosu).
18. Himono
Himono is Japanese dried fish. Fish is caught early in the morning and sun dried within a day. Visit most any fishing village in Japan and you'll see fish hung out to dry. The result is a cardboard-like preserved fish (various varieties).Himono are baked and served whole. They have a rich, salty flavor as compared with fresh fish. They're a popular breakfast food. Himono are also good with sake in the evening.
19. Yuba
Yuba is Japanese tofu skin. Fresh yuba has a chewy texture similar to mozzarella cheese. A specialty of Kyoto and Nikko.
20. Oden
Ingredients such as chicken, boiled eggs, daikon, carrots and kombu stewed in a light shoyu and dashi broth. It's a custom amongst some oden restaurants to never change their broth. Several restaurants claim their broth is over 60 years old.
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