Japanese Food
Most Japanese restaurants specialize in one particular type of food (but may have a discrete selection of other items available) -- pay close attention if you really can't abide a particular type of food. To help you make decisions, we've prepared overviews of the various styles of Japanese cuisines.
- Bento
Bento are box lunches. Fast, easy and cheap. What more could you ask for after wandering the streets of Tokyo? The ingredients in bento vary...
- Curry
Curry took a roundabout route to Japan, traveling from India to Britain back to Japan. Beef, chicken, and vegetable curries now comprise a staple part...
- Fugu
Often served as sashimi, fugu is possibly the most exotic and dangerous food known to the world. If not properly prepared, it really can cause...
- Kaiseki
This expensive cuisine appeals to highly aesthetic diner. Meals are modelled on the four seasons, and the consumer is treated to many small dishes, each...
- Nabemono
Nabe is old-style cooking consisting of a stew served in its pot. In restaurants, nabemono is generally prepared on the spot, with diners adding ingredients...
- Noodles
You can buy noodles on just about every street corner in Tokyo. Shops serve a variety, including soba (buckwheat noodles served hot or cold), udon...
- Oden
The return of oden stalls is the hallmark of the Fall season. These outdoor restaurants feature fish cakes and other ingredients such as tofu. Often...
- Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki are savory pancakes filled with meat, fish, and vegetables (not always at the same time. Diners choose their ingredients much in the way toppings...
- Rice
The staple of Japanese cuisine, rice is generally eaten with every meal. It is prepared in a manner that makes it sticky enough to be...
- Sake, Beer, and Other Drinks
Alcohol is part of the Japanese culture, so much so that you can buy whiskey from vending machines. Though sake (which is also the generic...
- Shabu-Shabu
Shabu-shabu is familiar to Western diners, though it is part of the nabemono-style of cooking. As with other nabe meals, the shabu-shabu experience is characterized...
- Soups
From the invigorating miso soup to the various broths, soups comprise a major component of the Japanese diets. Soups are served in small covered bowls....
- Sukiyaki
Sukiyaki is imilar to shabu-shabu, except the broth is made of soy sauce and sake. This noodle-based dish is popular in Japan and the United...
- Sushi and Sashimi
Sushi and its kissing cousin, sashimi, are the most well-known of Japanese foods. While many people feel uncomfortable with the idea of eating raw fish,...
- Tempura
Tempura are foods that have been deep fried after being dipped in a batter. The result is light and delicate (and incredibly hot -- be...
- Teppanyaki
Essentially, a teppanyaki restaurant is a Japanese steakhouse with American roots. While you don't always get the Westernized showmanship of a Benihana's, this type of...
- Tonkatsu
Tonkatsu is a breaded and fried pork cutlet, generally no more than two centimeters thick. It is served with a sauce reminiscent of Worcestershire sauce...
- Unagi
Unagi is eel, and can be had as sushi, grilled, or broiled. Unagi is considered by many Japanese to be health food. Grilled unagi is...
- Western Dining
You've traveled halfway around the world, you're cranky and tired, you need something comforting. Lo and behold, there it is: the Golden Arches. Yes, they...
- Yakitori
Yakitori, chicken grilled on skewers (the less adventurous type should take care in ordering -- yakitori chefs pride themselves on using every available part of...