Food in Tokyo

Japanese cuisine means traditional style Japanese food, known for its quality of ingredients, seasonality of food and presentation. The typical Japanese meal consists of a bowl of rice (gohan), a bowl of miso soup (miso shiru), pickled vegetables (tsukemono) and fish or meat. While rice is the staple food, several kinds of noodles (udon, soba and ramen) are cheap and very popular for light meals. As it is an island nation, the Japanese take great pride in their seafood. A wide variety of fish, squid, octopus, eel, and shellfish appear in all kinds of dishes from sushi to tempura. Japanese cuisine is based on combining staple foods, typically rice or noodles with a soup and dishes made with fish, vegetables, tofu, meat or similar to add to the flavour of the staple foods. The dishes are typically flavoured with dashi, miso and soy sauce, usually low in fat and high in salt. Tokyo cuisine offers a large variety of dishes and regional specialities. Meat eating has been fairly rare until recently due to restrictions of Buddhism. Japanese usually use chopsticks to eat. Most restaurants display what is served by them in the form of plastic food, which is quite expensive and realistic. Before eating the meal, Japanese say “Itadakimasu” expressing thanks to the person who has prepared the food and gratitude for the food and at the end of the meal they say “Gochisosama”, a polite expression for gratitude for the meal. 

 

Rice

For over 2000 years, rice has been the most important food in Japanese cuisine. Despite changes in the eating patterns in the last few decades and slowly decreasing rice consumption in the last few years, sticky, short-grained rice still remains their most important staple food. Uncooked rice is called kome. The cultivation of rice in paddy fields traditionally required great cooperation between villagers and this is said to have been central to the evolution of Japanese culture. Their are several thousand varieties grown in Japan, with Koshihikari and Akita Komachi being among the most popular. Rice is also used to make mochi (rice cakes), senbei (rice crackers) and sake (rice wine).A bowl of cooked rice is served with most Japanese meals. Variations of rice include Sushi – cooked rice prepared with Sushi vinegar, Domburi – cooked rice with some other food on top of it. Popular toppings are tempura, egg, chicken, beef and tonkatsu, Onigiri – rice balls made of cooked rice wrapped in nori seaweed. These are slightly salted and contain some additional food in the center, Kare Raisu – is cooked rice with curry sauce. Curry is not a native Japanese spice, but has been used in Japan for over a century. This is a very popular dish. Fried Rice – has originally been introduced from China. It is a suitable dish for using leftover rice. A variety of ingredients such as Japanese leek, peas, egg, carrots and pork are mixed and stir fried. Chazuke – is a bowl of cooked rice with green tea. Suitable for leftover rice. Kayu – This is a rice gruel, watery soft cooked rice that resembles oatmeal. It is served to sick people because it can be digested easily.

 

Noodles

There are various traditional Japanese noodle dishes. Some original and some Japanized. Noodles are highly popular with the people. Soba noodles are native Japanese noodles made of buckwheat flour or a mixture of buckwheat and wheat flour. Soba are about as thick as spaghetti. They can be served cold or hot and with various toppings. Udon noodles are native Japanese noodles made of wheat flour. Udon are thicker than soba and can also be served either hot or cold and with various toppings. Ramen are Chinese style noodles prepared in a soup with various toppings. Ramen is one of the many popular dishes that were originally introduced from China but have become completely Japanized over time. Somen - Like Udon noodles, somen are Japanese noodles made of wheat flour, but they are much thinner than Udon and Soba. Somen are usually eaten cold and are considered a summer speciality. Yakisoba are fried or deep fried Chinese style noodles served with vegetables, meat and ginger.

 

Soybean Dishes

The humble soybean is used to make a wide variety of foods and flavourings. Soybeans and rice are used to make miso, a paste used for flavouring soup and marinating fish. Together with soy sauce, miso is a foundation of Japanese cuisine. Tofu is soybean curd and a popular source of protein, especially for vegetarians. These days, even tofu donuts and tofu icecream are available. Natto, fermented soybeans, is one of the healthiest but also the most notorious item on the menu. With a pungent smell and sticky, stringy texture, natto is easy to hate straight away. Japanese people themselves tend to either love it or hate it. It is usually served with chopped onions and a raw egg and mixed into a bowl of rice. Yudofu are tofu pieces boiled in a clear, mild soup and dipped into a soya based sauce before being eaten. Agedashi Tofu are deep fried tofu pieces that are dipped into a soya based sauce before being eaten. A bowl of miso soup often accompanies breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is made by dissolving miso paste in hot water and adding additional ingredients such as wakame seaweed and small pieces of tofu.

 

Nabe Dishes

Nabe dishes or hot pot dishes are prepared in a hot pot, usually at the table. Typical ingredients are vegetables such as Japanese leek and Chinese cabbage, various mushrooms, seafood and/or meat. There are many regional and personal varieties, and they are especially popular in the cold winter months. Some special nabe dishes are – Oden, a nabe dish prepared with various fish cakes, daikon, boiled eggs, konyaku and kombu seaweed, boiled over many hours in a soya sauce based soup. Sukiyaki - A nabe dish prepared with thinly sliced meat, vegetables, mushrooms, tofu and konyaku noodles. The pieces of food are dipped into a raw egg before eaten. Shabu-shabu is Japanese style meat fondue. Thinly sliced meat, along with vegetables, mushrooms and tofu is dipped into a hot soup and then into ponzu vinegar or a sesame sauce before being eaten. Chanko nabe is traditionally the staple diet of sumo wrestlers. There are many varieties of chanko nabe. A few chanko nabe restaurants can be found around Ryogoku, the sumo district in Tokyo.

 

 

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 term for alcohol) and Japanese beers are familiar to Westerners, there is a range of other Japanese alcoholic beverages you might encounter, not to mention the widest, strangest range of soft drinks/sports drinks/interesting drinks known on the planet. Tokyo makes vending machine technology seem exciting again. Most restaurants serve Japanese beers (these are excellent), green tea, and sake.

 

 

Other Japanese dishes include Unagi, Teppanyaki, Bento meals, Yakitori, Tonkatsu, Shabu Shabu, Suyiyaki etc.. You've travelled halfway around the world, you're cranky and tired, you need something comforting. Yes, they do have McDonald's in Tokyo and Kentucky Fried Chicken. And a host of other popular chains. Be warned, however, that even in the most familiar of settings, your experience may be uniquely Japanese. Filet o'Fish sandwiches for breakfast. Unusual pizza toppings. Coffee served in ceramic cups. Even in a country with a wide range of exciting foods, sometimes you need a little taste of home.