Being an island nation, Japanese cuisine is heavily into seafood.
Beef is extremely expensive in Japan, it is a luxury item.
Sushi and sashimi are also luxury items in Japan.
Regular Japanese people eat sushi and sashimi only on special occasions, unlike Americans who eat sushi as regular meal in the US.
Teppanyaki is said to be American invention, so is California roll, but they are imported back to Japan with good acceptance.
Famous Japanese dishes:
- Sushi - Nigiri (hand squeezed pieces), Maki (sushi roll in seaweed) and Takemaki? (large hand roll in cone shape)
- Sashimi? - slices of raw seafood
- Tempura? - deep fried items in light batter
- Teriyaki? - grilled meat served with a sweeten soy sauce
- Cutlet? - pork chop or chicken
- Udon? - thick white noodle served with various toppings
- Soba? - thin brown wheat noodle served with various toppings
- Ramen? - thin light yellow noodle served with various toppings
- Donburi? - (or Don in short) steamed rice served with various toppings
- Nabemono? - hot pot including sukiyaki?
- Gyoza? - Japanese version of pot stickers
- [Hamachi Kama]? - grilled yellow tail's jaw and cheek bone
- [Agedashi Tofu]?
- [Miso Soup]? - soy paste soup
- Green tea ice cream
- Tempura ice cream - ice cream deep-fried in tempura batter
- Bento? or Obento - combination meal served in a wooden box
- Sushi boat - combination sushi served in a wooden boat shaped utencil
Others:
For most westerners, Japanese food is rather exotic.
See also cuisine