Yen to Eat and Enjoy the Flavors of Japan

The Japanese have turned dining into a high art that appeals not only to the taste buds but to the eyes, and for foreigners who don't read Kanji, most restaurants make it easy for the us to order with our eyes. With a basic menu that involves seafood, chicken and pork prepared with a variety of sauces or in a succlent broth, you will learn to love a cuisine that is healthful and tasty and occasionally made from ingredients you might never expect. But before you go, it is helpful to know what flavors you enjoy and to understand that the Japanese pallet is not as keen on sweets and fats but savors salty, tart and subtly spicy foods.

Typical Foods

Most of the meals you eat in Japan will include rice and tea. Noodles often replace the rice in meals. A small amount of protein is usually included in lunch and dinner fare and sauteed or tempura-fried vegetables are often served with the meal. Expect portions to be smaller than we are familiar with in US restaurants; if you get used to the smaller servings and don't snack excessively, you'll find the exercise and lower calories will show at your waist.

Seafood can range from a wide variety of fish products to shellfish and crustaceans of any type. Octopus and squid are served in many different forms; some are crispy, some are delicately sauteed and some approximate chewing gum.

The most famous seafood of Japan is Fugu, the pufferfish armed with poisonous glands that have killed many diners who were served by unskilled chefs. In modern Japan, the town of Shimonoseki at the southern tip of Honshu is the center of the Fugu processing industry. The city ships the delicacy, carefully sliced or converted to snack chips, to restaurants around the country but you will find the freshest fugu in Shimonoseki. We stopped at a small mom and pop cafe at the Shimonoseki market and enjoyed the fish in steamed and fried for about $8 per plate; not a bad price for a meal that might be two or three times the price in other parts of the country. As a fish, it is a soft white fish that I could best describe as a bland version of catfish; it was pleasant but not "to die for."

Bonita flakes, on the other hand, were something I quickly learned to enjoy. Salty, paper-thin flakes are served as a garnish on many dishes including small deep-fried octopus that appear to dance in the convection currents of the fried snack. Much of the Japanese menu has bonita flavor or broth as a key ingredient.

Regional Foods

The one food that most people associate with a region of Japan is Kobe Beef. It is produced by small farmers who raise a special breed of Japanese black cows and provide them with beer during the summer to produce a meat that is highly marbled and tender with a flavor that pleases every true beef connoiseur. At $100 per pound, was not on the menus of the restaurants where we dined.