Eat in Japan - Yes We Can!

Japan, land of the rising sun, of Mount Fuji, temples, cherry blossoms and geishas. That is the Japan of popular culture and the tourism industry of course. But for uninitiated rookies like Daniel and I, we were happy to go forth and experience what Japan had to offer us.

Japan did not disappoint.
Sure, there were more temples than we could ever see (or want to see) in a lifetime....

Buddhas galore....but the best part of Japan for diehards like us was really...

the food!

Come to Japan ready to taste, otherwise, it would be a complete waste of your time and money. Tasting Japan is opening your senses to a whole new dimension of euphoria....and yes, even from a slimy LIVE oyster curling resentfully about on your plate. Rice wine, or sake in Japanese, is the other ecstasy you would not want to miss. It's smoother than vodka with none of its smelly turpentine fumes, it melts down your throat like an easy song and it never gets to your head till you're ready to leave the table.

Eating and drinking were the things we enjoyed most in Japan, and after that, the only other thing is onsen!
Daniel said I should post my overall insights on our trip, so that people can get an idea of what Japan could be like for total aliens (yes, us) to this unique culture. I've already put up several posts on eating in Tokyo, and I will post several more, especially on some superb finds we made on our eating spree.

But first, for those of you who do not speak any Japanese, or read any Chinese (their kanji writing is the same as our Chinese writing) here are some offhand information to help you enjoy that authentic local eating experience:

1) Be ready to ask for an English menu, and if they don't have one (which is most of the time), be ready to ask for the waiter's recommendation even if you can't understand what he is saying. We highly recommend this option for those of you who are more adventurous because the only thing better than great food is eating great food you didn't expect.


2) Many restaurants offer photos of their menu along with the prices, like this one. You won't understand a word, and most likely won't find the pictures too appetising either, but trust me, it's worth being surprised. Daniel found that sashimi really tasted better than its international reputation. Trust me, until you have tried horse sashimi, raw fish is like oatmeal. (yes, the horse that neighs)

3) Best part of eating in Japan is the prices you see are the prices you get. No sneaky GST or service charge applies at the end of your meal so you can really go ahead and enjoy that tempura ramen. The other good news is you DO NOT HAVE TO TIP. Japanese serve you with ten times the professionalism as American waiters and do not expect anything in return (besides the price on your menu).

4) Go for small tavern-like establishments for a cosy, local feel. The prices may not be much lower than any other restaurant, but you get great ambience, usually because these places seat about 10 people max and the chefs cook and cut behind the bar. Only catch: everybody smokes in these places so prepare to wear cigarette smoke and the smell of your dinner home afterward.


5) Order beer (Sapporo, Kirin and Asahi are the biggest names), we recommend Asahi and do go for the sake, which comes in hot or cold. Hot sake is usually heated up at the bar and comes cheaper (I got one for 300 yen). Cold sake is really good and comes either in a bottle (like a small beer can) or they pour it by the cup from a bigger bottle. Usually they pour it till it overflows into the saucer, and you pour the excess back into the glass.

If you have patience, walk around until you find something that appeals to you. There is no dearth of restaurants, cafes and sushi bars in Tokyo. We didn't find pubs though, not the kind you would expect in a Westernised city or a resort beach like Bali. You would find instead nightclubs (varying degrees of sleaze and kinkiness) or karaoke lounges. But the search for food is well worth the effort if you want to avoid touristy joints and sub-par cuisine.

Look out for our Onsen For Idiots post coming soon.

In case you are really looking for food in Tokyo, do ask me for directions if you would really like to try what we had. Most establishments we patronised had names we couldn't read and so I really can't give an address. Addresses are in Japanese anyway, and Google maps doesn't do English translations.

So break out your kimono and get ready to bite a shrimp head off!


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