Sushi

There's quite a lot of variety- people obviously think of sushi, and that seems to be quite an important as a kind of 'treat' food. Sushi is fish, octopus, squid and other stuff on top of vinegared rice, sashimi is raw fish sliced on a platter, important seasonings for those are soy and wasabi.

Fried beef (yaki niku) and fried chicken (yaki tori) are important forms of fast food, each has its own distinctive sauce. You can get a big bowl of rice called a donburi with different kinds of meat and fish on it, a classic donburi dish is 'Oyako-don', which is chicken and an egg together on a donburi.

A traditional breakfast would be a bowl of miso soup, some rice, maybe some little silver fish, and maybe some sticky soy beans (Natto), with a cup of oriental tea (o-cha). There is a distinctive cold barley tea that is refreshing in summer, that's 'mugi-cha'. There's a really wide variety of teas as you can imagine- macha is powdered green tea prepared with a whisk, hard to remember the others.

Japan has had it's own style of curry since about the 1920s, very smooth, maybe a little spicier than a korma, and curry and rice is quite an important food.There's all sorts of fish to be had, hard to remember all the names, and it is not unknown to have a kind of fish barbecue in summer on a little brazier called a shichirin. Quite a lot of cooking 'eating out' is done in front of you, whether it's frying meat on a hot plate, cooking a shellfish until it opens, or frying an 'okonomiyaki' pancake. Okonomiyaki is wonderful, a kind of pancake with cabbage cut into it and whatever fillings you want, served with mayonaise and a date sauce.
Someone mentioned 'Shabu-Shabu', that's another good example.


Convenience stores stock a number of different snacks... 'o-don' is a kind of stew you get to pick the bits you want out of, quite a concentrated flavour I believe. Rice balls are 'o-nigiri' , glutinous rice wrapped in sea weed, and a variety of fillings to choose from. A sweeter snack is mochi, a very gluey kind of rice ball made with powdered rice and filled with sweet red beans- a very sweet dessert is uji-kin-toki, which is red beans, mochi, and ice cream together, I think it can have peanuts on it. That's in restaurants really, back in the conbini, there are all sorts of cakes to be had- 'melon-pan' or melon bread is a big cake like a half football with sugar on the top and supposedly flavoured with melon. 'An-pan' is a smaller bread, filled with red bean.

There are couple of chinese influenced traditional snacks- a 'niku-man' is steamed bread with a meaty filling, eaten with a sinus-cleansingly strong yellow mustard. 'Harumaki' are spring rolls. What else? There's quite a wide range of little condiments to put in the rice, from tiny fish to tiny crabs to different kinds of pickles, and on Kyushu 'basashi', or horse sashimi, is possible. Each area seems to have its own local dish, there's a kind of tasty rolled Tofu that you can only get in the ancient town of Nikko. I ought to mention the 'jyu-bako' as well, a special food for New Year's Day- actually, ten different dishes, each inside its own box, the whole family sits around and eats from them... I had some once, but so long ago now, I can't remember exactly what was in it... but it was delicious.... or, as the Japanese say, 'oishikatta'!

A lot of the Japanese restaurants you will see in the UK are Teppanyaki, or iron board frying- the chef has a big iron hot plate, and he fries everything in front of you. That's dento, but the staff are rarely Japanese. I suppose it's a means of cooking more than a distinct dish, they can do you okonomiyaki, or fat soba buckwheat noodles fried up, or a donburi with eel on it - unagi-don! The only time I tried this, the eel and the sauce was just right, but the rice wasn't proper Japanese rice- it should stick together. Again, each region seems to have its own rice, and the locals are very discerning over the quality of it. I suppose that's the Japanese taste, not all asians prefer rice that sticks together. Having mentioned soba noodles, I suppose it's worth mentioning the range of noodles on offer- the most famous kind is probably ramen, and instant ramen noodles are available to buy almost everywhere. You just take them home, pour in hot water, put the seasoning in, and wait three minutes, and that's all you need. Mighty... Noodles can be in a soup, fried with other ingredients, or served cold. Cold soba is another sort of fast food, just right on a hot day

Umeboshi

     Umeboshi are usually eaten with rice, in small quantities.

As part of a bento (Japanese lunchbox), a single umeboshi is often placed in the centre of the rice to recreate the flag of Japan, the Hinomaru Bento. Umeboshi is claimed to fight bacteria. It is claimed that placing an umeboshi on the rice will inhibit bacteria (umeboshi are over 20% salt and salt acts as a preservative). The sour and salty umeboshi is also claimed to help digestion.

It is also a common ingredient in onigiri, rice balls wrapped in nori, and they may also be used in makizushi. Makizushi made with umeboshi may be made with either pitted umeboshi or umeboshi paste (which is cheaper), often in conjunction with slivered fresh green perilla (shiso) leaves.

Umeboshi is often used as a cooking accent to enhance flavor and presentation.

Umeboshi may also be served as a complement of a green tea or a drink with shochu and hot water.

Drinking a cup of umeshu before a meal is claimed to increase the appetite.

Umeboshi were esteemed by the samurai to combat battle fatigue. The standard Japanese folk remedy for colds and flus is okayu (rice congee) with umeboshi.

Children's candy shops sometimes carry karikari ume, or prepackaged, crunchy pickled ume.

Umeboshi are often eaten as snacks; in the United States many Japanese grocery stores stock umeboshi. Eating umeboshi in Japan is the equivalent of the United States "an apple a day.

Nutrition facts

Umeboshi per 100g contains elements as follows.

• Calorie 33kcal
• Protein 0.9g
• Fat 0.2g
• Carbohydrate 10.5g
• Sodium 8700 mg
• Potassium 440 mg
• Manganese 0.23 mg
• VitaminA 7μg
• VitaminB₁ 0.02 mg
• VitaminB₂ 0.01 mg
• Cholesterol 0 mg
• Dietary fiber 3.6g
• salt 22.1g

Takuan

For the Japanese Zen Buddhist, see Takuan Sōhō. For a volcanic complex in Papua New Guinea, see Takuan Group.

Traditional takuan

Takuan, also known as takuwan or takuan-zuke, is a popular traditional Japanese pickle. It is made from daikon radish. In addition to being served alongside other types of tsukemono in traditional Japanese cuisine, takuan is also enjoyed at the end of meals as it is thought to aiddigestion.

Takuan is made by first hanging a daikon radish in the sun for a few weeks until it becomes flexible. Next, the daikon is placed in a pickling crock and covered with a mix of salt, rice bran, optionally sugar, daikon greens, kombu, and perhaps chilli pepper and/or dried persimmon peels. A weight is then placed on top of the crock, and the daikon is allowed to pickle for several months. The finished takuan is usually yellow in colour, although most mass-produced takuan rely on food coloring for this effect.

Takuan is also popular in Korea and is called danmuji. It is used as a filling for gimbap, or as an accompaniment to Korean dishes, 

Tsukemono

Tsukemono ( literally "pickled things") are Japanese.^] They are served with rice as okazu (side dish) with drinks as an otsumami (snack), as an accompaniment to or garnish for meals, and as a course in the kaiseki portion of a Japanese tea ceremony.

The most common kinds of tsukemono are pickled in salt or brine. This means that according to EU and USA trade code definitions for duty tax purposes Japanese 'pickles' are in fact 'preserved vegetables' and not 'pickles' as they are not primarily preserved in acetic acid or distilled vinegar. Soy sauce, miso,vinegar, rice bran (nuka), and sake lees (sake kasu) are also useful for pickling.

Takuan (daikon), umeboshi (ume plum), turnip, cucumber, and Chinese cabbage are among the favorites to be eaten with rice as an accompaniment to a meal. Beni shoga (red ginger) is used as a garnish on okonomiyaki, takoyaki and yakisoba. Gari (ginger) is used between dishes of sushi to cleanse the palate. Rakkyōzuke (a type of onion) is often served with Japanese curry.

Traditionally, the Japanese prepared tsukemono themselves. Pickling was one of the fundamental ways to preserve food. Nowadays, tsukemono can be readily bought in a supermarket, but despite this many Japanese still make their own. Typically, all that's needed to make pickles is a container, salt, and something to apply pressure on top of the pickles.

     A tsukemonoki ( literally vessel for pickled things, is a Japanese pickle press. The pressure is generated by heavy stones calledtsukemonoishi  with a weight of one to two kilograms, sometimes more. This type of pickle press is still in use, and can be made from a variety of materials, such as plastic, wood, glass or ceramic. Before tsukemonoishi came into use, the pressure was applied by driving a wedge between a handle of the container and its lid.

The weights are either stone or metal, with a handle on top and often covered with a layer of food-neutral plastic. Another modern type of pickle press is usually made from plastic, and the necessary pressure is generated by turning a screw and clamping down onto the pickles.

KAISEKI RYORI

       Kaiseki-ryori is an artistic and gracious Japanese seasonal cuisine. In fact, it can be said that kaiseki ryori is the ultimate Japanese cuisine. In Japanese, ryori means dishes, so what does "kaiseki" mean? The meaning comes from the story that said Buddhist priests in strict Zen training used to keep a hot stone (seki) in their kimono pocket (kai) in order to make their fasting more bearable. The kaiseki-ryori was originally served during traditional tea ceremonies and is also called cha (tea) kaiseki. It was thought that the tea would taste better if the people weren't starved. So the word "kaiseki" is used for the light meal served during the tea ceremony. 
Kaiseki-ryori uses the fresh ingredients of the season and are cooked in ways that enhance the original taste of the ingredients.
Each dish is simply seasoned and presented beautifully in nice dinnerware. Often, things from nature, such as tree leaves and flowers, accompany the dish. Kaiseki-ryori was vegetarian in its origin, but nowadays, the modern kaiseki meal may include meat and seafood. 

Japanese people go to a kaiseki restaurant during special occasions. If you need to entertain your special guests, kaiseki-ryori is a good choice. Kaiseki is a meal of courses, consisting of a number of small dishes: steamed dishes, simmered dishes, and grilled dishes. It often includes sliced raw fish (sashimi), tempura, grilled fish, soup, rice, and so on.

The basic cha kaiseki course served in a tea ceremony includes one kind of soup and three kinds of vegetable dishes. In addition, a cup of clear soup called hashiarai (which means washing chopsticks), a plate called hassun, which presents a few kinds of vegetables and seafood, and pickles called konomono.

Although each dish holds only a small serving, it's good to take your time to eat, being sure to enjoy the presentation of the food and the atmosphere of the room. Most kaiseki restaurants are high class and very formal. Consequently, the kaiseki-ryori is usually expensive, since it takes time and skill to prepare. If you eat a course in a kaiseki restaurant, it can cost more than 20,000 yen ($150) per person. Some restaurants are even more expensive. But don't worry, you can also order boxed meals called kaiseki-bento or mini-kaiseki in most of the kaiseki restaurants. These are more reasonably priced and are suitable for lunch. Mini-kaiseki can be under 5,000 yen ($40) per person. Each kaiseki restaurant's prices vary, 

so you should be able to find a restaurant to match your budget. Just remember to make a reservation. Some Japanese inns serve kaiseki dinner for guests, especially in Kyoto. Outside of Japan