Here is a check list for you to print out and keep with you as you travel around Japan. As you eat the various delectable fare, simply check the items off the list!

Miso soup		Sushi - This is Japan's trademark national dish: raw-fish-on-rice.
		Miso soup - Rest assured: what you see moving in this traditional soup is NOT swimming around under its own locomotion. Anymore.
		Sashimi - This is Sushi sans the rice. Sometimes served so fresh that you can enjoy this while the fish hasn't quite yet realized what has happened to it.
		Tonkatsu - This is really a Western import, although it has been modified for Japanese tastes, and can't be had in Toronto. Pity. A nice way to serve breaded pork cutlets and cabbage.
		Ramen & Gyoza - These are really "Chinese" food, but are so common that this bowl of noodle soup and fried dumplings have become a staple in the Japanese diet.
		Unagi - The first time I ate eel was in France, but the Japanese do a good job of eel as well.
Tonkatsu - Pork fillet		Tempura - Another Japanese classic which originated as a Western import.
		Sukiyaki - Who says the Japanese aren't big beef eaters? Try out a succulent sukiyaki dinner. Good home cooking flavor with plenty of veggies, too.
		Big Mac - An American classic, and the most likely 'alternative food' for travellers who are afraid of what they see in the display cases of Japanese restaurants.
		Fugu - Deadly. More Japanese die from poisoning after eating this fish than any other source of food poisoning. You will see fugu restaurants all over.
		Kaiseki - Japanese food as art, and presented a little bit at a time in small portions.
Nabe Ryori - Japanese bouillabaise		Soba - Noodles made with 100% (Canadian) buckwheat.
		Udon - Thick noodles the diameter of your baby finger. Often served in hot bowls of soup as an alternative to soba.
		Tako yaki - Pieces of octopus tentacles mixed with batter and cooked in ball shaped moulds. Served often at summer festivals and from roadside stands. Almost singlehandedly defines the olfactory experience of Japanese summer festivals.
		Nabe Ryori - This food is often served in cast iron pots and the contents may still be simmering. Nabe means pot.
		O-senbei - Rice crackers. These have even made it to North America. Who needs Pringles when you can eat salted rice crackers?
Unagi - Eel		Okonomi yaki - Often mistaken for pizza when viewed in the window of shops. Not quite the same. A pancake of egg, flour, and other goodies such as octopus, etc.
		Onigiri - A palm size portion of rice with tuna or a tart plum in the middle, typically wrapped up in seaweed (to keep the fingers clean!)
		Natto - Putrified beans. Served when the bean is partly decomposed and gooey. Honest. You can smell the stuff a mile away. Many Japanese believe that there is some kind of nutritional merit in eating the stuff. Yes, they serve it daily at the Sanwa cafeteria.
		O-mochi - Rice pounded after cooking such that it gains the consistency of hot roasted marshmallows. Served in many different ways. Making o-mochi is a New Year's tradition.
		Curry Rice - This is the #1 favorite food chosen in a survey of Japanese schoolchildren. As a measure of its popularity: it is available every day at the Sanwa Bank cafeteria. The #2 food on the list can be bought at McDonald's.
Sashimi - Raw whatever		Yaki niku - This is a Korean specialty: strips of marinated beef roasted over a grill. Pretty tasty. ...and the beef is from Montana.
		Hiya-Yakko - A cold leathery slab of tofu over which you pour soya sauce and katsuobushi fish flakes and ginger, and eat as-is with chopsticks. A Japanese sirloin steak substitute.
		Dengaku - Tofu cut into mouthbite pieces, coated with miso paste, and roasted over hot coals. Tasty.
		Yakitori - Charcoal grilled skewers of chicken, either salted, or coated with a basting sauce. Served at most drinking establishments and in front of train stations, etc. Great stuff.
		Oyako-don - A member of the "don" family of foods including: Gyu-don, and Ten-don. Oyako-don is made of Egg and Chicken served hot on rice with a sauce. A great lunch.

This site created by Eric and Midori Fandrich. Please drop us a line!