Food in Japan

The best part of coming to Japan has to be the food. The food here is amazing. The meal times are the same as the times in most western nations. There are three meals a day and frequent snacks in between. The eating etiquettes are very formal in Japan. People do not eat or drink while walking on the streets. People always wipe their hands with a wet napkin provide with meals. They eat with their mouth close and try not to bother other people with their chewing or talking. The portion sizes are slightly smaller than the portion sizes in the States.

The variety of food here in Japan is amazing. There are all types of food here. Just to name a few, you can find McDonalds, Subway, and other American fast food chains. On top of these options, there are traditional Japanese food options like ramen, sushi, gyoza, and soba. If you are willing to spend a little bit more, there are amazing Italian and Korean restaurants here. There really is not a place that I have eaten most of my meals because I am just trying out the myriad of options available. I have not been able to visit any restaurant more than once. I can honestly say that there has not been a meal that I have not enjoyed. The quality of the ingredients are so much better. The prices are cheaper than meals in Boston.

The most delicious food that I have ate so far was buckwheat soba noodles. Soba noodles are cold noodles served in a sweet soy sauce base. The cold noodles are dipped in the sauce and slurped. The slurping is supposed to help with the overall satisfaction of the meal, as it helps you smell what you are eating. Since smell is a huge part of taste it makes sense. Soba is usually served with tempura, which are food battered and fried. The tempura given with our soba were amazing. They were crisp on the outside and the vegetables on the inside were cooked to perfection. The restaurant was very traditional Japanese, so it made the experience so much better.