“Itadakimasu”
Meals in Japan are very different from the meals I am used to eating in the US. For the most part, meal times are the same, most restaurants are always serving food so you can really eat whenever you want. I usually stick to the same schedule I followed in the US, eating breakfast around 8:00 am, lunch after class around 12:00pm and dinner anytime between 6:00pm and 8:00pm. I have noticed that the portion sizes in Japan are smaller than the US. Drink sizes are much smaller at American restaurants like McDonald’s and Starbucks. In terms of etiquette, there are different cultural rules surrounding eating in Japan. For example, in Japan it is okay to slurp your soup when eating or to eat some sushi with your hands. It is not okay to stick your chop sticks directly into your rice bowl when eating rice or to talk loudly during meals. Before eating everyone at the table says “itadakimasu” and when you are finished everyone says “gochisosama” before leaving the table. Both of these phrases translate to meaning that we are thankful for the meal. Before drinking it is customary to say “kanpai” which is the equivalent to “cheers” in English. I have used chopsticks to eat every meal I have had in Japan, though on some occasions (like at non-Japanese restaurants) silverware is given to eat with.
For the most part, I eat breakfast and lunch in the same place everyday, but where I eat dinner varies. I usually eat breakfast at the hotel café before class and I usually eat lunch after class in the university cafeteria. The food at the cafeteria is really good. There are a lot of different options to chose from every day, from noodles, to ramen, rice bowls, and egg dishes. The food is also really cheap, which is a plus. All of the food is fresh, too and made right when you order. Where I eat dinner usually depends on where our site visit was for that day. For example, if we visit a shrine near Harajuku I will stay in that area for dinner. We usually get dinner at restaurants or small bars called “Izakayas”.
What is eaten at each meal is also very different from the United States. For breakfast, it is certainly possible to find typical American foods, like eggs, pancakes, or bacon, but usually foods like rice, miso soup, or fish are eaten. Lunch and dinner foods vary, I usually eat ramen or a rice bowl for these meals. Popular foods also include curry, meat (like pork or chicken), and yakitori (meat, fish, or vegetables, on a skewer). My favorite foods I have eaten so far are onigiri and mochi. Onigiri are rice balls wrapped in seaweed and stuffed with things like fish or eggs. Mochi are sweet rice balls filled with red bean paste. I also really like sweet bread, which is a melon flavored bread filled with melon flavored cream, and matcha milk tea or ice cream.
