Japanese Food

Everyday Food

Chikuwa, Kamaboko, and Hanpen: Japan’s Everyday World of Fish Cakes

Chikuwa, kamaboko, hanpen, and satsuma-age begin with the same basic idea. Japan turned fish paste into a diverse everyday food culture.
Everyday Food

Bamiyan: Japan’s Chinese Family Restaurant Named After an Afghan City

Bamiyan is a casual Chinese restaurant chain in Japan. Its food is carefully standardized, its logo is a peach, and its name comes from an ancient city in Afghanistan.
Everyday Food

Eating Unagi at Lake Hamana: A Japanese Food Culture With a Complicated Future

Unagi is a beloved Japanese eel dish connected to rice, summer customs, Lake Hamana, resource concerns, and the future of complete aquaculture.
Everyday Food

Why Japanese People Care So Much About Rice

Rice is ordinary in Japan, but it connects supermarkets, family farms, varieties, breeding, sake, recent shortages, and everyday meals.
Everyday Food

Inari Sushi: The Everyday Sushi Without Raw Fish

Inari sushi is a familiar everyday sushi in Japan made with vinegared rice wrapped in sweet fried tofu. It contains no raw fish and is often found in bento boxes, supermarkets, airports, and travel meals.
Everyday Food

Green Tea Is Not the Only Everyday Tea in Japan Anymore

Japanese tea culture is often associated with green tea, but everyday bottled tea in Japan is becoming more diverse, including barley tea, blended tea, and caffeine-free options.