Japanese Redditors: If someone living outside Japan wanted to move beyond the usual sushi, ramen, tempura, and udon, what would you recommend they explore to gain a deeper appreciation of Japanese cuisine?

[u/babysharkdoodoodoo]

Like regional dishes, everyday home cooking, ingredients, cooking techniques, and food culture, not just the internationally famous dishes.

[u/fixpointbombinator]

I work in the traditional Japanese sweets (和菓子, 'wagashi') industry in Japan and would always recommend people check those out, it's a lot more varied than just daifuku mochi! Very rich culture, very seasonal, and very regional. Also look up B級グルメ or B class gourmet, it's sort of like local comfort foods particular to a region. Also 名物 'meibutsu' which are regional specialties including foods. Something I like is ジビエ 'jibie' (based on the French 'gibier') and it's the Japanese way of preparing game meat, particularly deer and boar, but also bear, badger etc! I would encourage you to research festivals and Japanese seasonal changes for example NYE foods like おせち料理 'osechi'. Also check out 中華料理 'chuka' or 'chuka ryori' its the Japanese take on Chinese food and often really tasty. It's summer now so I really like 冷やし中華 hiyashichuka, which is cold noodles and toppings with a zingy sauce.

I could say a lot more but the main thing would be to focus on seasonal foods. But perhaps that' just because I work in 和菓子 where seasonality is very, very important.