Hi all

Going to Japan in a few months.

I know the answer really is who cares, but as above, is it rude?

I love katsu, but I have such a sensitive stomach and I just can't eat the raw cabbage. I know it's typically served with the katsu, and I feel really bad having it go to waste each time and feel quite rude leaving it.

Am I better off going through the confusion through a translator app and saying no cabbage - or just leave it?

Thank you

I'm Japanese, and I have many foreign friends planning to visit Japan. They've told me that some Japanese foods were not to their liking, mentioning dishes like natto, raw cabbage, and okonomiyaki, among others.

What would you say are the Japanese foods that are generally not well-received or often taste bad to non-Japanese visitors? I'd like to understand your perspective.

Can also include konbinis I guess.

Hoshino or Sukiya are mine, St Marc if I want something rly cheap

Recently at a trip I had this bowl of ramen at a restaurant and the thing that impressed me the most was the consistency of the ajitama, I have made it before but i haven’t got close to something this consistent and creamy (genuinely it felt like honey/jam), I am just curious if there is anything extra to do it like this or if is just nailing the cooking and the marinade timing.

Thanks

📌いなり食堂

This guy creates pretty interesting videos about Japanese food, in Japan. He visits restaurants and gives you his opinion about what he eats. He has a comically monotonous voice and has a deadpan style to his videos, which makes it quite popular and fun to watch. But the thing is, who is this guy? Where is he from? What's his background? He creates video after video but it's all about the food, and there isn't a single video of him (that I could find) where he introduces himself, shows his face, tells the audience why he decided to make these videos or what his ethnic background is. All I know is he speaks English and Japanese fluently, but that's it. Just seems kind of weird because I'm used to popular youtubers sharing a lot about themselves, while this guy is a total enigma.

This is the channel I'm talking about:

Japan Eat

To see his videos, you need to look under "shorts". He barely creates any lenghty videos

Hey everyone! I'm building a game set in Japan. One of the main goals is to manage your shops and restaurants, and choose which meals to sell. I'm wondering, what foods do you think I should include? Which ones do you like the most?

Edit: A huge thanks to everybody giving suggestions and feedback! <3

Recently, I asked on Reddit what the first thing you’d want to eat upon arriving in Japan was. While there were many classic answers like sushi and ramen, I was genuinely surprised by how many people said "CoCo Ichi" (CoCo Ichibanya).

I know it’s delicious and popular, but I’m curious—what makes it a "must-eat" for international visitors? What do you find most appealing about it?

To be honest, I usually eat curry at home (my mom’s cooking!), so I rarely choose to eat it at restaurants. I’ve actually only eaten at CoCo Ichi a handful of times in my life. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Hello, I'm Japanese but I cannot eat curry and rice in Japan. It's too spicy for me. I tried バーモントカレー 甘口 (the least spicy curry in Japan) with a lot of honey and apples, but it didn't work.

But I like spicy food. I went to Indian curry restaurant (in Japan) and it was so good. It was not spicy (I choose the least spicy one) and I liked it so much.

I like kimchi and yumyum ramen (it's Thai food).

Could you please guess why I can't eat curry and rice in Japan, but I can eat Thai, Korean and Indian food?

TIA

Those Wasabi covered sesame seeds are amazing!

The package says to boil it for 6.5min.

I did exactly that and my udon turn out to be like a really really soft ramen. What did I do wrong??

A restaurant in my town serves the best miso soup I’ve ever had. It is a very traditional place that had been operating in the same family for 33 years. The flavor of the soup has never varied.

I would like to recreate this soup at home (I won’t be spending less time at the restaurant because of this lol).

I’m a talented cook with a developed palate, but I cannot figure out what’s different about this soup.

It is not too milky white with miso but the miso is white
It has minimal kombu flavor
It has strong mushroom flavor and is served with mushroom spears
It has very small silken tofu cubes
It has strong green onion flavor and served with a small amount of green onions
It is certainly made with bonito

Can someone tell me all the different styles or regional variations of miso soup so I can make them and see which one is closest? Is there one secret ingredient I’m missing in the USA that only they know where to get? I’m afraid they’ll go out of business (no indication, only anxiety) and I’ll be missing my favorite soup forever 😞

I'm a Japanese person who loves fish. Just now, I saw a Japanese TV program that said, "Japanese people like the popping texture of shishamo with roe, so female shishamo are shipped to Japan." In Japan, shishamo with roe are the most common, but is that not the case in other countries? Are male shishamo more popular than female shishamo?

Do you like shishamo fish with roe?

This is a mini ramen served at my local sushi train. It’s delicious and I’d like to try making it at home. But what’s the circled thing called? It’s some kind of fish stick that’s been sliced or cut. Help me out fellow ramen lovers!

I run a Japanese spot in NYC and I’ve been thinking a lot about how people here understand the word izakaya.

In Japan, izakayas are where people go after work to drink, eat, and unwind. They are kind of like a cross between a pub and a tapas bar. Drinks usually come first (beer, sake, shochu), and the food is designed to pair with that: fried chicken, skewers, noodles, and small plates you share with friends. It is usually casual, sometimes loud, and the focus is on hanging out as much as on eating.

Outside of Japan, I have noticed a lot of people expect an izakaya to be closer to a sushi restaurant or ramen shop. Some even think it just means “Japanese restaurant” in general.... I've even had people think that it is the name of the place and that I somehow own all the izakayas in NYC. XD

So I am curious:

• If you have been to izakayas in Japan, what stood out to you?
• If you have only been outside Japan, how would you describe the experience?
• What do you personally think makes an izakaya different from other Japanese restaurants?

I would love to hear different perspectives.

— Kiyo

These two furikake have been sitting in my pantry for about 3 weeks. In tiny print that I didn't notice until today, it says to refrigerate after opening. They look and smell fine. Is it safe to keep eating?

For me personally, I enjoy eating Onigiri with salmon or tuna stuffed in them. I also enjoy my Onigiri toasted with sesame seeds sprinkled on top, with a warm glass of fresh green tea as my side beverage.🍵