Japanese Food

Famous Japanese Cuisine Became UNESCO Heritage
Japanese food is now spread to the world and eaten in many countries. You may have heard some of the Japanese food such as “Sushi”, “Teriyaki, "Kobe Beef Steak(or "Wagyu" Beef Steak)", “Tempura”, “Yakitori”, “Teppan-yaki”, “Yakiniku”(Japanese style BBQ), or “Ramen”, which are most common style of Japanese food in the world. Because of its fresh seasonal ingredients and sophisticated cooking style, it is said that the Japanese food plays essential role of Japanese having the longest life expectancy in the world. In year 2013, Japanese traditional cuisine has added to the UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. It is the fifth food related UNESCO heritage after French cuisine, Mediterranean cuisines, Mexican cuisine, and Turkish cuisine.

Steamed White Rice with Many Different Seasonal Dishes
The combination of steamed white rice with “miso soup” and seasonal dishes is the most common and traditional style of Japanese cuisine. The seasonal side dishes often consist of fish, pickled vegetables, and vegetables cooked in broth. Fish plays very important role in the Japanese cuisine. It is often grilled, but it also be served raw as sashimi or in sushi. Seafood and vegetables are also deep-fried in a light batter as tempura. Other than rice, two main noodles, such as soba (thin, grayish-brown noodles containing buckwheat flour) and udon (thick wheat noodles) are considered as one of the staples in Japan.

Japanese white steamed rice is served in its own small bowl called “chawan”, and each course item is placed on its own small plate or bowl for each individual portion. Meals are clearly divided into a main dish and side dishes (white steamed rice and accompanying dishes) and eaten alternately (so-called Sankaku tabe (triangular eating). This style of eating is common even at home. It contrasts with the Western-style dinners at home and other Asian cuisines, where each individual takes helpings from the large serving dishes of food presented at the middle of the dining table. Also, Japanese style eating traditionally dislike different flavored dishes touching each other on a single plate, so different dishes are given their own individual plates as mentioned, or are partitioned using leaves, etc. Moreover, within the area of chopstick culture, Japan is considered to be the only country where only chopsticks are used for all the food (other than Japan, it is normal to use dippers such as renge (Chinese spoon) and spoons when eating soup and rice).

Traditional Japanese Cuisine Strives to Present Seasonality ("Shun")
As Japan has four distinctive seasons consist of “Haru (Spring)”, “Natsu (Summer)”, “Aki (Autumn)”, and “Fuyu (Winter)”, Japanese people have been always place seasonality of food on the dishes to herald the arrival of the each season. Much like the haiku poem, traditional Japanese cuisine try to present seasonality (shun) for taking advantage of the "fruit of the mountains" (山の幸 yama no sachi) as well as the "fruit of the sea" (海の幸 umi no sachi) as they come into season. Use of tree leaves and branches as decor is also characteristic of Japanese cuisine. Maple leaves are often floated on water to exude coolness or ryō (涼), sprigs of nandina are popularly used. The haran (Aspidistra) and sasa bamboo leaves were often cut into shapes, and placed underneath of the food or used as separators.