This is going to be a long post, but there is a lot to cover when it comes to dining out, etiquette, and eating food in Japan both at home and local restaurants. Jill and I have been in Japan well over a year now, I have her beat by a few months. Nonetheless, we both love Japanese food and the whole eating culture here. We’ve learned so much about proper Japanese dining here and types of food. Believe it or not, the Japanese do eat a lot of other stuff that is not just Sushi. Sure, the sushi is amazing here, but there is so much more! Unfortunately, a lot of our favorite dishes are unheard of in the States, like Okonomiyaki. Surprisingly there are a ton of Indian and Italian restaurants in Japan. The Indian restaurants are some of our favorites as the Naan bread is delicious! You won’t find better Naan bread then in Japan. We live off-base and do about 95% of our grocery shopping at local grocery stores. We do a fair amount of cooking in our tiny apartment kitchen. In this post, I’ll outline some proper restaurant and eating etiquettes while dining in Japan, shopping at grocery stores, eating at home, and some of our favorite dishes.
For first time visitors in Japan, it can seem quite confusing to find a restaurant, order, sit down, pay, and leave. There are restaurants all over the place, but they are not as noticeable as they are in other parts of the world. I’ve walked by restaurants everyday that I had no idea even existed until someone pointed it out.
Restaurants here generally excel in one dish. You go to a ramen restaurant, or sushi restaurant. There are very few places like Chili’s where you can get a sandwich one day, a plate of nachos the next day, and a slab of ribs after that. You go to a ramen place here and that is what they serve. I mean they will have some sides like gyoza or fried rice, but the main dish will be ramen. Another difference is the size of the restaurants. For the most part they are on the smaller side. I’m talking like a couple tables in a restaurant and maybe some stools lined up in front of the kitchen. I’ve been to several places that have room for six people and the chef’s are literally right behind you cooking. For the most part, you will find small mom and pop restaurants and they are usually the best.
In Japan, you typically pay for your meal after you eat like most places. But here, once you finish your meal, you just get up and walk to the counter and pay, in cash usually. Credit Card is not widely used here. Another thing we love about dining in Japan, is that tables will have a pitcher of ice water and cups. You serve your own water. This eliminates the annoying waitress like in the States that comes to the table every 5 minutes asking how everything is. The best part of all is there is NO tipping here. Employees actually make a living wage in the restaurant industry, so your final bill is what you pay, there is no trying to figure out what 20% of the bill is to tip or anything. Some people might think I am rude for saying this, but I hate tipping in America. We are expected to tip 20%, to me that is another beer or appetizer. I always tip that amount, but if you don’t you get a rude stare from the waiter. Would be nice if restaurants paid for their employees so we wouldn’t have to, no wonder why restaurants are thriving. I agree with the reason why Japanese don’t tip, they feel you are judging them based on their performance, which is 100% true, rant over.
No forks and knives here. While dining in Japan, we eat with Hashi (chopsticks). Even ramen is eaten with chopsticks. Prior to moving to Japan, I used chopsticks at home on occasion. I enjoy eating with them as it is at a slower pace, makes you feel like your are working more for your food.
Some restaurants will have a meal ticket machine by the front, kind of like a vending machine. You put money in the machine, and select what you want. Usually there are pictures on the buttons for us foreigners. The machine will print out tickets which you then hand over to the chef.
Most restaurants have Western style tables and chairs to sit at, although there are many traditional restaurants that still have you sit on the floor, this is always a fun experience. These arrangements will have a short table on the floor with cushions for everybody to sit on. In most cases the floor will be a tatami mat which is a traditional rice straw floor material. There are even restaurants that have this style of traditional seating but have a hole in the floor for your legs. No matter what, always take off your shoes if you are sitting on the floor.
Types of Restaurants and Dishes
Earlier, I mentioned that Japanese restaurants generally specialize in one dish or style of food. Most people are already familiar with sushi and ramen, but there are many other restaurants that can be found throughout Japan. Below are some restaurant styles that I have become familiar with while living in Japan.
Curry – I always thought curry was strictly an Indian dish, but it is extremely popular in Japan and they have their own variety. There are many restaurants like Coco’s and 100 Hour Curry that specialize in Japanese curry. Japanese curry is usually sweeter then Indian curry and not as spicy. It is usually eaten with traditional food items like tonkatsu, fried chicken, or mixed with noodles. 
Fried Chicken (Karaage) – I don’t know what they do with their chicken here but it is phenomenal. I never ate that much fried chicken, but it’s addicting here. I even love the fried chicken at the convenience stores here. You can find it everywhere, a lot of restaurants have it as a main course. The meat is always juicy and the breading is light but not as greasy.
Izakaya – Izakaya is a Japanese version of a pub. These pubs usually serve small meals like tapas and offer beer on tap and mixed drinks.
Okonomiyaki – My post on Hiroshima has an extensive section on okonomiyaki. I will keep this short, but okonomiyaki has become one of our favorite meals here in Japan. Prior to coming here, I’ve never even heard of this dish. They call it a Japanese pancake, but I feel it’s very misleading. In short, there are two styles of okonomiyaki, Hiroshima and Osaka style. The Hiroshima style takes the ingredients and layers it while the Osaka style mixes the ingredients together in a bowl before cooking it. I prefer the Hiroshima style by far although the Osaka style is very good. Okonomiyaki is cooked on a flat grill, for the Hiroshima style, a thin layer of a pancake like batter is spread thinly, then ingredients (noodles, lettuce, bean sprouts, bacon) are layered on top. The dish is flipped over on an egg and then served with other toppings of your choosing. I usually get mine with seafood (octopus, shrimp, and squid). Okonomiyaki is an experience in itself. Most places have chairs right at the grill, so the chef just slides the dish in front of you to begin eating! Okonomiyaki is our comfort food. 
Ramen – I could and I might write a post just on ramen. Ramen restaurants are abundant in Japan. There are probably a dozen at least in Iwakuni. Ramen is a regional dish and each region has a claim to fame. Personally, I like tonkotsu ramen the best. Tonkotsu ramen was first made in Fukuoka and it is a rich and creamy pork broth as a result of boiling pork bones in water for long periods of time. There are other styles of Ramen throughout Japan to include shio ramen which is salt based, shoyu (soy sause based), and miso (soybean paste). I’ve also had garlic ramen, spicy ramen, ramen in wild boar broth with yuzu, you name it. The ramen will generally come with green onions, chashu (slices of pork belly), bean sprouts, a seasoned egg, and seaweed. 
Shabu-Shabu – A Japanese style hot pot. At restaurants, a large pot sits in the middle of the table and is filled with a broth. Most shabu-shabu places we go to have a divided pot so two types of broths can be used. The easy way to describe this is that you get thinly sliced meats and vegetables and drop them in the hot broth until cooked. The Shabu-Shabu restaurants we’ve been to are buffet style. You get a time limit generally 60 or 90 minutes, and they bring out as much meat as you order. There is a counter full of vegetables, salads, and dipping sauces that is all included with the meal. Shabu-Shabu is a great for large gatherings and is a very fun way to cook food.
Soba – Soba is a buckwheat noodle. This is kind of like a pasta noodle we are all familiar with and looks similar to spaghetti. Soba is usually used in ramen and okonomiyaki. 
Sushi – Sushi is just as popular here in Japan as it is in the United States. Iwakuni alone has at least 3 conveyor belt sushi restaurants and there are probably over a dozen small sushi restaurants. Sushi is basically a small amount of rice prepared with vinegar accompanied by another ingredient such as seaweed or fish. There are several types of sushi. A few examples are Nigiri (rice balls with fish or other meats on top), Maki (Rice and other ingredients wrapped in seaweed), and uramaki (rice surrounds the seaweed and other ingredients). As much as a foodie as I am, I prefer Nigiri sushi and am not a huge fan of the other styles.
Here in Japan, there are traditional sushi restaurants, where the chef prepares fresh sushi in front of your eyes and serves it to you on a small plate. It is pretty common to find conveyor belt sushi restaurants. There are a few chains here that are popular because they sell 100 Yen or $1 sushi plates. The concept is easy, the chef’s are in the back preparing dishes and they set the plate on a conveyor belt which runs through the restaurant. Customers can simply grab the plate off the conveyer belt. Many restaurants will have color coded plates which determines the price of the sushi. At the end the waiter will come and count the number of plates to ring up the order.
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Takoyaki – This dish is more of an appetizer or popular street food dish. Takoyaki is an octopus ball. The dish starts with a batter filled with minced octopus and is cooked in a special pan that gives it a ball shape. The octopus balls are then served with a takoyaki sauce, mayonaise, and a dried fish shaving.
Tempura – Basically just fried food. But the Japanese have mastered fried food. There are tempura restaurants and street vendors that deep fry seafood, meats, and vegetables here. Tempura can be served as a main dish, a side, or even in soup. 
Tonkatsu – Kind of like a German schnitzel, tonkatsu is a breaded deep fried pork cutlet. Tonkatsu is pretty popular here and there are restaurants that specialize in this dish. 
Udon – A very thick wheat flour noodle. I find Udon to be one of the more unique and tasty types of noodles here. Udon is usually eaten in a soup form. 
Yakiniku – Similar to a Korean BBQ, Yakiniku is a fun experience where customers cook their own meat using a charcoal grill in the middle of the table. Many yakiniku restaurants will have an all you can eat option or a set menu.
Popular Sides
Fermented Vegetables – I like fermented vegetables and eat them quite often here in Japan. Sometimes they are hard for me to stomach especially for breakfast. Lately, a lot of our hotels due to Covid-19 have premade breakfast trays and a large portion of the tray is fermented vegetables. My morning taste buds have not gotten used to this. But when my taste buds are up for the challenge I really enjoy fermented veggies. Fermenting food is just another way to preserve it. Many side dishes in restaurants are small, mainly spoon full servings of different fermented vegetables. I couldn’t really tell you what type of vegetable they mainly serve as it varies every time and can be seasonal. 
Fried Rice – We are all familiar with fried rice. Even in America, fried rice is a staple when it comes to Chinese Food. I am happy to tell everyone that fried rice exists in Japan and is often served as a side dish, usually with ramen. The fried rice is pretty standard to what we think of, it starts off as plain white rice cooked in a wok or pan along with other ingredients but it is always delicious.
Gyoza – Pan fried dumplings, Gyoza is our favorite appetizer in Japan and compliments dishes especially Ramen very well. Gyoza are similar to dumplings, they consist of ground meat usually pork and finely chopped vegetables wrapped in a very thin dough. The gyoza is then pan fried until golden brown. 
Miso Soup – Probably one of the more popular sides here in Japan is Miso Soup. Almost all meals come with a side of miso soup. Generally, you get a small bowl of it which is always the perfect amount. Miso soup uses dashi which is a stock and miso which is a Japanese seasoning that is made by soy bean fermentation. Miso soup usually has seaweed in it and small mushrooms.
Shredded Cabbage – Nothing to it, just shredded cabbage along with a dressing. The shredded cabbage is usually paired with heavy meat dishes like tonkatsu or fried chicken. Jill makes it often at home along with a lemon dressing. It makes for a light and healthy side.
Grocery Shopping and Eating at Home
Jill and I live off-base and do the majority of our grocery shopping at local supermarkets. There are two grocery stores right near us that we generally shop at. We love Japanese supermarkets as everything is fresh especially when it comes to the meat, produce, and seafood. I always like browsing the seafood section looking at the daily catches. Produce is exciting as well as everything they sell is seasonal. During the summer, you won’t find many apples or oranges since they are in season during the winter months. They have a neat cart system though. The small shopping carts, have a space to place a basket on top, it is pretty much pushing your basket around. They do have a spot for an umbrella and cane, the Japanese think of everything. Once done, you place the basket on the counter where the register is, they transfer everything to another basket where you then bag it yourself on a different counter. Sounds a little confusing but it’s super easy and makes a lot of sense. We typically go grocery shopping three times a week and only get stuff for a day or two. We do this for several reasons; 1. It’s fun to look at all the seasonal items and fun candy 2. We live like 5-10 minute away from at least 3 or 4 different grocery stores and 3. There are no preservatives or anything in the food here so it does not last as long. So far, I have not found Japan to be that expensive either. I feel some items like produce can be more expensive but there are other items that are much cheaper then what we are used to.
At home, we have a tiny kitchen, like really tiny. Our kitchen has a large sink, no counter space, and few cabinets, and a Japanese style gas stove. The gas stove has two burners and a small fish grill. That is about it! We added on a few counters to our kitchen and have gotten used to it. To be honest, after cooking in a tiny kitchen for over a year, I have gotten used to it and it’s really not that bad.
We do a lot of Japanese cooking at home. Prior to Covid-19, we took a few cooking classes and learned how to make Japanese style curry and gyoza, so we make those dishes often. Jill has perfected her fried rice and makes a ginger beef dish that is to die for!
Living in Japan has opened our eyes and mouths to more dishes other then sushi and ramen. Although we love both dishes, there are so many other Japanese dishes worth trying that the rest of the world is missing out on. Japanese food, although flavorful does not use a ton of spices like you would expect. Other then curry and Indian food, I have not really had a lot of spicy food here which surprised me, everything is pretty mild. A lot of the dishes we make at home use basic ingredients, so we hope once we go back to the States that we can replicate a lot of the meals here. I consider myself a foodie and love food all over the world, I would consider Japanese food to be up there amongst one of my favorites! 
Comments (10)
Don’t forget about the mythical Tonpei Yaki!!
If we found it again I would add it. But never seen it afterwards not even in other restaurants! I even remember someone told us most restaurants had it, so they lied!
Very interesting post on Japan… I know it has changed from the 1954-57 era when I lived there as a Air Force brat….Still terrible with chop six…..and my age does not help. We lived on base at Chitose AFB,Hokkaido Japan. My sister was born on the army base(Crawford Army base) in 1955. Chitose had no hospital. Remember going to Sapporo to shop…but not much more. Thanks for sharing your amazing story and adventure. You are an amazing couple living life to the fullest!
Thanks Gary! I’m always fascinated by you guys and your adventures especially scuba diving around the world. When we drive to Kansas again at some point, I’ll have Jill cook you guys some great Japanese food.
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