Culinary Culture

Japanese culinary culture is extremely interesting and unique, but can be confusing, especially for those new to Japanese dining.

In this category, our insiders demystify all your questions about Japanese food culture, from the basics all the way up to pro topics for even the most advanced Japanophiles.

A traditional Japanese meal laid out on a white fabric placemat. There is rice to the left, soup to the right and fish in the center. There are four side dishes plus pickles, and a cup of dark-colored tea. There are wooden chopsticks sitting on a red chopstick rest at the front of the meal, with the tip of the chopsticks facing to the left.

Ichiju Sansai: Japan’s Culture of ‘One Soup’ and ‘Three Dishes’ (and the order to eat them in)

Learn about traditional Japanese meals (Ichiju sansai), including the number of dishes, placement on the table and the order to eat them in.

Perfectly arranged slices of raw salmon atop a bed of ice and daikon radish strings in a shallow dark ceramic bowl-plate. Other sashimi garnishes can also be seen such as shiso leaf, shiso flowers, a chrysanthemum flower, and red and green seaweed.

Your Informed Guide to Sashimi Garnishes: What are they and should you eat them?

We’ll explore the common sashimi garnishes and whether you should eat them – the seaweeds, the flowers, the leaves, the daikon strings – or not.

A three-year-old girl wears a red kimono with a white 'hifu' vest at a shrine in celebration of Shichi go san. She faces the camera with such a huge grin that her eyes appear closed. She holds up a stick of red (pink) chitose ame in her right hand. The chitose ame bag can be seen in her left hand.

Chitose Ame: The One Thousand Year Candy Given to Children on ‘Shichi Go San’

‘Chitose ame’ is the traditional sweet of the ‘Shichi go san’ festival that celebrates the health and longevity of girls aged 3 and 7, and boys aged 3 and 5.

10 Most Confusing Food Names in Japan: Eating Your Way Through Wasei Eigo

Wasei Eigo is special “made-in-Japan English” that will no doubt leave you perplexed on your travels in Japan. Here are 10 of the most confusing food names!

The aftermath of suikawari: A whole watermelon sitting on a wooden surface. The watermelon has been cracked open in a haphazard manner. The pink flesh can be seen between the top and bottom halves and some of the flesh and juice is spilling out towards the top left of the image.

Suikawari: Japan’s Summertime Watermelon Piñata You Need to Take a Swing At

Looking for a fun activity involving food for your next summer get-together? Then look no further than the Japanese watermelon game of suikawari!

A tebura BBQ plate ready to be grilled. The plate has scallops. squid, various cuts of meat, peppers, corn, mushroom, zucchini and sweet potato, and is garnished with a sprig of fennel.

What is Tebura: The Meaning and Culture Behind It and the Advent of the Tebura BBQ

What is tebura? Learn about the meaning and culture behind tebura, and how the word is used in the food and service industry, particularly Japanese BBQ.

Japanese food emoji: Various Japanese emoji with Mount Fuji in the center, and a feather and an eggplant on either side. On the

Japanese Food Emoji: Why the World Can Thank Japan for the Eggplant Emoji and More

Have you ever wondered why there are so many Japanese food emoji? And why an eggplant was considered so important to include? The answer is surprising!

Japanese Food Names: one piece of ikura sushi sitting directly on a dark gray surface.

From ‘Pan’ to ‘Ikura’: The Surprising Origin of Common Japanese Food Names

Tempura and ikura are not originally Japanese words? We’ll delve into the origin of some common Japanese food names and the foreign languages they come from.