Japan is an island-country comprises over three thousand islands. Fishing is the mainstay and seafood is the most popular food.


Japanese food is incredibly delicious. When talking about Japanese food, many non-Japanese think only of sashimi and sushi. Sashimi consists of very fresh raw seafood sliced into thin pieces. Sushi is rice with raw seafood topping. While sashimi and sushi do lord over the tables in most Japanese restaurants around the world, there exist a wide variety of cuisines and food specialties in Japan demonstrating wide spectrum of Japanese food culture. Many restaurants in Japan specialize in just one type of food which can be identified by their names.


Sushi-ya


Sushi-ya are restaurants which specialize in sushi. In most sushi-ya, customers can sit either at a normal table or at a counter (sushi bar), behind which the sushi chef prepares fresh seafood, meat, vegetables and other ingredients in front of the customers.


Kaiten-zushi


Kaiten-zushi are sushi restaurants with a twist. Wide array of sushi dishes are presented to customers on a conveyor belt and customers can just select and pick the dishes they like. Kaiten-zushi tend to be less expensive than usual sushi-ya.


Soba-ya


Noodle lovers can go to a Soba-ya, specializing in udon and soba noodle dishes. Noodle dishes in a soba-ya are mostly served with a dipping sauce with various toppings. The menu often changes slightly with the seasons, with hiyashi (cold) noodles popular in summer and nabeyaki (hot) udon popular in winter.


Ramen-ya


Ramen-ya specialize in ramen dishes, Chinese style noodles served in a soup with various toppings. Every ramen-ya has developed its own soup which is almost the crucial ingredient for a restaurant’s success. Several other dishes of Chinese origin, such as gyoza and fried rice, are usually also available at a ramen-ya.


Other types of specialized restaurants are Kare-ya, Tonkatsu-ya, Gyudon-ya, Yakitori-ya, Tempura-ya, Unagi-ya and many others. Kare-ya specializes in curry rice (kareraisu) dishes. Tonkatsu-ya specializes in tonkatsu or deep-fried pork cutlets and korokke, deep-fried savory croquettes. Gyudon-ya is inexpensive fast food style restaurants specializing in gyudon which is beef domburi. Yakitori-ya specializes in yakitori, grilled chicken skewers. Tempura-ya specializes in tempura dishes, such as tendon (tempura domburi) and assorted tempura. Unagi-ya specializes in unagi, fresh water eel.


There are also non-specialized restaurants offering broad range of dishes. Most common of which is Izakaya, informal dining and drinking place that offers dishes such as robata (grilled food), salads and other types of food served in small portions. Izakaya tends to be informal and the people at one table usually share all dishes, rather than ordering and eating individually.


Teishoku-ya in business areas is equally popular among lunchtime crowds and busy executives for the set menus or teishoku. A set menu usually consists of a main dish such as a fried fish, a bowl of cooked rice and small side dishes.


Yatai are movable food stalls that can be found along busy streets. Rotensho are food stands that are temporarily constructed for festivals and other large events. These stalls sometimes include seating space inside a tent. Dishes commonly offered include oden and ramen.


Famiresu, family restaurant, offers families a quiet place of dining without the noise of Isakaya and Teishoku-ya. They typically offer a variety of Western, Chinese and Japanese dishes in order to please all family members.


Ryotei is the exclusive and expensive class of Japanese restaurant that offers “Japanese haute cuisine” known as kaiseki ryori. This simple and elegant cooking style closely associated to the art and flair of tea ceremony is almost mandatory for foreigners who want to have a truly authentic Japanese gourmet experience.