View source for Japanese cuisine

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[[File:Oseti.jpg|thumb|right|{{transliteration|ja|[[Osechi]]}}, new year special dishes]]
'''Japanese cuisine''' encompasses the regional and traditional foods of [[Japan]], which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan ([[Japanese language|Japanese]]: {{transliteration|ja|washoku}}) is based on rice with [[miso soup]] and other dishes with an emphasis on seasonal ingredients. Side dishes often consist of fish, [[Tsukemono|pickled vegetables]], [[tamagoyaki]], and vegetables cooked in broth. Common seafood is often grilled, but it is also sometimes served raw as [[sashimi]] or as [[sushi]]. Seafood and vegetables are also deep-fried in a light batter, as ''{{transliteration|ja|[[tempura]]}}''. Apart from rice, a staple includes noodles, such as [[soba]] and [[udon]]. Japan also has many simmered dishes, such as fish products in broth called {{transliteration|ja|[[oden]]}}, or beef in {{transliteration|ja|[[sukiyaki]]}} and {{transliteration|ja|[[nikujaga]]}}.

Historically influenced by [[Chinese cuisine]], Japanese cuisine has also opened up to influence from [[European cuisine|Western cuisines]] in the modern era. Dishes inspired by foreign food—in particular Chinese food—like [[ramen]] and {{transliteration|ja|[[gyōza]]}}, as well as foods like [[spaghetti]], [[curry]] and [[hamburger]]s, have been adapted to Japanese tastes and ingredients. Traditionally, the Japanese [[Buddhist vegetarianism|shunned meat]] as a result of adherence to [[Buddhism]], but with the [[modernization of Japan]] in the 1880s, meat-based dishes such as {{transliteration|ja|[[tonkatsu]]}} and {{transliteration|ja|[[yakiniku]]}} have become common. Since this time, Japanese cuisine, particularly sushi and ramen, has become popular globally.

In 2011, Japan overtook [[French cuisine|France]] to become the country with the most [[List of Michelin 3-star restaurants|3-starred Michelin restaurants]]; {{As of|2018|lc=y}}, the capital of [[Tokyo]] has maintained the title of the city with the most 3-starred restaurants in the world.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/8835949/Japan-relishes-status-as-country-with-most-three-starred-Michelin-restaurants.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/8835949/Japan-relishes-status-as-country-with-most-three-starred-Michelin-restaurants.html |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Japan relishes status as country with most three-starred Michelin restaurants|last=Demetriou|first=Danielle|journal=The Daily Telegraph|date=October 19, 2011|access-date=January 15, 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 2013, Japanese cuisine was added to the [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists|UNESCO Intangible Heritage List]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-25223105|title=Japanese cuisine added to Unesco 'intangible heritage' list|work=BBC News|date=December 5, 2013|access-date=June 3, 2021|archive-date=January 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107231507/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-25223105|url-status=live}}</ref>
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==History==
{{Main|History of Japanese cuisine}}

[[File:Typical japanese sushi set.jpg|thumb|Sushi]]
Rice is a staple in Japanese cuisine. Wheat and soybeans were introduced shortly after rice. All three act as staple foods in Japanese cuisine today. At the end of the [[Kofun period]] and beginning of the [[Asuka period]], Buddhism became the official religion of the country. Therefore, eating meat and fish was prohibited. In 675 AD, [[Emperor Tenmu]] prohibited the eating of horses, dogs, monkeys, and chickens.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rath |first=Eric C. |date=2013 |title=Reevaluating Rikyū: Kaiseki and the Origins of Japanese Cuisine |url=http://muse.jhu.edu/content/crossref/journals/journal_of_japanese_studies/v039/39.1.rath.html |journal=The Journal of Japanese Studies |volume=39 |issue=1 |pages=67–96 |doi=10.1353/jjs.2013.0022 |issn=1549-4721|url-access=subscription }}</ref> In the 8th and 9th centuries, many emperors continued to prohibit killing many types of animals. However, meat continued to be eaten in some areas. In [[Kagoshima Prefecture|Kagoshima]], [[pig farming]] flourished, and in [[Ōmi Province|Oumi]], there was a culture of eating [[beef]]. In addition, in the [[Suwa, Nagano|Suwa region]], there was a ritual of [[deer]] [[sacrifice]] for [[Shinto]] rituals. The number of regulated meats increased significantly, leading to the banning of all mammals except whale, which were categorized as fish.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Stevens |first=Carolyn S. |date=May 2011 |title=Touch: Encounters with Japanese Popular Culture |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10371397.2011.559898 |journal=Japanese Studies |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=1–10 |doi=10.1080/10371397.2011.559898 |issn=1037-1397|url-access=subscription }}</ref> During the Asuka period, chopsticks were introduced to Japan. Initially, they were used only by the nobility.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bestor |first=Theodore C. |title=Routledge Handbook of Japanese Culture and Society |date=2012-12-10 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-203-81845-9 |doi=10.4324/9780203818459.ch22}}</ref> The general population used their hands, as utensils were quite expensive.

Due to the lack of meat products, Japanese people minimized spice utilization. Spices were rare to find at the time. Spices, like pepper and garlic, were used only in a minimalist amount. Spices widely used in Japan were [[Zanthoxylum piperitum|sansho]] and [[black pepper]]. They were often used in noodle, [[white rice]], and fish dishes. They were also used as a nourishing medicine.<ref name="鈴木1986">{{cite book|author=鈴木晋一|year=1986|ref={{harvid|鈴木晋一|1986}}|chapter=|editor=|title=たべもの噺|publisher=[[平凡社]]|isbn=978-4-582-82813-9|pages=68–69}}</ref><ref name="鈴木2006">{{Cite journal|author=鈴木伸哉 |author2=南木睦彦 |title=江戸の墓から出土したコショウ |journal=植生史研究 |issn=0915-003X |publisher=日本植生史学会 |year=2006 |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=29–33 |id=NAID 130008053002 |doi=10.34596/hisbot.14.1_29 }}</ref> In the absence of meat, fish was served as the main protein, as Japan is an [[island nation]]. Fish has influenced many iconic Japanese dishes today. In the 9th century, grilled fish and sliced raw fish were widely popular.<ref name="ashkenazi">{{Cite book |last1=Ashkenazi |first1=Michael |title=The Essence of Japanese Cuisine |last2=Jacob |first2=Jeanne |last3=Michael Ashkenazi |first3=Michael Ashkenazi |date=2013-10-11 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-81549-2 |doi=10.4324/9781315027487}}</ref> Japanese people who could afford it would eat fish at every meal; others would have to make do without animal protein for many of their meals. In traditional Japanese cuisine, oil and fat are usually avoided during the cooking process in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.<ref name="ashkenazi" />

Preserving fish became a sensation and [[sushi]] originated as a means of preserving fish by fermenting it in boiled rice. Fish that are salted and then placed in rice are preserved by [[lactic acid fermentation]], which helps prevent the proliferation of the bacteria that bring about putrefaction.<ref>Jung, S. (2019). [https://advance.lexis.com/document/?pdmfid=1516831&crid=0b0db89f-05e8-4053-975c-8e6b3e812d8b&pddocfullpath=/shared/document/news/urn:contentItem:5V3X-T411-JC8V-11SX-00000-00&pddocid=urn:contentItem:5V3X-T411-JC8V-11SX-00000-00&pdcontentcomponentid=433272&pdteaserkey=sr1&pditab=allpods&ecomp=3fyk&earg=sr1&prid=2c88f0d1-9550-46f7-a7e7-d6f4afee7db2 The Japanese Culinary Academy teaches you the fundamentals of food from the Land of the Rising Sun]</ref> During the 15th century, advancement and development helped shorten the fermentation of sushi to about one to two weeks. Sushi thus became popular both as a main meal and as a snack food, combining fish with rice. During the late [[Edo period]] (early 19th century), sushi without fermentation was introduced. Sushi was still being consumed with and without fermentation till the 19th century when the hand-rolled and nigiri-type sushi was invented.<ref>Avey, T. (2012). [https://www.pbs.org/food/stories/history-of-sushi Discover the History of Sushi]</ref>

In 1854, Japan started to enter new trade deals with Western countries.<ref name="Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations i855">{{cite web | title=The United States and the Opening to Japan, 1853 | publisher=United States Office of the Historian | url=https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/opening-to-japan | access-date=May 2, 2024 | archive-date=May 24, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524112402/https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/opening-to-japan | url-status=live }}</ref> The concept of ''washoku'' (''Japanese cuisine'') was introduced in Japan following negotiations with the [[United States]] on a trade treaty.<ref>{{Cite book |author1=Barry William Higman |title=How Food Made History |date=2012 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-1-4051-8948-4 |pages=177}}</ref> When [[Emperor Meiji]] took power in 1868 as part of the [[Meiji Restoration]], the government began to adopt Western customs, including the use of animal products in food.<ref name="Allen 2019 b717">{{cite web | last=Allen | first=Kristi | title=Why Eating Meat Was Banned in Japan for Centuries | publisher=Atlas Obscura | date=March 26, 2019 | url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/japan-meat-ban | access-date=May 2, 2024 | archive-date=May 18, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518200843/https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/japan-meat-ban | url-status=live }}</ref> The new ruler staged a New Year's feast designed to embrace the Western world and countries in 1872. The feast contained food that reflected European cuisine.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hosking |first=Richard |title=Food and Language: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cooking 2009 |date=2010 |publisher=Oxford Symposium |isbn=978-1-903018-79-8 |pages=37}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Downer |first=Lesley |title=At the Japanese Table: New and Traditional Recipes |date=2001 |publisher=Chronicle Books |isbn=978-0-8118-3280-9 |pages=161}}</ref> For the first time in a thousand years, people were allowed to consume meat in public, and the general population started to include meat in their regular diets.<ref name=kallen>{{cite magazine| last=Allen| first=Kristi| title=Why Eating Meat Was Banned in Japan for Centuries| url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/japan-meat-ban| magazine=Atlas Obscura| date=March 26, 2019| access-date=December 26, 2019| archive-date=May 18, 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518200843/https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/japan-meat-ban| url-status=live}}</ref>

==Culture==
=== Terminology ===
[[File:Tempura, sashimi, pickles, ris og misosuppe (6289116752).jpg|thumb|A Japanese meal including tempura, sashimi, and miso soup]]
The word {{nihongo||[[wikt:和食|和食]]|washoku}} is now the common word for traditional Japanese cooking. The term {{nihongo|''{{ill|Kappō (cooking)|ja|割烹|lt=kappō}}''|割烹||{{lit}} "cutting and boiling (meats)"}} is synonymous with "cooking", but became a reference to mostly Japanese cooking, or restaurants, and was much used in the [[Meiji era|Meiji]] and [[Taishō era]]s.<ref name="kojien-kappo"/><ref name="NDHZ-kappo"/> It has come to connote a certain standard, perhaps even of the highest caliber, a restaurant with the most highly trained chefs.<ref name="burum-kappo"/> However, {{transliteration|ja|kappō}} is generally seen as an eating establishment which is slightly more casual or informal compared to the {{transliteration|ja|[[kaiseki]]}}.<ref name="michelin-kappo"/>

The {{nihongo3|lit. "warming stone"|懐石|kaiseki}} is tied with the Japanese [[tea ceremony]].<ref name="kojien-kaiseki5"/> The {{transliteration|ja|kaiseki}} is considered a (simplified) form of {{nihongo3|lit. "main tray cooking"|本膳料理|[[honzen-ryōri]]}},<ref name="assmann&rath"/> which was formal banquet dining where several trays of food were served.<ref name="kojien-honzenryori"/> The [[homophone]] term {{nihongo3|lit. "gathering + seating"|会席料理|kaiseki ryōri}} originally referred to a gathering of composers of [[haiku]] or {{transliteration|ja|[[renga]]}}, and the simplified version of the {{transliteration|ja|honzen}} dishes served at the poem parties became {{transliteration|ja|kaiseki ryōri}}.<ref name="kojien-kaiseki1"/> However, the meaning of {{transliteration|ja|kaiseki ryōri}} degenerated to become just another term for a sumptuous carousing banquet, or {{Nihongo||酒宴|shuen}}.<ref name="yomiuri"/>

===Traditional table settings===
The traditional Japanese [[table setting]] has varied considerably over the centuries, depending primarily on the type of table common during a given era. Before the 19th century, small individual box tables (''hakozen'', 箱膳) or flat floor trays were set before each diner. Larger low tables (''chabudai'', ちゃぶ台) that accommodated entire families were gaining popularity by the beginning of the 20th century, but these gave way to Western-style dining tables and chairs by the end of the 20th century.

The traditional Japanese table setting is to place a bowl of rice on the diner's left and to place a bowl of miso soup on the diner's right side at the table. Behind these, each ''[[okazu]]'' is served on its own individual plate. Based on the standard three-''okazu'' formula, behind the rice and soup are three flat plates to hold the three ''okazu''; one to far back left, one at far back right, and one in the center. Pickled vegetables are often served on the side but are not counted as part of the three ''okazu''. [[Chopsticks]] are generally placed at the very front of the tray near the diner with pointed ends facing left and supported by a [[chopstick rest]], or ''hashioki''.<ref name="Introduction to Japanese Food"/>

===Dining etiquette===
{{main|Customs and etiquette in Japanese dining}}
Many restaurants and homes in Japan are equipped with Western-style chairs and tables. However, traditional Japanese low tables and cushions, usually found on [[tatami]] floors, are also very common. Tatami mats, which are made of straw, can be easily damaged and are hard to clean, thus shoes or any type of footwear are always taken off when stepping on tatami floors.<ref name="Japan Etiquette">{{cite web|title=Japan Etiquette|url=http://www.etiquettescholar.com/dining_etiquette/table-etiquette/pacific_dinner_etiquette/japanese.html|website=Etiquette Scholar|publisher=Yellowstone Publishing, LLC|access-date=January 16, 2017|archive-date=August 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829101500/https://www.etiquettescholar.com/dining_etiquette/table-etiquette/pacific_dinner_etiquette/japanese.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

When dining in a traditional tatami room, sitting upright on the floor is common. In a casual setting, men usually sit with their feet crossed and women sit with both legs to one side. Only men are supposed to sit cross-legged. The formal way of sitting for both sexes is a kneeling style known as ''[[seiza]]''. To sit in a ''seiza'' position, one kneels on the floor with legs folded under the thighs and the buttocks resting on the heels.<ref name="Japan Etiquette"/>

When dining out in a restaurant, the customers are guided to their seats by the host. The honored or eldest guest will usually be seated at the center of the table farthest from the entrance. In the home, the most important guest is also seated farthest away from the entrance. If there is a [[tokonoma]], or alcove, in the room, the guest is seated in front of it. The host sits next to or closest to the entrance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.etiquettescholar.com/dining_etiquette/table-etiquette/pacific_dinner_etiquette/japanese.html|title=Japan Etiquette {{!}} International Dining Etiquette {{!}} Etiquette Scholar|last=Lininger|first=Mike|website=Etiquette Scholar|language=en-US|access-date=October 3, 2018}}</ref>

In Japan, it is customary to say ''itadakimasu'' ("I [humbly] receive") before starting to eat a meal.<ref>{{Cite book|title="Itadakimasu" o wasureta Nihonjin: tabekata ga migaku hinsei|last1=Ogura, Tomoko|last2=小倉朋子|date=2008|publisher=Asukī Media Wākusu|isbn=978-4-04-867287-0|edition=Shohan|location=Tōkyō|pages=68|oclc=244300317}}</ref> When saying ''itadakimasu'', both hands are put together in front of the chest or on the lap. ''Itadakimasu'' is preceded by complimenting the appearance of food. Another customary and important etiquette is to say ''go-chisō-sama deshita'' ("It was a feast") to the host after the meal and the restaurant staff when leaving.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://glosbe.com/|title=ごちそうさまでした in English – Japanese–English Dictionary|website=Glosbe|language=en|access-date=June 2, 2019|archive-date=June 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622073359/https://glosbe.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Traditional cuisine===
Japanese cuisine is based on combining the [[staple food]], which is steamed [[Japanese rice|white rice]] or {{Nihongo||御飯|gohan}}, with one or more {{transliteration|ja|[[okazu]]}} (おかず), "main" or "side" dishes. This may be accompanied by a clear or miso soup and {{transliteration|ja|[[tsukemono]]}} (pickles). The phrase {{Nihongo3|"one soup, three sides"|一汁三菜|[[ichijū-sansai]]}} refers to the makeup of a typical meal served but has roots in classic {{transliteration|ja|kaiseki}}, {{transliteration|ja|honzen}}, and {{transliteration|ja|yūshoku}} cuisine. The term is also used to describe the first course served in standard {{transliteration|ja|kaiseki}} cuisine nowadays.<ref name=yomiuri>{{cite book |author=Yomiuri Shimbun, Osaka<!--読売新聞大阪本社--> |title=Zatsugaku shimbun |script-title=ja:雑学新聞 |publisher=PHP Kenkyusho<!--PHP研究所-->|year=2005 |orig-date=2001 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iuANkSnZ8e0C&pg=PA158 |isbn=978-4-569-64432-5}}, p. 158</ref>

The origin of Japanese "one soup, three sides" cuisine is a dietary style called Ichiju-Issai (一汁一菜, "one soup, one dish"),<ref name="Ichiju-Issai">{{cite web |last1=Kobayashi |first1=T |title=Taste of Simplicity: Japanese One-Soup One-Dish Cuisine |url=https://wawaza.com/blogs/taste-of-simplicity-japanese-one-soup-one-dish-cuisine/ |website=WAWAZA |access-date=July 10, 2021}}</ref> tracing back to the Five Great Zen Temples of the 12-century Kamakura period ([[Kenchō-ji|Kamakura Gozan]]), developed as a form of meal that emphasized frugality and simplicity.

Rice is served in its own small bowl ({{transliteration|ja|[[chawan]]}}), and each main course item is placed on its own small plate ({{transliteration|ja|sara}}) or bowl ({{transliteration|ja|hachi}}) for each individual portion. This is done even in Japanese homes. This contrasts with Western-style home dinners in which each individual takes helpings from large serving dishes of food placed in the middle of the dining table. Japanese style traditionally abhors 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, for example, leaves. Placing main dishes on top of rice, thereby "soiling" it, is also frowned upon by traditional etiquette.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kondo|first=Tamami(近藤珠實)|script-title=ja:日本の作法としきたり: 四季の行事と冠婚葬祭、その由来と常識 |trans-title=Nihon no saho to shikitari: shiki no gyoji to kankon sosai, sono yurai to joshiki|publisher=PHP研究所|year=2010|format=preview|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gszX4_Z15-sC&pg=PA185|isbn= 978-4-569-77764-1}}, p. 185</ref>

[[File:Breakfast at Tamahan Ryokan, Kyoto.jpg|thumb|Breakfast at a [[ryokan (Japanese inn)]], featuring grilled [[Mackerel (food)|mackerel]], Kansai-style {{transliteration|ja|dashimaki}} egg, [[tofu]] in {{transliteration|ja|kaminabe}} (paper pot)]]
Although this tradition of not placing other foods on rice originated from classical Chinese dining formalities, especially after the adoption of Buddhist tea ceremonies; it became most popular and common during and after the [[Kamakura period]], such as in the {{transliteration|ja|kaiseki}} (懐石). Although present-day Chinese cuisine has abandoned this practice, Japanese cuisine retains it. One exception is the popular {{transliteration|ja|[[donburi]]}}, in which toppings are directly served on rice.

The small {{nihongo|rice bowl|茶碗|chawan}}, literally "tea bowl", doubles as a word for the large tea bowls in tea ceremonies. Thus in common speech, the drinking cup is referred to as {{transliteration|ja|yunomi-jawan}} or {{transliteration|ja|[[yunomi]]}} for the purpose of distinction. Among the nobility, each course of a full-course Japanese meal would be brought on serving napkins called {{nihongo||膳|zen}}, which were originally platformed trays or small dining tables. In the modern age, [[faldstool]] trays or stackup-type legged trays may still be seen used in {{transliteration|ja|zashiki}} (座敷), i.e. [[tatami]]-mat rooms, for large banquets or at a {{transliteration|ja|[[Ryokan (inn)|ryokan]]}} type inn. Some restaurants might use the suffix {{nihongo||膳|-zen}} as a more sophisticated though [[Retro style|dated]] synonym to the more familiar {{Nihongo||定食|teishoku}}, since the latter basically is a term for a [[combination meal|combo meal]] served at a {{transliteration|ja|taishū-shokudō}}, akin to a [[diner]].<ref name=kojien-taishushokudo/> {{transliteration|ja|Teishoku}} means a meal of fixed menu (for example, grilled fish with rice and soup), a dinner ''à prix fixe''<ref name="ReferenceA">''Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'', {{ISBN|4-7674-2015-6}}</ref> served at {{Nihongo3|"dining hall"|食堂|shokudō|}} or {{Nihongo3|"restaurant"|料理店|ryōriten|}}, which is somewhat vague ({{transliteration|ja|shokudō}} can mean a diner-type restaurant or a corporate lunch hall); writer on Japanese popular culture Ishikawa Hiroyoshi<ref>{{cite book|last=Ishikawa|first=Hiroyoshi |author-link=:ja:石川弘義|title=Taishū bunka jiten |publisher=Kōbundō |year=1991 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6mYxAQAAIAAJ |page=516|isbn=978-4-335-55046-1 }}</ref> defines it as fare served at {{Nihongo|''teishoku'' dining halls|定食食堂|teishoku-shokudō}}, and comparable diner-like establishments.

===Seasonality===
[[File:Kaiseki 001.jpg|thumb|Kaiseki appetizers on a wooden plate]]
Emphasis is placed on [[Seasonal food|seasonality of food]] or {{Nihongo|''shun''|[[wikt:旬|旬]]}},<ref name=heibonsha-nihonryori/><ref>[http://www.tjf.or.jp/eng/content/japaneseculture/pdf/ge09shun.pdf "A Day in the Life: Seasonal Foods"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116212751/http://www.tjf.or.jp/eng/content/japaneseculture/pdf/ge09shun.pdf |date=January 16, 2013 }}, The Japan Forum Newsletter No.September 14, 1999.</ref> and dishes are designed to herald the arrival of the four seasons or calendar months.

Seasonality means taking advantage of the {{Nihongo|"fruit of the mountains"|山の幸|yama no sachi|alt. "bounty of the mountains"}} (for example, [[bamboo shoot]]s in spring, [[chestnut]]s in the autumn) as well as the {{Nihongo|"fruit of the sea"|海の幸|umi no sachi|alt. "bounty of the sea"}} as they come into season. Thus {{Nihongo|the first catch of [[skipjack tuna|skipjack]] tunas|初鰹|hatsu-gatsuo}} that arrives with the [[Kuroshio Current]] has traditionally been greatly prized.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Itoh|first=Makiko|date=April 26, 2013|title=Katsuo, Japan's ubiquitous tuna|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/04/26/food/katsuo-japans-ubiquitous-tuna/|access-date=October 19, 2020|website=Japan Times|language=en-US}}</ref>

If something becomes available rather earlier than what is usual for the item in question, the first crop or early catch is called ''hashiri''.<ref>{{harvp|Hepburn|1888}} dictionary "hashiri: The first fruits, or first caught fish of the season"</ref>

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 {{Nihongo|''ryō''|涼}}; sprigs of [[nandina]] are popularly used. The ''haran'' (''[[Aspidistra]]'') and sasa bamboo leaves were often cut into shapes and placed underneath or used as separators.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2008/01/15/reference/bento-grass/|title=Bento grass|last=Gordenker|first=Alice|date=January 15, 2008|work=Japan Times|access-date=June 5, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0447-5763}}</ref>

===UNESCO recognition===
In February 2012, the [[Agency for Cultural Affairs]] recommended that 'Washoku {{nihongo||[[wikt:和食|和食]]}} : Traditional Dietary Cultures of the Japanese' be added to the [[UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20120218p2g00m0dm006000c.html |title=Japanese cuisine to be nominated for UNESCO world heritage list |work=[[Mainichi Daily News]] |date=February 18, 2012 |access-date=February 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219034458/http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20120218p2g00m0dm006000c.html |archive-date=February 19, 2012 }}</ref> On December 4, 2013, "Washoku, traditional dietary cultures {{sic}} of the Japanese, notably for the celebration of New Year" was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage, bringing the number of Japanese assets listed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list to 22.<ref>[http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/lists?RL=00869 UNESCO Culture Sector – Intangible Heritage – 2003 Convention :] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022202405/http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/lists?RL=00869 |date=October 22, 2016 }} UNESCO. Retrieved May 24, 2014.</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20131205p2g00m0dm001000c.html |title=Japanese cuisine added to UNESCO intangible heritage list |work=[[Mainichi Daily News]] |date=December 5, 2013 |access-date=December 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210034227/http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20131205p2g00m0dm001000c.html |archive-date=December 10, 2013 }}</ref>

==Traditional ingredients==
{{Further|History of Japanese cuisine|List of Japanese ingredients}}
A characteristic of traditional Japanese food is the sparing use of [[red meat]], oils and fats, and dairy products.<ref name=Ehara>{{cite journal |last=Ehara |first=Ayako |title=School Meals and Japan's Changing Diet |journal=Japan Echo |publisher=<!--Japan Echo Inc.--> |year=1999 |volume=26 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YXlDAAAAYAAJ |quotation=Relatively alien to the traditional Japanese diet were meat, oil and fats, and dairy products.. |access-date=October 18, 2015 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930014510/https://books.google.com/books?id=YXlDAAAAYAAJ |url-status=live }}.</ref> Use of ingredients such as [[soy sauce]], [[miso]], and [[umeboshi]] tends to result in dishes with high salt content, though there are low-sodium versions of these available.

===Meat consumption===
[[File:090906 yakiniku.jpg|thumb|right|[[Yakiniku]]]]
As Japan is an [[island nation]] surrounded by an ocean, its people have always taken advantage of the abundant seafood supply.<ref name=heibonsha-nihonryori/> It is the opinion of some food scholars that the Japanese diet always relied mainly on "grains with vegetables or seaweeds as main, with poultry secondary, and [[red meat]] in slight amounts" even before the advent of Buddhism which placed an even stronger taboo.<ref name=heibonsha-nihonryori/> The eating of {{Nihongo|"four-legged creatures"|四足|''yotsuashi''}} was spoken of as taboo,<ref>{{harvp|Cawthorn|1997}}, p. 7</ref> unclean or something to be avoided by personal choice through the [[Edo period]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Morimatsu|first1=Yoshiaki|last2=Hinonishi|first2=Sukenori|last3=Sakamoto|first3=Taro|script-title=ja:風俗辞典|publisher=東京堂出版|year=1957|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8nGxAAAAIAAJ|quote=天武天皇三年に牛・馬。犬・猿,鶏の肉を食べゐこと古禁じてから肉食が演じ、江戸時代になっても四足・二足を食べない家が多かった。もっとも野獣の肉は食用に供した。|access-date=October 18, 2015|archive-date=September 30, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930014421/https://books.google.com/books?id=8nGxAAAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> The consumption of [[Whale meat|whale]] and [[suppon|terrapin]] meat were not forbidden under this definition. Despite this, the consumption of red meat did not completely disappear in Japan. Eating wild game—as opposed to domesticated livestock—was tolerated; in particular, trapped [[Japanese hare|hare]] was counted using the [[measure word]] {{Nihongo|''wa''|羽}}, a term normally reserved for birds.
[[File:Nabe being made at a dinner party in Japan.jpg|thumb|Beef hot pot being made at a party in Japan]]
In 1872 of the Meiji restoration, as part of the opening up of Japan to Western influence, [[Emperor Meiji]] lifted the ban on the consumption of [[red meat]].<ref name=watanabe>{{cite web| last=Watanabe| first=Zenjiro| title=Removal of the Ban on Meat: The Meat-Eating Culture of Japan at the Beginning of Westernization| url=https://www.kikkoman.co.jp/kiifc/foodculture/pdf_09/e_002_008.pdf| access-date=December 26, 2019| archive-date=April 29, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429063516/http://www.kikkoman.co.jp/kiifc/foodculture/pdf_09/e_002_008.pdf}}</ref> The removal of the ban encountered resistance and in one notable response, ten monks attempted to break into the Imperial Palace. The monks asserted that due to foreign influence, large numbers of Japanese had begun eating meat and that this was "destroying the soul of the Japanese people." Several of the monks were killed during the break-in attempt, and the remainder were arrested.<ref name=watanabe/><ref name=kallen/> On the other hand, the consumption of meat was accepted by the common people. ''Gyūnabe'' (牛鍋, beef hot pot), the prototype of [[sukiyaki]], became the rage of the time. Western restaurants moved in, and some of them changed their form to ''[[Yōshoku]]'' (洋食, western foods).

Vegetable consumption has dwindled while processed foods have become more prominent in Japanese households due to the rising costs of general foodstuffs.<ref>{{cite news|first=Roger |last=Pulvers |title=Japanese families' nutritional values pay dearly for 'progress' |date=March 6, 2011 |url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/rss/fl20110306rp.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120801045928/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/rss/fl20110306rp.html |archive-date=August 1, 2012 |work=Japan Times |access-date=March 22, 2011 }}</ref> Nonetheless, Kyoto vegetables, or [[Kyoyasai]], are rising in popularity and different varieties of Kyoto vegetables are being revived.<ref>Ochiai, H. (November 25, 2014). Is it a potato or a prawn?: Kyoto farmers make a name selling strangely shaped vegetables, The Japan News by the Yomiuri Shimbun, the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001713547</ref>

===Cooking oil===
Generally speaking, traditional Japanese cuisine is prepared with little cooking oil. A major exception is the [[Deep frying|deep-frying]] of foods. This cooking method was introduced during the [[Edo period]] due to influence from Western (formerly called {{Nihongo|''nanban-ryōri''|南蛮料理}}) and Chinese cuisine,<ref name=fukuta-oil>{{cite book|last=Fukuta|first=Ajio (福田アジオ)|title=Nihon minzoku daijiten(日本民俗大辞典)|volume=1|publisher=Yoshikawa Kobunkan (吉川弘文館)|year=1999|isbn=978-4-642-01332-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qGgQAQAAMAAJ|access-date=October 18, 2015|archive-date=September 30, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930014441/https://books.google.com/books?id=qGgQAQAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}, p. 16 安土,桃山時代から江戸時代にかけて南蛮料理や中国料理の影響と油の生産増大に伴い、油揚や天麩羅,素揚,薩摩撝など副食物として</ref> and became commonplace with the availability of cooking oil due to increased productivity.<ref name=fukuta-oil/> Dishes such as [[tempura]], [[aburaage]], and [[satsuma age]]<ref name=fukuta-oil/> are now part of established traditional Japanese cuisine. Words such as ''tempura'' or ''hiryōzu'' (synonymous with [[ganmodoki]]) are said to be of Portuguese origin.

Also, certain rustic sorts of traditional Japanese foods such as [[kinpira]], [[hijiki]], and ''kiriboshi'' daikon usually involve [[Stir frying|stir-frying]] in oil before stewing in soy sauce. Some standard ''osōzai'' or [[obanzai]] dishes feature stir-fried Japanese greens with either [[aburaage|age]] or {{Interlanguage link|chirimen-jako|ja|ちりめんじゃこ}}, dried sardines.

===Seasonings===
{{Hatnote|See also: [[List of Japanese dishes#Seasonings|Japanese seasonings]]}}
[[File:Kikkoman Soy Sauce, Front-view jp-type ,.jpg|thumb|upright|The use of [[soy sauce]] is prevalent in Japanese cuisine.]]

Traditional Japanese food is typically seasoned with a combination of [[dashi]], [[soy sauce]], [[sake]] and [[mirin]], vinegar, sugar, and salt. A modest number of herbs and spices may be used during cooking as a hint or accent, or as a means of neutralizing fishy or gamy odors present. Examples of such spices include [[ginger]], [[perilla]] and {{Nihongo|''{{ill|takanotsume|ja|鷹の爪}}''|鷹の爪}} red pepper.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Li|first1=Jin-lin|last2=Tu|first2=Zong-cai|last3=Zhang|first3=Lu|last4=Sha|first4=Xiao-mei|last5=Wang|first5=Hui|last6=Pang|first6=Juan-juan|last7=Tang|first7=Ping-ping|date=August 1, 2016|title=The effect of ginger and garlic addition during cooking on the volatile profile of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) soup|journal=Journal of Food Science and Technology|language=en|volume=53|issue=8|pages=3253–3270|doi=10.1007/s13197-016-2301-1|issn=0975-8402|pmc=5055890|pmid=27784920}}</ref>

Intense condiments, such as [[wasabi]] or Japanese [[Mustard (condiment)|mustard]], are provided as condiments to raw fish, due to their effect on the mucous membrane which paralyze the sense of smell, particularly from fish odors.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Hirasa|first1=Kenji|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jCYovj2TIa8C&q=%22sensational+deodorizing%22&pg=PA77|title=Spice Science and Technology|last2=Takemasa|first2=Mitsuo|date=June 16, 1998|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-0-585-36755-2|pages=76–77|language=en|access-date=September 24, 2021|archive-date=September 30, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930014927/https://books.google.com/books?id=jCYovj2TIa8C&q=%22sensational+deodorizing%22&pg=PA77#v=snippet&q=%22sensational%20deodorizing%22&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> A sprig of [[Cryptotaenia|mitsuba]] or a piece of [[yuzu]] rind floated on soups are called ''ukimi''. Minced [[shiso]] leaves and [[myoga]] often serve as ''yakumi'', a type of condiment paired with [[tataki]] of [[katsuo]] or [[soba]]. [[Shichimi]] is also a very popular spice mixture often added to soups, noodles and rice cakes. Shichimi is a chilli-based spice mix which contains seven spices: chilli, sansho, orange peel, black sesame, white sesame, hemp, ginger, and nori.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://whatwaytoday.com/food-in-japan-is-not-just-about-sushi-japanese-food-adventure/|title=Food in Japan is not just about Sushi – Japanese Food Adventure|last=Today|first=What Way|website=What Way Today|access-date=April 20, 2016|archive-date=June 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611101642/https://whatwaytoday.com/food-in-japan-is-not-just-about-sushi-japanese-food-adventure/}}</ref>

=== Garnishes ===
Once a main dish has been cooked, spices such as minced ginger and various pungent herbs may be added as a garnish, called ''tsuma''. Finally, a dish may be garnished with minced seaweed in the form of crumpled [[nori]] or flakes of [[aonori]].{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}

Inedible garnishes are featured in dishes to reflect a holiday or the season. Generally these include inedible leaves, flowers native to Japan or with a long history of being grown in the country, as well as their artificial counterparts.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pemberton|first=Robert W.|date=1999|title=Japanese Food as Art and Symbol: Evidence from Inedible Leaf Garnishes|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346107168|journal=Petits Propos Culinaires}}</ref>

===Salads===
[[File:Spinach Ohitashi.jpg|thumb|right|Japanese boiled spinach salad (''ohitashi'')]]
The {{nihongo|''o-hitashi'' or ''hitashi-mono''|おひたし}}<ref name="ReferenceA"/> is boiled green-leaf vegetables bunched and cut to size, steeped in [[dashi]] broth,<ref>{{harvp|Andoh|2012}}, p. 20 "spinach steeped in broth"; p. 63 "(spinach) blanched and then marinated" in smoky broth.</ref>{{sfnp|Shimbo|2000|p=237|ps=: "Ohitashi literally means 'dipped item,' although the dressing is actually poured over the leaf vegetables."}} eaten with dashes of soy sauce. Another item is {{Nihongo||酢の物|sunomono|"vinegar item"}}, which could be made with [[wakame]] seaweed,<ref name=shimbo-sunomono>{{harvp|Shimbo|2000}}, p. 147 "wakame and cucumber in sanbaizu dressing (sunomono)"; p. 74 "sanbaizu" recipe</ref> or be something like a {{Nihongo||紅白なます|kōhaku [[namasu]]|"red white namasu"}}{{sfnp|Tsuji|Fisher|Reichl|2006|p=429}} made from thin toothpick slices of daikon and carrot. The so-called vinegar that is blended with the ingredient here is often {{Nihongo|''{{Interlanguage link|sanbaizu|ja|三杯酢}}''|三杯酢||"three cupful/spoonful vinegar"}}<ref name=shimbo-sunomono/> which is a blend of vinegar, mirin, and soy sauce. A {{Nihongo|''{{Interlanguage link|tosazu|ja|土佐酢}}''|土佐酢||"[[Tosa province|Tosa]] vinegar"}} adds katsuo dashi to this.

An {{Nihongo|''{{Interlanguage link|aemono|ja|和える}}''|和え物}} is another group of items, describable as a sort of "tossed salad" or "dressed" (though ''aemono'' also includes thin strips of squid or fish sashimi (''itozukuri'') etc. similarly prepared). One type is {{Nihongo||胡麻和え|[[goma-ae]]}}<ref name=tsuji-appetiz/> where usually vegetables such as green beans are tossed with white or black [[sesame]] seeds ground in a [[suribachi and surikogi|suribachi]] mortar bowl, flavored additionally with sugar and soy sauce. {{Nihongo||白和え|Shira-ae}} adds [[tofu]] (bean curd) in the mix.<ref name=tsuji-appetiz>{{harvp|Tsuji|Fisher|Reichl|2006|pp=241–253}}</ref> An ''aemono'' is tossed with vinegar-white miso mix and uses ''wakegi''<ref name=tsuji-appetiz/> [[scallion]] and {{nihongo|[[Mactra chinensis|baka-gai]]|バカガイ / 馬鹿貝|extra=a [[trough shell]], ''[[Mactra chinensis]]''}} as standard.

===Rice===
{{Main|Japanese rice}}
[[File:Sukiya Jakarta Niku Ramen Gyudon Combo 1.jpg|thumb|''[[Gyūdon]]'' beef rice bowl (right) and ''niku shoyu ramen'' beef noodle (left)]]
Rice has historically been the staple food of the Japanese people. Its fundamental importance is evident from the fact that the word for cooked rice, ''gohan'' or ''meshi'', also stands for a "meal".<ref>{{Harvp|Kiple|Ornelas|2000}}, p. 1176</ref> While rice has an ancient history of cultivation in Japan, its use as a staple has not been universal. Notably, in northern areas (northern Honshū and Hokkaidō), other grains such as wheat were more common into the 19th century.

In most of Japan, rice used to be consumed for almost every meal, and although a 2007 survey showed that 70% of Japanese still eat it once or twice a day, its popularity is now declining. In the 20th century there has been a shift in dietary habits, with an increasing number of people choosing wheat-based products (such as bread and noodles) over rice.<ref name="Kobayashi & Smil">{{cite book|title=Japan's Dietary Transition and Its Impacts|page=18|last1=Kobayashi|last2=Smil|first1=Kazuhiko|first2=Vaclav|publisher=[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]|year=2012|location=US|isbn=978-0-262-01782-4}}</ref>

Japanese rice is short-grained and becomes sticky when cooked. Most rice is sold as ''hakumai'' (白米, "white rice"), with the outer portion of the grains (糠, ''nuka'') polished away. Unpolished [[brown rice]] (玄米, ''genmai'') is considered less desirable, but its popularity has been increasing.<ref name="Kobayashi & Smil"/>

===Noodles===
{{main|Japanese noodles}}
[[File:Udon-M1336.jpg|thumb|[[Udon]] noodles]]
[[File:Otsu Tsuruki-soba01st3200.jpg|thumb|[[Soba]] noodles]]

Japanese noodles often substitute for a rice-based meal. ''[[Soba]]'' (thin, grayish-brown noodles containing [[buckwheat]] flour) and ''[[udon]]'' (thick wheat noodles) are the main traditional noodles, while ramen is a modern import and now very popular. There are also other, common noodles, such as ''somen'' (thin, white noodles containing wheat flour). Cold ''somen'' noodles are often eaten during the hot summer. ''[[Hiyashi chūka]]'' are also popular noodles in the summer.

Japanese noodles, such as soba and udon, are eaten as a standalone, and usually not with a side dish, in terms of general custom. It may have toppings, but they are called {{Nihongo|''gu''|[[wikt:具|具]]}}. The fried battered shrimp tempura sitting in a bowl of tempura-soba would be referred to as "the shrimp" or "the tempura", and not so much be referred to as a topping (''gu''). The identical toppings, if served as a dish to be eaten with plain white rice could be called ''okazu'', so these terms are context-sensitive. Some noodle dishes derive their name from Japanese folklore, such as [[kitsune]] and [[Bake-danuki|tanuki]], reflecting dishes in which the noodles can be changed, but the broth and garnishes correspond to their respective legend.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Ashkenazi|first1=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ley_r5VldNUC&q=Japanese+garnishes&pg=PA37|title=Food Culture in Japan|last2=Jacob|first2=Jeanne|date=2003|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-32438-3|page=37|language=en|access-date=September 24, 2021|archive-date=September 30, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930014929/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ley_r5VldNUC&q=Japanese+garnishes&pg=PA37|url-status=live}}</ref>

Hot noodles are usually served in a bowl already steeped in their broth and are called ''kakesoba'' or ''kakeudon''. Cold soba arrive unseasoned and heaped atop a ''zaru'' or ''seiro'', and are picked up with a chopstick and dunked in their dipping sauce. The broth can consist of many ingredients but is generally based on dashi; the sauce, called tsuyu, is usually more concentrated and made from soy sauce, dashi and mirin, sake or both.

In the simple form, ''yakumi'' (薬味, condiments and spices) such as [[shichimi]], nori, finely chopped scallions, wasabi, etc. are added to the noodles, besides the broth/dip sauce.

Udon may also be eaten in ''kama-age'' style, piping hot straight out of the boiling pot, and eaten with plain soy sauce and sometimes with raw egg also.

Japanese noodles are traditionally eaten by bringing the bowl close to the mouth, and sucking in the noodles with the aid of [[chopstick]]s. The resulting loud slurping noise is considered normal in Japan, although in the 2010s concerns began to be voiced about the slurping being offensive to others, especially tourists. The word ''nuuhara'' (ヌーハラ, from "nuudoru harasumento", noodle harassment) was coined to describe this.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ashcraft |first1=Brian |title=Japan's Noodle Slurping Noises Disturb Tourists, It Seems |url=https://kotaku.com/japans-noodle-slurping-noises-disturb-tourists-it-seem-1792036808 |access-date=May 6, 2019 |work=Kotaku |date=May 6, 2019 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930021940/https://kotaku.com/japans-noodle-slurping-noises-disturb-tourists-it-seem-1792036808 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Sweets===
{{Main|Wagashi}}
{{see also|List of Japanese desserts and sweets}}
{{see also|List of Japanese dishes#Sweets and snacks (okashi (おかし), oyatsu (おやつ))|label 1 =List of Japanese sweets and snacks}}
[[File:Green Wagashi 04.jpg|thumb|Green wagashi]]
Traditional Japanese sweets are known as ''wagashi''. Ingredients such as [[red bean paste]] and [[mochi]] are used. More modern-day tastes includes [[green tea ice cream]], a very popular flavor. Almost all manufacturers produce a version of it. ''[[Kakigōri]]''  (かき氷) is a [[shaved ice]] dessert flavored with syrup or condensed milk. It is usually sold and eaten at summer festivals. A dessert very popular amongst children in Japan is ''[[dorayaki]]''. They are sweet [[pancake]]s filled with a sweet red bean paste. They are mostly eaten at room temperature but are also considered very delicious hot. Similar sweets to dorayaki include ''[[imagawayaki]]'' and fish-shaped ''[[taiyaki]]''. Sweet breads containing red bean paste, such as ''[[anpan]]'' and ''[[an-doughnut]]'', are also commonly eaten.

==Drinks==
{{Main|List of Japanese dishes#Tea and other drinks}}

===Tea===
[[Green tea]] may be served with most Japanese dishes. It is produced in Japan and prepared in various forms, such as [[matcha]], the tea used in the [[Japanese tea ceremony]].<ref>{{hosking-jfood|30}}</ref> [[Barley tea]] is a favorite drink during the hot summertime.

===Soft drink===
Japan has a vibrant soft drink culture, with local flavors like  [[ramune]], melon soda, canned coffee, [[Calpis]], and the citrusy electrolyte drink [[Pocari Sweat]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Why JapaneseVebarages Are So Unique | website=JapanUp! magazine - Informational site for Japan fans | date=2022-06-02 | url=https://japanupmagazine.com/archives/5379 | access-date=2025-09-13}}</ref> Imported drinks are garner unique meanings in Japan, for example, [[Dr Pepper]] has become associated as an intellectual beverage thanks to the anime [[Steins;Gate]],<ref name="s313">{{cite web | last=Ashcraft | first=Brian | title=Is Japan Ready To Stop Ignoring Dr Pepper? | website=Kotaku | date=2011-04-12 | url=https://kotaku.com/is-japan-ready-to-stop-ignoring-dr-pepper-5791129 | access-date=2025-09-13}}</ref> as well as drinks like [[A&W Root Beer]] and their [[A&W Restaurants|Restaurants]] having a strong [[ice cream float]] presence in Okinawa giving it an association with beach vacations.<ref>{{cite web | last=Flemming | first=Michael | title=A&W Restaurants | website=JapanTravel | date=2014-01-12 | url=https://en.japantravel.com/okinawa/a-w-restaurants/8408 | access-date=2025-09-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=A&W celebrates 50 years in Okinawa! | website=Okinawanderer Okinawa News travel | date=2022-03-21 | url=https://www.okinawanderer.com/2013/11/aw-celebrates-50-years-in-okinawa/ | access-date=2025-09-13}}</ref>

===Beer===
{{main|Beer in Japan}}
[[File:Berber limited Edition, 2019.jpg|thumb|Lager]]
Beer production started in Japan in the 1860s. The most commonly consumed beers in Japan are pale-coloured light [[lager]]s, with an alcohol strength of around 5.0% ABV. Lager beers are the most commonly produced [[beer style]] in Japan, but beer-like beverages, made with lower levels of malts called ''[[Happoshu]]'' (発泡酒, literally, "bubbly alcohol") or non-malt Happousei (発泡性, literally "effervescence") have captured a large part of the market as tax is substantially lower on these products. Beer and its varieties have a market share of almost 2/3 of alcoholic beverages.

Small local [[microbrewery|microbreweries]] have also gained increasing popularity since the 1990s, supplying distinct tasting beers in a variety of styles that seek to match the emphasis on craftsmanship, quality, and ingredient provenance often associated with Japanese food.

===Sake===
[[File:Matsui Sake Brewery's Sake 20211122.jpg|thumb|Sake]]
[[Sake]] is a brewed rice beverage that typically contains 15–17% [[Alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] and is made by multiple [[fermentation (food)|fermentation]] of rice. At traditional formal meals, it is considered an equivalent to rice and is not simultaneously taken with other rice-based dishes, although this notion is typically no longer applied to modern, refined, premium ("ginjo") sake, which bear little resemblance to the sakes of even 100 years ago. Side dishes for sake are particularly called ''[[sakana]]'' or ''otsumami''.

Sake is brewed in a highly labor-intensive process more similar to beer production than winemaking, hence, the common description of sake as rice "wine" is misleading.
Sake is made with, by legal definition, strictly just four ingredients: [[sake#Rice|special rice]], water, [[Aspergillus oryzae|koji]], and special [[yeast]].

As of 2014, Japan had some 1500 registered breweries,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sake-world.com/html/sake-faqs.html |title=Sake FAQs |access-date=November 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106190822/http://sake-world.com/html/sake-faqs.html |archive-date=November 6, 2014 }}</ref> which produce thousands of different sakes. Sake characteristics and flavor profiles vary with regionality, ingredients, and the styles (maintained by brewmaster guilds) that brewery leaders want to produce.

Sake flavor profiles lend extremely well to pairing with a wide variety of cuisines, including non-Japanese cuisines.
[[File:Shochu 004.jpg|thumb|138x138px|Shochu]]

===Shōchū===
''[[Shōchū]]'' is a [[distilled spirit]] that is typically made from [[barley]], [[sweet potato]], [[buckwheat]], or rice. ''Shōchū'' is produced everywhere in Japan, but its production started in [[Kyushu]].<ref name="whatis">{{cite web|title = What is Shochu?|url = http://cocktailtimes.com/dictionary/shochu.shtml|access-date = December 31, 2006|archive-date = July 17, 2011|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110717115828/http://www.cocktailtimes.com/dictionary/shochu.shtml|url-status = live}}</ref>

===Whisky===
{{main|Japanese whisky}}
[[File:Japanese whisky.jpg|thumb|Japanese whisky]]
[[Japanese whisky]] began commercial production in the early 20th century, and is now extremely popular, primarily consumed in {{Nihongo|[[highball]]s|ハイボール|haibōru}}. It is produced in the Scottish style, with malt whisky produced since the 1980s, and has won top international awards since the 2000s.

===Wine===
A [[Japanese wine|domestic wine production]] has existed since the 1860s, yet most wine is imported. The total market share of wine on alcoholic beverages is about 3%.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2007/04/13/food/what-the-japanese-are-drinking/|title=Japanese drinking|date=April 13, 2007|access-date=August 19, 2017|archive-date=March 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319200203/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2007/04/13/food/what-the-japanese-are-drinking/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Specialty food==
[[File:Wagyū on plate 4.jpg|thumb|Wagyū]] 
[[Wagyu]] is the collective name for the four principal [[List of Japanese cattle breeds|Japanese breeds]] of [[beef cattle]]. All wagyū cattle derive from [[cross-breeding]] in the early twentieth century of native Japanese cattle with imported stock, mostly from Europe.
In several areas of Japan, Wagyu beef is shipped carrying area names. Some examples are [[Matsusaka beef]], [[Kobe beef]], [[Yonezawa beef]], [[Ōmi beef]], and [[Sanda, Hyōgo|Sanda]] beef. In recent years, Wagyu beef has increased in fat percentage due to a decrease in grazing and an increase in using feed, resulting in larger, fattier cattle.
[[File:Yubari melons in the cardboard box.JPG|thumb|153x153px|Yubari]]
Specialty eggs—compared to ordinary eggs, eggs produced with special feed and poultry-raising.
[[File:Cube Watermelons for Sale in Munich, Germany Market.jpg|thumb|167x167px|Cube watermelons]]
The {{nihongo|[[Yubari King]]|夕張メロン|Yūbari Meron|Yūbari melon}} is a [[cantaloupe]] [[cultivar]] farmed in [[greenhouse]]s in [[Yūbari, Hokkaido]], a small city close to [[Sapporo]].

[[Square watermelon|Square or cube watermelons]] are [[watermelons]] grown into the shape of a [[cube]]. Cube watermelons are commonly sold in Japan, where they are essentially ornamental and are often very expensive, with prices as high as {{USD|200}}.

==Cooking techniques==
Different cooking techniques are applied to each of the three ''okazu''; they may be raw ([[sashimi]]), [[grilling|grilled]], [[simmering|simmered]] (sometimes called [[boiling|boiled]]), [[steaming|steamed]], [[deep frying|deep-fried]], vinegared, or [[Salad dressing|dressed]].

==Dishes==
{{main|List of Japanese dishes}}
{{Further-text|[[okazu]]||3={{Nihongo|sōzai|[[:ja:惣菜|惣菜]]}} }}
[[File:Obanzai yasai.JPG|thumb|Obanzai yasai]]
In {{Nihongo|''ichijū-sansai''|一汁三菜|"one soup, three sides"}}, the word {{Nihongo|''sai''|[[wikt:菜|菜]]}} has the basic meaning of "vegetable", but secondarily means any accompanying dish (whether it uses fish or meat),<ref name="kojien-sai" /> with the more familiar combined form {{Nihongo|{{interlanguage link|sōzai{{!}}''sōzai''|ja|惣菜}}|惣菜}},<ref name="kojien-sai" /> which is a term for any side dish, such as the vast selections sold at Japanese supermarkets or {{interlanguage link|depachika{{!}}''depachikas''|ja|デパ地下}}.<ref name="baltimore-sun2004-09-22" />

It figures in the Japanese word for appetizer, {{Nihongo|''zensai''|前菜}}; main dish, {{Nihongo|''shusai''|主菜}}; or {{Nihongo|''sōzai''|惣菜}} (formal synonym for ''okazu''), but the latter is considered somewhat of a ladies' term or ''[[nyōbō kotoba]]''.<ref name="kojien-okazu" />
[[File:Tempura 02.jpg|thumb|''[[Tempura]]'' battered and deep fried seafood and vegetables]] 
[[File:Muroran Yakitori.jpg|thumb|''[[Yakitori]]'' grilled chicken]]

Below are listed some of the most common categories for prepared food:
* ''Yakimono'' (焼き物), grilled and pan-fried dishes
* ''[[Nimono]]'' (煮物), stewed/simmered/cooked/boiled dishes
* ''Itamemono'' (炒め物), stir-fried dishes
* ''[[Mushimono]]'' (蒸し物), steamed dishes
* ''Agemono'' (揚げ物), deep-fried dishes
* ''[[Sashimi]]'' (刺身), sliced raw fish
* ''Suimono'' (吸い物) and ''shirumono'' (汁物), soups
* ''[[Tsukemono]]'' (漬け物), pickled/salted vegetables
* ''Aemono'' (和え物), dishes dressed with various kinds of sauce
* ''Sunomono'' (酢の物), vinegared dishes
* ''[[Chinmi]]'' (珍味), delicacies<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

==Classification==

===Kaiseki===

''[[Kaiseki]]'', closely associated with tea ceremony (''[[chanoyu]]''), is a high form of hospitality through cuisine. The style is minimalist, extolling the aesthetics of [[wabi-sabi]]. Like the tea ceremony, appreciation of the diningware and vessels is part of the experience. In the modern standard form, the first course consists of ''ichijū-sansai'' (one soup, three dishes), followed by the serving of sake accompanied by dish(es) plated on a square wooden bordered tray of sorts called {{Nihongo|''hassun''|八寸}}. Sometimes another element called {{Nihongo|''shiizakana''|強肴}} is served to complement the sake, for guests who are heavier drinkers.
[[File:IMG-2023-12-01-kaiseki.jpg|thumb|Kaiseki set at a Ryokan in Isehara prefecture, Ooyama]]

===Vegetarian===
[[File:Natto mixed.jpg|thumb|right|[[Nattō]], Japanese soybean-based food. Natto is generally a popular breakfast [[okazu]].]]
Strictly vegetarian food is rare since even vegetable dishes are flavored with the ubiquitous dashi stock, usually made with [[katsuobushi]] (dried [[skipjack tuna]] flakes), and are therefore [[pescetarian]] more often than carnivorous. An exception is ''[[Buddhist cuisine|shōjin-ryōri]]'' (精進料理), vegetarian dishes developed by Buddhist monks. However, the advertised ''shōjin-ryōri'' at public eating places includes some non-vegetarian elements. Vegetarianism, {{nihongo|''{{Interlanguage link|fucha-ryōri|ja|普茶料理}}''|普茶料理}} was introduced from China by the [[Ōbaku]] sect (a sub-sect of Zen Buddhism), and which some sources still regard as part of "Japanese cuisine".<ref name=heibonsha-nihonryori/> The sect in Japan was founded by the priest [[Ingen]] (d. 1673), and is headquartered in [[Uji, Kyoto]]. The Japanese name for the [[Phaseolus vulgaris|common green bean]] takes after this priest who allegedly introduced the New World crop via China. One aspect of the fucha-ryōri practiced at the temple is the wealth of {{nihongo|''modoki-ryōri''|もどき料理|"mock foods"}}, one example being mock-eel, made from strained [[tofu]], with [[nori]] seaweed used expertly to mimic the black skin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asahi.com/kansai/travel/hibiki/OSK201109030034_02.html|title=腹が鳴るなり万福寺 黄檗宗大本山万福寺（宇治市）|work=ひびき紀行|date=September 3, 2011}}</ref> The secret ingredient used is grated ''[[Arctium|gobō]]'' (burdock) roots.<ref>{{cite web|last=Nagatomo|first=Akiko (長友麻希子)|title=普茶料理|work=「京都」×（もっと）ワかる|publisher=Industry and Tourism Bureau, City of Kyoto|url=http://kanko.city.kyoto.lg.jp/wakaru/gastronomy/entertainment/basis/file07.html|date=September 3, 2011|access-date=May 6, 2012|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064558/http://kanko.city.kyoto.lg.jp/wakaru/gastronomy/entertainment/basis/file07.html}}</ref><ref>{{harvp|Andoh|2010}}, p. 188 – gives a recipe.</ref>

Masakazu Tada, Honorary Vice-President of the [[International Vegetarian Union]] for 25 years from 1960, stated that "Japan was vegetarian for 1,000 years". The taboo against eating meat was lifted in 1872 by the Meiji Emperor as part of an effort towards westernizing Japan.<ref name=kallen/> British journalist [[J.&nbsp;W. Robertson Scott]] reported in the 1920s that the society was still 90% vegetarian, and 50–60% of the population ate fish only on festive occasions, probably due to poverty more than for any other reason.

===Regional cuisine===
{{Main|Japanese regional cuisine}}
Japanese cuisine offers a vast array of regional specialties known as ''kyōdo-ryōri'' (郷土料理), many of them originating from dishes prepared using traditional recipes with local ingredients. Foods from the [[Kantō region]] taste very strong. For example, the [[dashi]]-based broth for serving [[udon]] noodles is heavy on dark [[soy sauce]], similar to [[soba]] broth. On the other hand, [[Kansai region]] foods are lightly seasoned, with clear udon noodles.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jo|first1=Andrew|title=Japanese food includes dishes such as delicious Soba and Udon noodles|url=https://asianinspirations.com.au/cuisine/japanese/|access-date=December 15, 2015|archive-date=April 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401194324/https://asianinspirations.com.au/cuisine/japanese/}}</ref> made with light soy sauce.<ref name="Introduction to Japanese Food">[http://japanesefood.about.com/od/holidaytraditionalfood/a/introduction.htm Introduction to Japanese Food] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221073408/http://japanesefood.about.com/od/holidaytraditionalfood/a/introduction.htm |date=December 21, 2016 }}. Retrieved January 8, 2010</ref>

==Dishes for special occasions==
[[File:Chimaki 002.jpg|thumb|''Chimaki'']]
In Japanese tradition, some dishes are strongly tied to a festival or event. These dishes include:
{| class="wikitable collapsible"
|-
! Image !! Name !! Description
|-
|[[File:Botamochi 002.jpg|120px]]||''[[Botamochi]]''|| A sticky rice dumpling with sweet ''azuki'' paste served in spring; a similar sweet ''[[ohagi]]'' is served in autumn.
|-
|[[File:Chimaki 002.jpg|120px]]|| ''[[Chimaki]]'' ||Steamed sweet rice cake served during ''[[tango no sekku]]'' and [[Gion Matsuri|Gion Festival]].
|-
|[[File:Hamo.jpg|120px]]|| ''[[Hamo]]'' ||A type of fish, often [[Eel (food)|eel]]<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8nhfSFs79fUC&pg=PA34|title=Seafood of South-East Asia: a comprehensive guide with recipes|first=Alan|last=Davidson|publisher=Ten Speed Press|year=2003|page=34|isbn=1-58008-452-4|access-date=October 18, 2015|archive-date=September 30, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930014948/https://books.google.com/books?id=8nhfSFs79fUC&pg=PA34|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[sōmen]]'': [[Gion Matsuri|Gion Festival]].
|-
|[[File:Oseti.jpg|120px]]|| ''[[Osechi]]''|| Special dishes served on new year.
|-
|[[File:Sekihan (2017-10-15).jpg|120px]] || ''[[Sekihan]]'' || Red rice, which is served for any celebratory occasion. It is usually sticky rice cooked with ''azuki'', or red bean, which gives the rice its distinctive red colour.<ref name="tsuji">{{cite book|last=Tsuji|first=Shizuo|author2=M.F.K. Fisher|title=Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art|publisher=Kodansha International|year=2007|edition= 25|pages=280–281|isbn=978-4-7700-3049-8}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Soba (15340369488).jpg|120px]] ||''[[Soba]]''<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OT8OSoiYyagC&q=tachi-gui+soba%E3%80%80station&pg=PA70|title=Dining Guide to Japan: Find the Right Restaurant, Order the Right Dish, and|first=Boye Lafayette De|last=Mente|page=70|publisher=Tuttle Publishing|year=2007|isbn=978-4-8053-0875-2|access-date=October 16, 2020|archive-date=September 30, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930014931/https://books.google.com/books?id=OT8OSoiYyagC&q=tachi-gui+soba%E3%80%80station&pg=PA70|url-status=live}}</ref>|| New Year's Eve, called ''[[toshikoshi soba]]'' (literally "year crossing soba").
|-
|[[File:Chirashizushi and suimono by sakura chihaya on Hina matsuri.jpg|120px]]||''[[Sushi|Chirashizushi]]'', ''ushiojiru'' (clear soup of clams), ''[[amazake]]''|| ''[[Hinamatsuri]]''
|-
|}

In some regions, on every first and fifteenth day of the month, people eat a mixture of rice and ''azuki'' (''azuki meshi'' (小豆飯); see ''[[Sekihan]]'').

==Imported and adapted foods==
Japan has a long history of importing food from other countries, some of which are now part of Japan's most popular cuisine. [[Ramen]] is considered an important part to their culinary history, to the extent where in survey of 2,000 Tokyo residents, [[Instant noodle|instant ramen]] came up many times as a product they thought was an outstanding Japanese invention.<ref>Ayao, Okumura. "Japan's Ramen Romance." ''Japan Quarterly'' 48.3 (2001): 66. ''ProQuest Asian Business & Reference''</ref> Believed to have originated in China, ramen became popular in Japan after the [[Second Sino-Japanese war]] (1937–1945), when many Chinese students were displaced to Japan.<ref name=":0">Seligman, Lucy. "The History of Japanese Cuisine." ''Japan Quarterly'' 41.2 (1994): 165. ''PAO Liberal Arts Collection 1.''</ref>

[[File:Beef curry rice 003.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Japanese curry|Curry]] is so widely consumed that it can be called a [[national dish]].<ref name="curry rice research">{{cite web |script-title = ja:『カレーライス』に関するアンケート |publisher = ネットリサーチ ディムスドライブ |url = http://www.dims.ne.jp/timelyresearch/2008/081014/ |language = ja |access-date = February 1, 2016 |archive-date = December 26, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181226023332/http://www.dims.ne.jp/timelyresearch/2008/081014/%20 |url-status = live }}</ref>]]
Curry is another popular imported dish and is ranked near the top of nearly all Japanese surveys for favorite foods.<ref>Morieda Takashi. "The Unlikely Love Affair with Curry and Rice." ''Japan Quarterly'' 47.2 (2000): 66. ''ProQuest Asian Business & Reference.''</ref> The origins of curry, as well many other foreign imports such as ''pan'' or bread, are linked to the emergence of ''[[yōshoku]]'', or western cuisine. ''Yōshoku'' can be traced as far back as the late [[Muromachi period]] (1336–1573) during a culinary revolution called ''namban ryori'' (南蛮料理), which means "Southern barbarian cooking", as it is rooted in European cuisine.<ref name=":0" /> This cuisine style was first seen in [[Nagasaki]], which served as the point of contact between Europe and Japan at that point in time. Food items such as potatoes, corn, dairy products, as well as the hard candy ''kompeito'' (金平糖), spread during this time.<ref name=":0" /> This cuisine became popular in the [[Meiji era]], which is considered by many historians to be when Japan first opened itself to the outside world.

Bread was not a traditional food in Japan, but ''shokupan'', or [[Japanese Milk Bread|Japanese milk bread]], was developed and came into broad use after the American response to post-World War II Japanese [[Famine|rice shortages]] included [[Foreign aid|relief]] shipments of [[wheat]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Krader |first=Kate |date=September 18, 2019 |title=Japanese Milk Bread Is Coming for Your Lunch |language=en |work=[[Bloomberg News]] |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-18/what-is-japanese-milk-bread-shokupan-sando-coming-for-your-lunch |access-date=July 30, 2023 |archive-date=July 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702233913/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-18/what-is-japanese-milk-bread-shokupan-sando-coming-for-your-lunch |url-status=live }}</ref>

Today, many of these imported items still hold a heavy presence in Japan.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}
* [[List of Japanese dishes#Foods imported from Portugal in the 16th century|Foods imported from Portugal in the 16th century]]
* [[List of Japanese dishes#Other homegrown cuisine of foreign origin|Other adapted cuisines in Japan]]

===Yōshoku—Foreign (Western) food, dishes===
{{Main|Yōshoku}}
Source:<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
Japan today abounds with home-grown, loosely Western-style food. Many of these were invented in the wake of the 1868 [[Meiji Restoration]] and the end of [[sakoku|national seclusion]], when the sudden influx of foreign (in particular, Western) culture led to many restaurants serving Western food, known as ''yōshoku'' (洋食), a shortened form of ''seiyōshoku'' (西洋食, "Western cuisine"), opening up in cities. Restaurants that serve these foods are called ''yōshokuya'' (洋食屋, "Western cuisine restaurants").<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wei |first=Tiffany |date=2021-12-20 |title=Yōshoku: Reformation of Eating as an Act of Nationalism |url=https://local.storymapsdev.arcgis.com:3443/stories/c3d5c6a603d9434c8abfe80763ecc4cd |access-date=2023-12-12 |website=ArcGIS StoryMaps |language=en}}</ref>

Many ''yōshoku'' items from that time have been adapted to a degree that they are now considered Japanese and are an integral part of any Japanese family menu. Many are served alongside rice and miso soup, and eaten with chopsticks. Yet, due to their origins these are still categorized as ''yōshoku'' as opposed to the more traditional ''washoku'' (和食, "Japanese cuisine").<ref>{{cite web |title=Japan's surprising 'Western' cuisine |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20200714-japans-surprising-western-cuisine |website=BBC Travel |date=July 15, 2020 |access-date=February 4, 2022 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930023213/https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20200714-japans-surprising-western-cuisine |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Chūka ryōri—Japanese Chinese cuisine ===
{{Main|Japanese Chinese cuisine}}
[[Chinese cuisine]] is one of the oldest and most prominent foreign influences on Japanese cuisine, predating the introduction of Western influences into the country by thousands of years. Many elements of Chinese cuisine have been fully assimilated into Japanese culinary traditions.

A domesticated variety of [[peach]] from China appeared in Japan around 4700–4400 BCE, during the [[Jōmon period]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zheng |first1=Yunfei |last2=Crawford |first2=Gary W. |last3=Chen |first3=Xugao |date=2014-09-05 |editor-last=Yang |editor-first=Xiaoyan |title=Archaeological Evidence for Peach (Prunus persica) Cultivation and Domestication in China |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en |volume=9 |issue=9 |article-number=e106595 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0106595 |pmid=25192436 |doi-access=free |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=4156326 |bibcode=2014PLoSO...9j6595Z }}</ref> The [[Yayoi period]] arrived with immigrants from mainland East Asia introducing rice agriculture and other elements of continental material culture to the [[Japanese archipelago]]. The migration of early rice farmers into Japan coincided with a range of sociopolitical transformations occurring in China, beginning with the eastward expansion of the [[Shang dynasty]] from 1600 to 1400 BCE. It is believed that rice farming spread to Japan from the [[Yangtze Delta|Yangtze River Delta]] to the [[Shandong Peninsula|Shandong peninsula]], then to the [[Liaodong Peninsula|Liaodong peninsula]], and finally to the [[Korea|Korean peninsula]], from where it was directly introduced to the Japanese archipelago.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |last1=Leipe |first1=Christian |last2=Long |first2=Tengwen |last3=Wagner |first3=Mayke |last4=Goslar |first4=Tomasz |last5=Tarasov |first5=Pavel E. |date=2020-09-15 |title=The spread of rice to Japan: Insights from Bayesian analysis of direct radiocarbon dates and population dynamics in East Asia |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379120304698 |journal=Quaternary Science Reviews |volume=244 |article-number=106507 |doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106507 |bibcode=2020QSRv..24406507L |issn=0277-3791}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cooke |first1=Niall P. |last2=Mattiangeli |first2=Valeria |last3=Cassidy |first3=Lara M. |last4=Okazaki |first4=Kenji |date=2021 |title=Ancient genomics reveals tripartite origins of Japanese populations |journal=Science Advances |volume=7 |issue=38 |article-number=eabh2419 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.abh2419 |pmid=34533991 |pmc=8448447 |bibcode=2021SciA....7.2419C }}</ref>

[[Chopsticks]] were adopted from China around the latter half of the 7th century, during the [[Asuka period]], with the earliest known examples in Japan discovered at archaeological sites such as [[Asuka, Yamato|Asuka Itabuki-no-miya]] and [[Fujiwara-kyō|Fujiwara-kyo]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mukai |first1=Yukiko |last2=Hashimoto |first2=Keiko |last3=Hasegawa |first3=Chizu |date=1977 |title=On the Origin of Table Chopsticks in Japan and Half-split Chopsticks |url=https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/cookeryscience1968/10/1/10_41/_article |journal=Science of Cookery |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=41–46 |doi=10.11402/cookeryscience1968.10.1_41}}</ref> Tea, soy sauce, tofu, and noodles were borrowed from China in the 8th century, during the [[Nara period]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Heiss |first1=Mary Lou |title=The story of tea: a cultural history and drinking guide |last2=Heiss |first2=Robert J. |date=2007 |publisher=Ten Speed Press |isbn=978-1-58008-745-2 |location=Berkeley, Calif}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Wilson |first=Kathy |title=Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering |date=2010 |publisher=Infobase Learning |isbn=978-0-8160-7784-7 |edition=1st |series=Global Issues |location=New York}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ishige |first=Naomichi |title=The history and culture of Japanese food |date=2001 |publisher=Kegan Paul |isbn=978-0-7103-0657-9 |location=London; New York}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Dougill |first=John |title=Kyoto: a cultural history |date=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-530137-3 |series=Cityscapes |location=Oxford New York}}</ref> The [[Shippoku]] culinary style of [[Nagasaki]], which originated in the 17th century, reflects strong Chinese influences.

These early elements are generally considered distinct from modern [[Japanese Chinese cuisine]], known as ''chūka ryōri'', which emerged in the 19th century. Iconic dishes of ''chūka ryōri'' include [[ramen]], [[Jiaozi|gyoza]], and [[Baozi|chukaman]]. In contrast, dishes of Chinese origin such as [[kakuni]] and [[karaage]] are often regarded as part of ''washoku'', or traditional Japanese cuisine, due to their longstanding integration into Japanese food culture.

===Okonomiyaki===
{{main|Okonomiyaki}}
[[File:Okonomiyaki 001.jpg|thumb|Japanese pancake, [[Okonomiyaki]]]]
Okonomiyaki is a savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients in a wheat-flour-based batter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Okonomiyaki Savoury Pancake Recipe |url=https://www.japancentre.com/en/recipes/1-okonomiyaki-savoury-pancake |access-date=March 27, 2022 |website=Japan Centre |language=en |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930023213/https://www.japancentre.com/en/recipe/1-okonomiyaki-savoury-pancake |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Tonkatsu===
[[File:Tonkatsu by ayustety in Tokyo.jpg|thumb|''[[Tonkatsu]]'' pork cutlet]]
{{main|Tonkatsu}}
Tonkatsu is a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet. It is frequently served with [[tonkatsu sauce]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-20 |title=The most delicious way to eat tonkatsu blows people's minds in Japan |url=https://soranews24.com/2024/02/21/the-most-delicious-way-to-eat-tonkatsu-blows-peoples-minds-in-japan/ |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=SoraNews24 -Japan News- |language=en-US |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930023212/https://soranews24.com/2024/02/21/the-most-delicious-way-to-eat-tonkatsu-blows-peoples-minds-in-japan/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Curry===
{{main|Japanese curry}}
[[Curry]] was introduced by [[British people|Anglo]]-Indian officers of the [[Royal Navy]] from [[British Raj|India]] who brought curry powder to Japan in the [[Meiji era]].<ref name="times-curry"/> The [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] adopted curry to prevent [[beriberi]]. Overtime it was reinvented and adapted to suit Japanese tastes that it became uniquely Japanese.<ref name="times-curry">{{Cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/08/26/food/curry-its-more-japanese-than-you-think/ |title=Curry — it's more 'Japanese' than you think|last=Itoh|first=Makiko|date=August 26, 2011 |work=The Japan Times |access-date=March 31, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108233344/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/08/26/food/curry-its-more-japanese-than-you-think/|archive-date=January 8, 2018}}</ref> It is consumed so much that it is considered a [[national dish]].<ref name="curry rice research"/> Many recipes are on the menu of the [[Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force|JMSDF]].<ref>[https://www.mod.go.jp/msdf/formal/family/recipe/archive/currey.html Curry Recipe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190127110050/https://www.mod.go.jp/msdf/formal/family/recipe/archive/currey.html |date=January 27, 2019 }} Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force {{in lang|ja}}</ref> A variety of vegetables and meats are used to make [[Japanese curry]], usually vegetables like onions, carrots, and potatoes. The types of meat used are beef, pork, and chicken. A popular dish is ''[[Katsukarē|Katsu-karē]]'' which is a [[Tonkatsu|breaded deep-fried cutlet]] (''tonkatsu''; usually pork or chicken) with Japanese curry sauce.<ref name="bbc_goodfood">{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chicken_katsu_curry_48890 |title=Chicken katsu curry | publisher=BBC | work=Food recipes | date=2016 | access-date=January 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210714131951/https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chicken_katsu_curry_48890 |archive-date=July 14, 2021}}</ref> [[Japanese curry]] can be found in foods such as curry [[udon]], [[curry bread]], and ''[[katsukarē]]'', [[tonkatsu]] served with curry. It's very commonly made with rice beside the curry on the dish called {{nihongo|"curry"|カレー|karē}}. This can be eaten during dinner.

===Wafū burgers (Japanese-style burgers)===
[[Hamburger]] chains active in Japan include [[McDonald's]], [[Burger King]], [[First Kitchen]], [[Lotteria]] and [[MOS Burger]]. Many chains developed uniquely Japanese versions of American fast food such as the [[teriyaki]] burger, [[kinpira]] ([[sauté]]) rice burger, fried shrimp burgers, and green tea [[milkshake]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 29, 2019 |title=They Serve What?! What Global Restaurant Chains Do Differently In Japan |url=https://livejapan.com/en/in-tokyo/in-pref-tokyo/in-shibuya/article-a0002606/ |website=Live Japan |access-date=April 29, 2023 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930023219/https://livejapan.com/en/in-tokyo/in-pref-tokyo/in-shibuya/article-a0002606/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Italian===
{{main|Itameshi}}
High-class Japanese chefs have preserved many Italian seafood dishes that are forgotten in other countries. These include pasta with [[Shrimp (food)|prawns]], [[Lobster meat|lobster]] (a specialty known in Italy as pasta all'aragosta), [[Crab meat|crab]] (an Italian specialty; in Japan it is served with a different species of crab), and pasta with [[Sea urchin as food|sea urchin]] sauce (sea urchin pasta being a specialty of the [[Apulia|Puglia region]]).<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fb6hCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT89|title=The Globalization of Asian Cuisines: Transnational Networks and Culinary Contact Zones|date=2015|isbn=978-1-137-51408-0|last1=Farrer|first1=James|publisher=Springer|access-date=February 1, 2018|archive-date=September 30, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930014931/https://books.google.com/books?id=Fb6hCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT89#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Outside Japan==
[[File:California Rolls.JPG|thumb|upright|[[California roll]], a fusion makizushi created outside of Japan]]
Many countries have imported portions of Japanese cuisine. Some may adhere to the traditional preparations of the cuisines, but in some cultures the dishes have been adapted to fit the palate of the local populace. In 1970s sushi travelled from Japan to Canada and the United States, it was modified to suit the American palate, and re-entered the Japanese market as "American Sushi".<ref>{{cite book |last=Laemmerhirt |first=Iris-Aya |author-link=<!--Iris-Aya Laemmerhirt--> |title=Embracing Differences: Transnational Cultural Flows between Japan and the United States, Volume 36 of Edition Kulturwissenschaft |publisher=transcript Verlag |year=2014 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UHqiBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA102 |pages=102–103 |isbn=978-3-8394-2600-5 |access-date=October 16, 2020 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930015435/https://books.google.com/books?id=UHqiBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA102#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> An example of this phenomenon is the [[California roll]], which was created in North America in the 1970s, rose in popularity across the United States through the 1980s, and thus sparked Japanese food's—more precisely, sushi's—global popularity.

In 2014, Japanese Restaurant Organization has selected potential countries where Japanese food is becoming increasingly popular, and conducted research concerning the Japanese restaurants abroad. These key nations or region are [[Taiwan]], Hong Kong, China, Singapore, [[Thailand]] and [[Indonesia]].<ref name="AntaraJP">{{cite web |last=Fitriyanti |first=Azi |author-link=Azi Fitriyanti |title=Japanese Cuisine in Indonesia Focuses on Taste, Menus Food Safety |url=http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/92378/japanese-cuisine-in-indonesia-focuses-on-taste-menus-food-safety |date=January 25, 2014 |publisher=Antara News |access-date=May 5, 2014 |archive-date=June 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623195938/http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/92378/japanese-cuisine-in-indonesia-focuses-on-taste-menus-food-safety |url-status=live }}</ref> This was meant as an effort to promote Japanese cuisine and to expand the market of Japanese ingredients, products and foodstuffs. Numbers of Japanese foodstuff and seasoning brands such as [[Ajinomoto]], [[Kikkoman]], [[Nissin Foods|Nissin]] and [[Kewpie (mayonnaise)|Kewpie]] mayonnaise, are establishing production base in other Asian countries, such as China, Thailand and Indonesia.

===Australia===
Japanese cuisine is very popular in Australia, and Australians are becoming increasingly familiar with traditional Japanese foods.<ref>{{cite web|title=Asian Food and Australia's Changing Palate|url=http://peril.com.au/blog/food/asian-food-and-australias-changing-palate/|website=Peril Magazine|access-date=March 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402175615/http://peril.com.au/blog/food/asian-food-and-australias-changing-palate/|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref> Restaurants serving Japanese cuisine feature prominently in popular rankings, including Gourmet Traveller and The Good Food Guide.<ref>{{cite web|title=Top 10 Restaurants of Australia|url=http://www.top10restaurants.com.au/|website=Top 10 Restaurants|access-date=March 26, 2015|archive-date=January 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220117043304/https://top10restaurants.com.au/}}</ref>

Sushi in particular has been described as being "as popular as sandwiches", particularly in large cities like Melbourne, Sydney, or Brisbane.<ref name="Japanese Culture in Australia">{{cite web|title=Japanese Culture in Australia|url=http://www.agfg.com.au/blog/post/Japanese-Culture-in-Australia.aspx|website=Australian Good Food Guide|access-date=March 26, 2015|archive-date=September 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924104941/https://www.agfg.com.au/blog/post/Japanese-Culture-in-Australia.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> As such, sushi bars are a mainstay in shopping centre food courts, and are extremely common in cities and towns all over the country.<ref name="Japanese Culture in Australia"/>

===Brazil===
In Brazil, Japanese food is widespread due to the large [[Japanese-Brazilian]] population living in the country, which represents the largest Japanese community living outside Japan. Over the past years, many restaurant chains such as [[Koni Store]]<ref>{{cite news | url=http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/travel/09Bites.html?scp=1&sq=Koni%20Stores&st=cse | work=The New York Times | title=Rio de Janeiro: Koni Stores | first=Seth | last=Kugel | date=November 9, 2008 | access-date=May 5, 2010 | archive-date=September 30, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930015535/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/travel/09Bites.html?scp=1&sq=Koni%20Stores&st=cse | url-status=live }}</ref> have opened, selling typical dishes such as the popular [[temaki]]. [[Yakisoba]], which is readily available in all supermarkets, and often included in non-Japanese restaurant menus.<ref>{{Cite journal|url = https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10978526.2020.1812399|doi = 10.1080/10978526.2020.1812399|title = Food Experiences at Home: The Role of Ethnic Food in Brazilian Family Relations|year = 2020|last1 = De Carvalho|first1 = André|last2 = Gerhard|first2 = Felipe|last3 = Ferreira De Freitas|first3 = Ana Augusta|journal = Latin American Business Review|volume = 22|pages = 53–73|s2cid = 225280313|access-date = September 30, 2020|archive-date = September 30, 2024|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240930015436/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10978526.2020.1812399|url-status = live|url-access = subscription}}</ref>

===Canada===
In Canada, Japanese cuisine has become quite popular. [[Sushi]], [[sashimi]], and instant ramen are highly popular at opposite ends of the income scale, with instant ramen being a common low-budget meal. Sushi and sashimi takeout began in [[Vancouver]] and [[Toronto]], and is now common throughout Canada. The largest supermarket chains all carry basic sushi and sashimi, and Japanese ingredients and instant ramen are readily available in most supermarkets. Most mid-sized mall food courts feature fast-food teppan cooking. [[Izakaya]] restaurants have surged in popularity. Higher-end ramen restaurants (as opposed to instant ramen noodles of variable quality) are increasingly common.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Duke |first1=Laura Churchill |title='Ultimate comfort food': From traditional Japanese versions to Atlantic Canadian twists, ramen popular treat |url=https://www.saltwire.com/nova-scotia/lifestyles/ultimate-comfort-food-from-traditional-japanese-versions-to-atlantic-canadian-twists-ramen-popular-treat-559675/ |access-date=April 5, 2022 |agency=SaltWire |publisher=SaltWire Network |date=March 4, 2021}}</ref>

===Indonesia===
[[File:Chicken Teriyaki Bento Ichiban Sushi.jpg|thumb|right|Chicken [[teriyaki]] [[bento]] set,<ref>{{cite web | work = Ichiban Sushi | title = Chicken Teriyaki bento set | url = http://www.ichibansushi.co.id/detail-menu/50/chicken-teriyaki-bento-set | access-date = July 26, 2017 | archive-date = March 19, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220319075931/http://www.ichibansushi.co.id/detail-menu/50/chicken-teriyaki-bento-set }}</ref> including salmon [[sashimi]], [[gyoza]], salad and miso soup, served in a Japanese restaurant in [[Jakarta]]]]
In the [[ASEAN]] region, Indonesia is the second largest market for Japanese food, after Thailand. Japanese cuisine has been increasingly popular as a result of the growing Indonesian middle-class expecting higher quality foods.<ref name="AntaraJP"/> This has also contributed to the fact that Indonesia has large numbers of [[Japanese migration to Indonesia|Japanese expatriates]]. The main concern is the issue of many traditional Japanese recipes not being [[halal]]. As a [[Muslim]] majority country, Indonesians expect that Japanese foods served there are halal according to Islamic dietary law, which means no pork or alcohol are allowed. Japanese restaurants in Indonesia often offer a set menu which includes rice served with an array of Japanese favourites in a single setting. A set menu might include a choice of yakiniku or sukiyaki, including a sample of sushi, tempura, gyoza and miso soup. Authentic Japanese style [[izakaya]] and [[ramen]] shops can be found in the Little Tokyo (Melawai) area in [[Blok M]], South Jakarta, serving both Japanese expats and local clienteles.<ref>{{cite web | work = Wanderbites | title = 7 Best Japanese Resto in Jakarta's Little Tokyo (Melawai) | date = July 29, 2016 | url = http://www.wanderbites.com/jakarta-restaurant-review/best-japanese-resto-in-jakarta-little-tokyo/ | access-date = July 26, 2017 | archive-date = March 30, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220330033308/http://www.wanderbites.com/jakarta-restaurant-review/best-japanese-resto-in-jakarta-little-tokyo/ | url-status = usurped }}</ref> Today, Japanese restaurants can be found in most major Indonesian cities, with a high concentration in [[Greater Jakarta]] area, [[Bandung]], [[Surabaya]] and [[Bali]].

In some cases, Japanese cuisine in Indonesia is often altered to suit Indonesian taste. [[Hoka Hoka Bento]] in particular is an Indonesian-owned Japanese fast food restaurant chain that caters to the Indonesian clientele. As a result, the foods served there have been adapted to suit Indonesians' taste. Examples of the change include stronger flavours compared to the authentic subtle Japanese taste, the preference for fried food, as well as the addition of [[sambal]] to cater to the Indonesians' preference for hot and spicy food.

[[File:Asian Games 2018 GBK Jakarta Okonomiyaki Takoyaki.jpg|thumb|left|[[Okonomiyaki]] and [[takoyaki]] served in a festival of [[2018 Asian Games]] in [[Jakarta]]]]

Japanese food popularity also has penetrated [[Street food of Indonesia|street food culture]], as modest ''Warjep'' or ''[[Warung]] Jepang'' (Japanese food stall) offer Japanese food such as tempura, okonomiyaki and takoyaki, at moderately low prices.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A6_pKLSMrFIC&q=warjep+warung+jepang&pg=PT35|title=Japanese Food Favorit ala Cafe|publisher=Gramedia Pustaka Utama|isbn=978-979-22-2728-4|language=id}}</ref> Today, okonomiyaki and takoyaki are popular street fare in Jakarta and other Indonesian cities.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://lifestyle.kompas.com/read/2011/02/10/18504197/okonomiyaki.merambah.kaki.lima|title=Okonomiyaki Merambah Kaki Lima|last=Media|first=Kompas Cyber|date=February 10, 2011|work=Kompas.com|access-date=September 15, 2018|language=id|archive-date=September 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915160237/https://lifestyle.kompas.com/read/2011/02/10/18504197/okonomiyaki.merambah.kaki.lima|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.qraved.com/journal/restaurants/10-japanese-street-food-yang-bisa-kamu-temukan-di-jakarta|title=10 Japanese Street Food yang Bisa Kamu Temukan di Jakarta|work=Qraved Journal|access-date=September 19, 2018|archive-date=September 30, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930024728/https://www.qraved.com/journal/restaurants/10-japanese-street-food-yang-bisa-kamu-temukan-di-jakarta|url-status=live}}</ref> This is also pushed further by the Japanese convenience stores operating in Indonesia, such as [[7-Eleven]] and [[Lawson (store)|Lawson]] offering Japanese favourites such as [[oden]], chicken katsu (deep-fried chicken cutlet), chicken teriyaki and [[onigiri]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://food.detik.com/info-kuliner/d-3759505/yang-hangat-di-4-tempat-ini-ada-oden-enak-dengan-harga-terjangkau|title=Yang Hangat! di 4 Tempat Ini Ada Oden Enak dengan Harga Terjangkau|last=Mustinda|first=Lusiana|work=detikfood|access-date=September 19, 2018|language=id|archive-date=September 30, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930024754/https://food.detik.com/info-kuliner/d-3759505/yang-hangat-di-4-tempat-ini-ada-oden-enak-dengan-harga-terjangkau|url-status=live}}</ref>

Some chefs in Indonesian sushi establishments have created a Japanese-Indonesian fusion cuisine, such as krakatau roll, [[gado-gado]] roll, [[rendang]] roll and [[gulai]] ramen.<ref name="Suntiang">{{cite web | title=New: Suntiang, When Padang Marries Japanese Food | url=http://www.culinarybonanza.com/2014/02/suntiang-the-first-padang-japanese-fusion-restaurant.html | date=February 6, 2014 | publisher=Culinary Bonanza | access-date=May 5, 2014 | archive-date=May 5, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505062029/http://www.culinarybonanza.com/2014/02/suntiang-the-first-padang-japanese-fusion-restaurant.html }}</ref> The idea of fusion cuisine melding spicy Indonesian [[Padang food|Padang]] and Japanese cuisine was combined because both cuisine traditions are well-liked by Indonesians.<ref>{{cite news | title = Food Fridays: When Rendang Said 'I Do' to Sushi | date = February 21, 2014 | author = Resty Woro Yuniar | work = The Wall Street Journal | url = https://blogs.wsj.com/indonesiarealtime/2014/02/21/food-fridays-when-rendang-said-i-do-to-sushi/ | access-date = August 4, 2017 | archive-date = September 8, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180908092735/https://blogs.wsj.com/indonesiarealtime/2014/02/21/food-fridays-when-rendang-said-i-do-to-sushi/ }}</ref> Nevertheless, some of these Japanese eating establishments might strive to serve authentic Japanese cuisine abroad.<ref name="JPJapan">{{cite news | title=Enjoying internationally popular Japanese food | author=I. Christianto | url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/11/30/enjoying-internationally-popular-japanese-food.html | date=November 30, 2009 | newspaper=The Jakarta Post | access-date=May 5, 2014 | archive-date=March 19, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319200149/https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/11/30/enjoying-internationally-popular-japanese-food.html | url-status=live }}</ref> Numbers of Japanese chain restaurants has established their business in Indonesia, such as [[Yoshinoya]] gyūdon restaurant chain,<ref>{{cite web | title = Yoshinoya Indonesia | url = http://www.yoshinoya.co.id/menu.htm | access-date = December 17, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180501155110/http://www.yoshinoya.co.id/menu.htm | archive-date = May 1, 2018 }}</ref> [[Gyu-Kaku]] yakiniku restaurant chain and [[Ajisen Ramen]] restaurant chain.

===Mexico===
In [[Mexican cuisine|Mexico]], certain Japanese restaurants have created what is known as "sushi Mexicano", in which spicy sauces and ingredients accompany the dish or are integrated in sushi rolls. The [[habanero]] and [[Serrano pepper|serrano]] chiles have become nearly standard and are referred to as chiles toreados, as they are fried, diced and tossed over a dish upon request.

===Philippines===
In the [[Philippines]], Japanese cuisine is also popular among the local population.<ref>{{cite web |author=Cheryl M. Arcibal |url=http://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2013/07/08/963081/latest-japanese-resto-town-wants-conquer-pinoy-bellies-pork-and-ramen |title=Latest Japanese resto in town wants to conquer Pinoy bellies with pork and ramen &#124; Food |work=The Philippine Star |date=July 8, 2013 |access-date=March 3, 2014 |archive-date=March 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319200149/https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2013/07/08/963081/latest-japanese-resto-town-wants-conquer-pinoy-bellies-pork-and-ramen |url-status=live }}</ref> The Philippines have been exposed to the influences from the Japanese, [[Indian culture|Indian]] and [[Culture of China|Chinese]].<ref>[http://www.philippinealmanac.com/2010/07/528/the-cultural-influences-of-india-china-arabia-and-japan.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701082957/http://www.philippinealmanac.com/2010/07/528/the-cultural-influences-of-india-china-arabia-and-japan.html|date=July 1, 2012}}</ref> The cities of [[Davao City|Davao]] and [[Metro Manila]] probably have the most Japanese influence in the country.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=litYzL0GYSkC&pg=PA21 |title=Japanese Diasporas: Unsung Pasts, Conflicting Presents and Uncertain Futures |via=Google Books |access-date=March 3, 2014 |isbn=978-0-203-96884-0 |last1=Adachi |first1=Nobuko |date=2006 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930015437/https://books.google.com/books?id=litYzL0GYSkC&pg=PA21 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/05/15/12/sushi-tempura-wagyu-japanese-food-101|title = From sushi to tempura to Wagyu: Japanese food 101| work=ABS-CBN News |date = May 15, 2012|access-date = January 8, 2014|archive-date = February 27, 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140227052543/http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/05/15/12/sushi-tempura-wagyu-japanese-food-101|url-status = live}}</ref> The popular dining spots for Japanese nationals are located in [[Makati]], which is called as "Little Tokyo", a small area filled with restaurants specializing in different types of Japanese food. Some of the best Japanese no-frills restaurants in the Philippines can be found in Makati's "Little Tokyo" area.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tiu |first=Cheryl |url=http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/escape/philippines/manila-076896 |title=Best of Manila &#124; CNN Travel |work=CNN|date=December 31, 2012 |access-date=March 3, 2014 |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222102752/http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/escape/philippines/manila-076896 }}</ref> In the Philippines, [[Halo-halo]] is derived from Japanese [[Kakigori]]. Halo-halo is believed to be an indigenized version of the Japanese ''[[kakigori]]'' class of desserts, originating from pre-[[World War II|war]] Japanese migrants into the islands. The earliest versions were composed only of cooked [[red bean]]s or [[mung bean]]s in crushed ice with sugar and milk, a dessert known locally as "''mongo-ya''". Over the years, more native ingredients were added, resulting in the development of the modern ''halo-halo''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ocampo |first1=Ambeth R. |title=Japanese origins of the Philippine 'halo-halo' |url=https://opinion.inquirer.net/35790/japanese-origins-of-the-philippine-halo-halo |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=August 30, 2012 |access-date=April 23, 2019 |archive-date=April 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423093030/https://opinion.inquirer.net/35790/japanese-origins-of-the-philippine-halo-halo |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Halo-Halo Graham Float Recipe|url=https://www.pinoyrecipe.net/halo-halo-graham-float-recipe/|website=Pinoy Recipe at Iba Pa|date=July 24, 2019|access-date=July 24, 2019|archive-date=July 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724023553/https://www.pinoyrecipe.net/halo-halo-graham-float-recipe/|url-status=live}}</ref> Some authors specifically attribute it to the 1920s or 1930s Japanese migrants in the [[Quinta Market]] of [[Quiapo, Manila|Quiapo]], Manila, due to its proximity to the now defunct [[Insular Ice Plant]], which was the source of the city's ice supply.<ref name="zialcita">{{cite book | author=Crisol, Christine | editor=Zialcita, Fernando N. | title=Quiapo: Heart of Manila | chapter=A ''Halo-Halo'' Menu | page=321 | year=2006 | place=Manila | publisher=Quiapo Printing | isbn=978-971-93673-0-7 | quote=Today, many non-Quiapense informants in their forties and older associate the Quinta Market with this dessert. Why did this market become important in the invention of this dessert? Aside from its being a Japanese legacy in the area [...] of all the city markets, the Quinta was closest to the ice.}}</ref> In [[Cebu City]], the Little Kyoto district let's you experience the feel of being in [[Kyoto]], [[Japan]] with a statue of the reclining [[Buddha]] overlooking the city. The Little Kyoto district also features Japanese food stalls serving various Japanese dishes like [[Takoyaki]], [[Tempura]], and various other Japanese cuisine that is enjoyed by the people of Cebu City, Philippines.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vivomigsgee.com/2021/11/07/sachikos-little-kyoto-a-little-slice-of-japan-in-cebu/ |title=Sachiko's Little Kyoto: A Little Slice of Japan in Cebu |date=November 7, 2021 |access-date=December 30, 2021 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930015518/https://www.vivomigsgee.com/2021/11/07/sachikos-little-kyoto-a-little-slice-of-japan-in-cebu/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Odong]], also called pancit odong, is a [[Visayans|Visayan]] [[noodle soup]] made with {{lang|ceb|odong}} noodles, [[canned sardines|canned]] smoked sardines (''[[tinapa]]'') in tomato sauce, [[bottle gourd]] ({{lang|ceb|upo}}), [[loofah]] ({{lang|ceb|patola}}), [[chayote]], ginger, garlic, [[red onions]], and various other vegetables. It is garnished and spiced with [[black pepper]], [[scallions]], toasted garlic, [[calamansi]], or [[labuyo chili]]s.<ref name="Polistico">{{cite book |last1=Polistico |first1=Edgie |title=Philippine Food, Cooking, & Dining Dictionary |date=2017 |publisher=Anvil Publishing, Inc. |isbn=978-621-420-087-0}}</ref><ref name="PolisticoPFI">{{cite web |last1=Polistico |first1=Edgie |title=Odong |url=https://pinoyfoodillustrated.blogspot.com/2018/07/odong.html |website=Philippine Food Illustrated |date=July 28, 2018 |access-date=January 18, 2022 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930015518/https://pinoyfoodillustrated.blogspot.com/2018/07/odong.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Ramos">{{cite news |last1=Ramos |first1=Ige |title=Kumain at tumulong |url=https://bandera.inquirer.net/40649/kumain-at-tumulong |access-date=January 18, 2022 |work=Bandera |date=November 18, 2013 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930015508/https://bandera.inquirer.net/40649/kumain-at-tumulong |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Odong, Sardinas at Patola a la MaiMai |url=https://www.marketmanila.com/archives/odong-sardinas-at-patola-a-la-maimai |website=Market Manila |date=November 15, 2006 |access-date=January 18, 2022 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930021850/https://www.marketmanila.com/archives/odong-sardinas-at-patola-a-la-maimai |url-status=live }}</ref> The dish is usually prepared as a soup, but it can also be cooked with minimal water, in which case, it is known as odong guisado.<ref name="pp"/>

It is a common simple and cheap meal in [[Mindanao]] (particularly the [[Davao Region]]) and the [[Visayas Islands]].<ref name="Ong">{{cite news |last1=Ong |first1=Kenneth Irvin |title=For the love of Ligo Sardines |url=https://edgedavao.net/indulge-lifestyle/2018/10/18/for-the-love-of-ligo-sardines/ |access-date=January 18, 2022 |work=Edge Davao |date=October 18, 2018 |archive-date=October 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022083505/http://edgedavao.net/indulge-lifestyle/2018/10/18/for-the-love-of-ligo-sardines/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="pp">{{cite web |title=Odong Recipe |url=https://panlasangpinoy.com/odong-recipe/ |website=Panlasang Pinoy |date=November 15, 2013 |access-date=January 18, 2022 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930025240/https://panlasangpinoy.com/odong-recipe/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="teds">{{cite web |title=Sardines with Odong Noodles |url=https://kusinaniteds.com/2019/06/sardines-with-odong-noodles.html |website=Kusina ni Teds |date=June 2, 2019 |access-date=January 18, 2022 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930025241/https://kusinaniteds.com/2019/06/sardines-with-odong-noodles.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It is almost always eaten with white rice, rarely on its own.<ref name="pp"/>

It is named after the round flour noodles called {{lang|ceb|odong}} which are closest in texture and taste to the [[Okinawa soba]]. These noodles are characteristically sold dried into straight sticks around {{convert|6|to|8|in|cm|abbr=on}} long.<ref name="teds"/> The name is derived from the [[Japanese people|Japanese]] ''[[Udon#Philippines|udon]]'' noodles, although it does not use ''udon'' noodles or bear any resemblance to ''udon'' dishes. It originates from the [[Davao Region]] of [[Mindanao]]<ref name="Figueroa2016" /> which had a large Japanese migrant community in the early 1900s.<ref name="Goodman1967">{{Cite book|title=Davao: A Case Study in Japanese-Philippine Relations|last=Goodman|first=Grant K.|publisher=[[University of Kansas]], Center for East Asian Studies|year=1967|page=26|url=https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/handle/1808/1195|language=en|chapter=Japanese Percentage of Participation in Davao Province Industries|hdl-access=free|hdl=1808/1195|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807051921/https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/handle/1808/1195|archive-date=August 7, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> The {{lang|ceb|odong}} noodles were previously locally manufactured by [[Okinawans]], but modern {{lang|ceb|odong}} noodles (which are distinctly yellowish) are imported from [[China]].<ref name="Figueroa2016">{{Cite news|url=https://issuu.com/edgedavao/docs/edge9_issue142/9|title=US, Japan linguistic legacies|access-date=January 18, 2022|work=Edge Davao|last=Figueroa|first=Antonio V.|issue=142|date=September 12, 2016|page=9|language=en|archive-date=September 30, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930025246/https://issuu.com/edgedavao/docs/edge9_issue142/9|url-status=live}}</ref> Because {{lang|ceb|odong}} noodles are difficult to find in other regions, they can be substituted with other types of noodles; including ''[[misua]]'', ''miki'' ([[egg noodles]]), ''[[udon]]'', and even [[instant noodles]].<ref name="Ramos"/><ref name="pp"/>

===Taiwan===
Japan and Taiwan have shared [[Japan–Taiwan relations|close historical and cultural relations]]. Dishes such as sushi, ramen, and donburi are very popular among locals. Japanese chain restaurants such as Coco Ichibanya, Ippudo, Kura Sushi, Marugame Seimen, Mister Donut, MOS Burger, Ootoya, Ramen Kagetsu Arashi, Saizeriya, Sukiya, Sushiro, Tonkatsu Shinjuku Saboten, Yayoi Ken, and Yoshinoya, can all be found in Taiwan, among others. Taiwan has adapted many Japanese food items. Tianbula ("Taiwanese tempura") is actually satsuma-age and was introduced to Taiwan during [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|Japanese rule]] by people from Kyushu, where the word ''tempura'' is commonly used to refer to satsuma-age.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.koryu.or.jp/Portals/0/images/publications/magazine/2016/1/201601_04.pdf |title=片倉佳史の台湾歴史紀行 第一回 港湾都市・基隆を訪ねる |first=Yoshifumi |last=Katakura |author-link=:ja:片倉佳史 |publisher=[[Japan–Taiwan Exchange Association]] |year=2016 |access-date=March 23, 2020 |page=9 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930025247/https://www.koryu.or.jp/Portals/0/images/publications/magazine/2016/1/201601_04.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H0nXAwAAQBAJ&q=Tempura+Satsuma-age&pg=PA246|page=246|title=The History and Culture of Japanese Food|first=Naomichi|last=Ishige|author-link=:ja:石毛直道|publisher=Routledge|year=2014|isbn=978-1-136-60255-9|access-date=October 16, 2020|archive-date=September 30, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930020148/https://books.google.com/books?id=H0nXAwAAQBAJ&q=Tempura+Satsuma-age&pg=PA246#v=snippet&q=Tempura%20Satsuma-age&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/13209051/ |title=「さつま揚げ」の各都道府県での呼び名を調査 関西は「天ぷら」 |publisher=J-TOWN.NET |date=June 16, 2017 |access-date=March 23, 2020 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930021851/https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/13209051/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It is popular as a night market snack and as an ingredient for oden, hot pot and lu wei. Taiwanese versions of oden are sold locally as olen or, more recently, as guandongzhu (from Japanese Kantō-ni) in convenience stores.

===Thailand===
In Southeast Asia, Thailand is the largest market for Japanese food. This is partly because Thailand is a popular [[Tourism in Thailand|tourist destination]], having large numbers of [[Japanese people in Thailand|Japanese expatriates]], as well as the local population having developed a taste for authentic Japanese cuisine. According to the Organisation that Promote Japanese Restaurants Abroad (JRO), the number of Japanese restaurants in Thailand jumped about 2.2-fold from 2007's figures to 1,676 in June 2012. In [[Bangkok]], Japanese restaurants accounts for 8.3 percent of all restaurants, following those that serve [[Thai cuisine|Thai]].<ref>{{cite news | title = Burgeoning growth of Japanese cuisine in Thailand | date = September 24, 2012 | newspaper = The Nation | url = http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Burgeoning-growth-of-Japanese-cuisine-in-Thailand-30190989.html | access-date = April 12, 2016 | archive-date = February 4, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180204101819/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Burgeoning-growth-of-Japanese-cuisine-in-Thailand-30190989.html }}</ref> Numbers of Japanese chain restaurants has established their business in Thailand, such as Yoshinoya gyūdon restaurant chain, Gyu-Kaku [[yakiniku]] restaurant chain and Kourakuen ramen restaurant chain.

===United Kingdom===
[[File:Kokoro Sushi restaurant, Sutton High Street, Sutton, Surrey, Greater London.JPG|thumb|A branch of Kokoro in [[Sutton High Street]], [[Sutton, London|Sutton]], Greater London]]
Japanese food Inspired restaurant chains in the UK include [[Wagamama]], [[YO! Sushi]], Nudo Sushi Box, [[Wasabi (restaurant)|Wasabi]], Bone Daddies and Kokoro, often localising the food and mixing in other ingredients originating from [[Southeast Asia]] and [[India]].

===United States===
The [[California roll]] has been influential in sushi's global popularity; its invention often credited to a Japanese-born chef working in Los Angeles, with dates assigned to 1973, or even 1964.<ref name=guardian2006>{{cite news |last=Renton |first=Alex |title=How Sushi ate the World |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=February 26, 2006 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/feb/26/japan.foodanddrink |access-date=August 20, 2006 |archive-date=January 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113115505/http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly/story/0,,1715295,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=ji-song-ku/> The dish has been snubbed by some purist sushi chefs,<ref name=guardian2006/> and also likened to the American-born [[chop suey]] by one scholar.<ref name=ji-song-ku>{{cite book |last=Ji-Song Ku |first=Robert |author-link=<!--Robert Ji-Song Ku--> |title=Dubious Gastronomy: The Cultural Politics of Eating Asian in the USA |publisher=[[University of Hawaii Press]] |year=2013 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mh_HDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA44 |pages=43–48 |isbn=978-0-824-83920-8 |access-date=January 28, 2020 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930020037/https://books.google.com/books?id=mh_HDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA44#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{As of|2015|<!--lc=y-->}} the country has about 4,200 sushi restaurants.<ref name="passy20150826">{{cite news | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/meet-the-pilot-who-doubles-as-block-islands-chinese-food-delivery-guy-1440636389 | title=Meet the Pilot Who Doubles as Block Island's Chinese-Food Delivery Guy | work=The Wall Street Journal | date=August 26, 2015 | access-date=August 26, 2015 | author=Passy, Charles | pages=A1 | archive-date=March 19, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319075930/https://www.wsj.com/articles/meet-the-pilot-who-doubles-as-block-islands-chinese-food-delivery-guy-1440636389 | url-status=live }}</ref> It is one of the most popular styles of sushi in the US market. Japanese cuisine is an integral part of food culture in Hawaii as well as in other parts of the United States. Popular items are sushi, sashimi, and teriyaki. [[Kamaboko]], known locally as fish cake, is a staple of [[saimin]], a noodle soup that is a local favorite in Hawaii.{{sfnp|Ji-Song Ku|2013|p=263}} Sushi, long regarded as quite exotic in the west until the 1970s, has become a popular health food in parts of North America, Western Europe and Asia.

Two of the first Japanese restaurants in the United States were Saito and Nippon. Restaurants such as these popularized dishes such as sukiyaki and tempura, while Nippon was the first restaurant in Manhattan to have a dedicated sushi bar.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/11/11/archives/restaurants-on-review-variety-of-japanese-dishes-offered-but-raw.html|title=Restaurants on Review; Variety of Japanese Dishes Offered, But Raw Fish Is Specialty on Menu|last=Claiborne|first=Craig|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 11, 1963|access-date=August 3, 2018|language=en|archive-date=December 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202103843/https://www.nytimes.com/1963/11/11/archives/restaurants-on-review-variety-of-japanese-dishes-offered-but-raw.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Nippon was also one of the first Japanese restaurants in the U.S. to grow and process their own soba<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2012/03/the-chef-obsessed-nobuyoshi-kuraoka-established-his-own-local-buckwheat-farm-to-achieve-the-perfect-soba-noodle-067223|title=The chef, obsessed: Nobuyoshi Kuraoka established his own local buckwheat farm to achieve the perfect soba noodle|work=Politico PRO|access-date=August 3, 2018|language=en}}</ref> and responsible for creation of the now standard [[Negimaki|beef negimayak]]<nowiki/>i dish.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/06/garden/adapting-american-foods-to-japanese-cuisine.html|title=Adapting American Foods to Japanese Cuisine|last=Fabricant|first=Florence|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 6, 1982|access-date=August 3, 2018|archive-date=December 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202103849/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/06/garden/adapting-american-foods-to-japanese-cuisine.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the U.S., [[teppanyaki]] "iron hot plate" cooking restaurants took foothold. Such restaurants featured steak, shrimp and vegetables (including [[bean sprouts]]), cooked in front of the customer on a "teppanyaki grill" (teppan) by a personal chef who turns cooking into performance art, twirling and juggling cutting knives like batons. The meal would be served with steamed rice and Japanese <!--clear--> soup. This style of cooking was made popular in the U.S. when [[Hiroaki Aoki|Rocky Aoki]] founded his popular restaurant chain [[Benihana]] in 1964.<ref>{{citation |last=Johnson |first=Eric |title=American-style peace redefines Japanese palate |date=August 30, 2001 |newspaper=[[Japan Times]] |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2001/08/30/national/american-style-peace-redefines-japanese-palate |access-date=March 24, 2019 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930025253/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2001/08/30/national/american-style-peace-redefines-japanese-palate/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{citation |author=<!--byline?--> |title=The Kitchenless Restaurant |magazine=Kitchen Planning |volume=6 |date=December 1968 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s4MUAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Benihana%22+rice+%22bean+sprouts%22 |page=63 |access-date=January 28, 2020 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930015941/https://books.google.com/books?id=s4MUAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Benihana%22+rice+%22bean+sprouts%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> In Japan this type of cooking is thought to be American food, but in the U.S. it is thought to be Japanese. Aoki thought this would go over better in the U.S. than traditional Japanese cuisine because he felt that Americans enjoyed "eating in exotic surroundings, but are deeply mistrustful of exotic foods".<ref name="Sporkful">{{cite web |title=Why Hibachi Is Complicated |date=March 11, 2019 |website=Sporkful |format=Audio Podcast with Notes |url=http://www.sporkful.com/performing-or-ethnic-play-acting-why-hibachi-is-complicated/ |access-date=March 24, 2019 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930023004/http://www.sporkful.com/performing-or-ethnic-play-acting-why-hibachi-is-complicated/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Food controversies==
[[File:Blue whale meat sashimi and sea urchin sushi.JPG|thumb|[[Whale meat]] sashimi, one of the most controversial Japanese dishes]]
Some elements of Japanese cuisine involving [[eating live seafood]], such as [[Ikizukuri]] and [[Odori ebi]], have received criticism overseas as a form of [[animal cruelty]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usrepresented.com/2018/08/19/ikizukuri/|title=Ikizukuri: As Fresh As Seafood Can Get|website=US represented|date=August 19, 2018|access-date=September 12, 2020|archive-date=December 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203135749/https://www.usrepresented.com/2018/08/19/ikizukuri/}}</ref>

Japanese cuisine is heavily dependent on seafood products. About 45 kilograms of seafood are consumed per capita annually in Japan, more than most other developed countries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FBS|title=Faostat|access-date=September 30, 2020|archive-date=May 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511194947/http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FBS|url-status=live}}</ref> An aspect of environmental concern is Japanese appetite for seafood, which could contribute to the depletion of natural ocean resources. For example, Japan consumes 80% of the global supply of [[blue fin tuna]], a popularly sought sushi and sashimi ingredient, which could lead to its extinction due to commercial [[overfishing]].<ref>{{cite news | title = Trouble at Tsukiji: world's biggest fish market caught in controversy | work = The Guardian | first = Justin | last = McCurry | date = November 10, 2016 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/10/trouble-at-tsukiji-worlds-biggest-fish-market-caught-in-controversy | access-date = December 1, 2016 | archive-date = June 13, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220613024403/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/10/trouble-at-tsukiji-worlds-biggest-fish-market-caught-in-controversy | url-status = live }}</ref> Another environmental concern is commercial [[Whaling in Japan|whaling]] and the consumption of [[Whale meat#Japan|whale meat]], for which Japan is the world's largest market.<ref>{{cite web | work = WWF | title = Whale meat trade continues in East Asia | url = http://www.wwf.org.uk/updates/whale-meat-trade-continues-east-asia | access-date = December 7, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161202165719/http://www.wwf.org.uk/updates/whale-meat-trade-continues-east-asia | archive-date = December 2, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Whaling in Japan | work = [[Whale and Dolphin Conservation]] | url = http://us.whales.org/issues/whaling-in-japan | access-date = December 2, 2016 | archive-date = January 9, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190109042848/https://us.whales.org/issues/whaling-in-japan | url-status = live }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Japan|Food}}
{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Bento]]
* [[Culture of Japan]]
* [[Fake food in Japan]]
* [[Hōchōdō]]
* [[Honzen-ryōri]]
* [[Japanese New Year]]
* [[Kaiseki]]
* [[List of Japanese condiments]]
* [[List of Japanese cooking utensils]]
* [[List of Japanese dishes]]
** [[List of Japanese desserts and sweets]]
** [[List of Japanese soups and stews]]
* [[List of Japanese ingredients]]
* [[List of Japanese restaurants]]
* [[List of sushi restaurants]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name=assmann&rath>{{cite book |last1=Assmann |first1=Stephanie |author-link=<!--Stephanie Assmann--> |last2=Rath |first2=Eric C. |author-link2=<!--Eric C. Rath--> |chapter=Koryori-ya, Kappo, and Robata Restaurants: Little Dishes with More Style |title=A Guide to Ethnic Food in Los Angeles |publisher=[[University of Illinois Press]] |year=2010 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ppll3L_9fAsC&pg=PA4 |page=4 |isbn=978-0-252-07752-4 |access-date=January 15, 2020 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930020038/https://books.google.com/books?id=ppll3L_9fAsC&pg=PA4#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name=baltimore-sun2004-09-22>{{cite news |last=Shapiro |first=Stephanie |author-link=<!--Stephanie Shapiro--> |title=Saving time, but losing a tradition among Japanese |date=September 22, 2004 |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2004-09-22-0409210017-story.html |access-date=January 15, 2020 |archive-date=January 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115092907/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2004-09-22-0409210017-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name=burum-kappo>{{cite book |last=Burum |first=Linda |author-link=<!--Linda Burum--> |chapter=Koryori-ya, Kappo, and Robata Restaurants: Little Dishes with More Style |title=A Guide to Ethnic Food in Los Angeles |publisher=[[Harper Perennial]] |year=1992 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_Bz-i3eWmxkC&q=%22cordon%22 |page=43 |isbn=978-0-06-273038-1 |access-date=October 16, 2020 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930015942/https://books.google.com/books?id=_Bz-i3eWmxkC&q=%22cordon%22 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name=heibonsha-nihonryori>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Motoyama |first=Tekishū |author-link=:ja:本山荻舟 |title=Nihon ryōri |script-title=ja:日本料理 |encyclopedia=Sekai hyakka jiten 世界百科事典 |volume=17 |publisher=Heibonsha |orig-date=1968|year=1969 |pages=355–356}}<!--"日本人の食料はもともと穀類を中心として菜藻を主とし、鳥肉がこれにつぎ、獣肉はわすがであったが、仏教渡来後.."--></ref>

<ref name=kojien-honzenryori>"[https://books.google.com/books?id=8rAPAAAAYAAJ&q=%22本膳料理%22 Honzenryōri ほんぜん‐りょうり【本膳料理】] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930015957/https://books.google.com/books?id=8rAPAAAAYAAJ&q=%22%E6%9C%AC%E8%86%B3%E6%96%99%E7%90%86%22 |date=September 30, 2024 }}", ''[[Kojien]]'', 4th ed., 1991.</ref>
<ref name=kojien-kaiseki1>"[https://books.google.com/books?id=8rAPAAAAYAAJ&q=%22会席%22 Kaiseki(1) かい‐せき【会席】] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930015944/https://books.google.com/books?id=8rAPAAAAYAAJ&q=%22%E4%BC%9A%E5%B8%AD%22 |date=September 30, 2024 }}", "かいせき‐りょうり【会席料理】" ''[[Kojien]]'', 4th ed., 1991.</ref>
<ref name=kojien-kaiseki5>"[https://books.google.com/books?id=8rAPAAAAYAAJ&q=%22懐石%22 Kaiseki(5) かい‐せき【懐石】] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930015944/https://books.google.com/books?id=8rAPAAAAYAAJ&q=%22%E6%87%90%E7%9F%B3%22 |date=September 30, 2024 }}", ''[[Kojien]]'', 4th ed., 1991.</ref>
<ref name=kojien-kappo>"[https://books.google.com/books?id=8rAPAAAAYAAJ&q=%22かっぽう%22 Kappō かっ‐ぽう【割烹】] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930021120/https://books.google.com/books?id=8rAPAAAAYAAJ&q=%22 |date=September 30, 2024 }}", ''[[Kojien]]'', 4th ed., 1991.</ref>
<ref name=kojien-okazu>"[https://books.google.com/books?id=8rAPAAAAYAAJ&q=%22御数%22 Okazu お‐かず【御数】】] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930022909/https://books.google.com/books?id=8rAPAAAAYAAJ&q=%22%E5%BE%A1%E6%95%B0%22 |date=September 30, 2024 }}", ''[[Kojien]]'', 4th ed., 1991.</ref>
<ref name=kojien-sai>"[https://books.google.com/books?id=8rAPAAAAYAAJ&q=%22副食物%22 Sai さい【菜】] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930022944/https://books.google.com/books?id=8rAPAAAAYAAJ&q=%22%E5%89%AF%E9%A3%9F%E7%89%A9%22 |date=September 30, 2024 }}", ''[[Kojien]]'', 4th ed., 1991.</ref>
<ref name=kojien-taishushokudo>"[https://books.google.com/books?id=8rAPAAAAYAAJ&q=%22たいしゅう%22 Taishūshokudō たいしゅう‐しょくどう【大衆食堂】] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930021120/https://books.google.com/books?id=8rAPAAAAYAAJ&q=%22 |date=September 30, 2024 }}", ''[[Kojien]]'', 4th ed., 1991.</ref>

<ref name=NDHZ-kappo>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Tada |first=Tetsunosuke |author-link=:ja:多田鉄之助 |title=Kappo |script-title=ja:割烹 かつぽう |encyclopedia=Nihon Dai-hyakka zensho <!--日本大百科全書--> |volume=5 |publisher=[[Shogakukan]] |year=1994 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pVEEAAAAYAAJ&q=%22%E5%89%B2%E7%83%B9%22 |page=436 |isbn=978-4-09-526001-3 |access-date=October 16, 2020 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930021022/https://books.google.com/books?id=pVEEAAAAYAAJ&q=%22%E5%89%B2%E7%83%B9%22 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name=michelin-kappo>{{cite web |author=<!--no byline--> |title=What is Japanese Kappo cuisine? |website=Michelin |date=December 19, 2017 |url=https://guide.michelin.com/en/article/dining-out/what-is-japanese-kappo-cuisine |access-date=January 15, 2020 |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930021020/https://guide.michelin.com/en/article/dining-out/what-is-japanese-kappo-cuisine |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

=== Works cited ===
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* {{citation|last=Andoh|first=Elizabeth|title=Washoku: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen|publisher=Random House Digital|year=2012|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lziyA6pHdxEC&pg=PA191|isbn=978-0-307-81355-8}}
* {{cite journal|last=Cawthorn|first=M. W.|title=Meat consumption from stranded whales and marine mammals in New Zealand: Public health and other issues|journal=Conservation Advisory Science Notes|number=164|place=Wellington, New Zealand|publisher=Department of Conservation|year=1997|issn=1171-9834|url=https://www.doc.govt.nz/documents/science-and-technical/casn164.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206191550/http://www.doc.govt.nz/documents/science-and-technical/casn164.pdf|archive-date=December 6, 2013}}
* {{cite book|last=Hepburn|first=James Curtis|author-link=James Curtis Hepburn|title=A Japanese-English and English-Japanese Dictionary|edition=4|place=Tokyo|publisher=Z.P. Maruya & Company|year=1888|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6CkYAAAAYAAJ|access-date=October 18, 2015|archive-date=September 30, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930021022/https://books.google.com/books?id=6CkYAAAAYAAJ|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |last1=Kiple |first1=Kenneth F. |author-link=<!--Kenneth F. Kiple--> |last2=Ornelas |first2=Kriemhild |author-link2=<!--Kriemhild Ornelas --> |title=The Cambridge World History of Food |volume=2 |place=Cambridge, UK |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2000 |url=http://www.cambridge.org/us/books/kiple/japan.htm |isbn=0-521-40216-6 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504003540/http://www.cambridge.org/us/books/kiple/japan.htm |archive-date=May 4, 2012 }}
* {{citation|last=Shimbo|first=Hiroko|title=The Japanese Kitchen: 250 Recipes in a Traditional Spirit|publisher=Harvard Common Press|year=2000|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=43puKgiAK2YC&pg=PA237|isbn=978-1-55832-177-9}}
* {{citation |last1=Tsuji |first1=Shizuo |last2=Fisher |first2=M.F.K. |last3=Reichl |first3=Ruth |title=Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art |publisher=[[Kodansha International]] |year=2006 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fby2Er0seMMC&pg=PA241 |isbn=978-4-7700-3049-8 }}
{{Refend}}

=== Further reading ===
{{Cookbook|Cuisine of Japan}}
{{Commons category|Cuisine of Japan}}
{{Wikivoyage|Japanese cuisine|Japanese cuisine|travel information}}
* {{citation|last=Cwiertka|first=Katarzyna Joanna |title=Modern Japanese Cuisine: Food, Power And National Identity |publisher=Reaktion Books |year=2006 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oK-7LOlWNpEC |isbn=978-1-86189-298-0}}
* Francks, Penelope. "Diet and the comparison of living standards across the Great Divergence: Japanese food history in an English mirror." ''Journal of Global History'' 14.1 (2019): 3-21.
* {{citation|last=Rath|first=Eric C. |title=Food and Fantasy in Early Modern Japan|publisher=University of California Press|year=2010 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_m6g_8Aw_IsC|isbn= 978-0-520-26227-0}}

==External links==
*[https://www.kpu.ac.jp/jp_cuisine_ebook/ JAPANESE CUISINE COMPLETE] Japanese Culinary Academy, Kyoto Prefectual University

{{Japanese food and drink}}
{{Japan topics}}
{{Asian topic|| cuisine}}
{{cuisine}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Japanese cuisine| ]]
[[Category:Buddhist cuisine| ]]