Japan has fantastic food, and it is very hard to come across something that isn't appetizing. I thought I would share a few places that I have been and some of the things I have eaten. Don't get too excited there isn't anything really out of the ordinary so far.
In Kobe we found ourselves hunting for Kobe beef so we decided to eat at this hibachi style place in the heart of the city. Of course little did we know, as I mentioned earlier, Kobe beef is just as expensive in Kobe as anywhere else. So we opted for beef raised the same way, but didn't quite make the grade when it came time to be eaten. Overall it was a delicious meal and a lot of fun. We enjoyed several courses, starting with salad, then onto soup, followed by vegetables beef and rice.
Next we have one of the most fun meals I have eaten while in Japan. Just as a disclaimer I would not recommend going to a place like this without a native Japanese speaker, unless you are relatively fluent and confident in your speaking skill. There is a small grill in the middle of the table and you simply order plate after plate of raw meat. While we were there a constant stream of meat was being brought to the table, one after another. It got to the point where I had no clue what meat was what and was blindly eating anything I was given. Of course no meal is complete with just meat and dipping sauces, so there was salad and rice as usual.
Both of these were rather extravagant and relatively expensive choices for dinner. As a college student, in a rather
expensive country I can't always afford to eat like this of course. Luckily there is a fantastic, cheap, quick place to grab lunch down by the train station. It's about a 15 minute walk or so from the University, but for about 400円 you get quite the bowl of food. When you walk in, instead of ordering from a menu from a waitress, you choose your meal from a machine. All of the dishes have names and accompanying pictures, you simply press the one you want, press the size, and insert your money. Next thing you know someone is bringing the food to you and you're eating lunch. It is a very efficient system, especially if you're on a tight schedule. Be careful though, a lot of the time dishes are served with raw egg which most American's aren't used to eating. It is a little strange and unappealing at first.
Finally I'll wrap things up with what everyone would expect I suppose. Sushi. I've actually only eaten sushi twice since I have been here and it took me almost a month to go the first time. I have no problem consuming raw fish, but if it seems off-putting to you, it is certainly not the only thing the Japanese eat. The place I have gone both times is roughly a 15 minute walk from the seminar house I live in. After sitting at a table you have two options, anxiously wait until the sushi you want makes it way around the conveyor belt, hoping that no one grabs it before you, or using the touch screen panel to have a small bullet train deliver it to your booth. Not to mention you pay by plates, so at 105円 a plate, everyone wins.
