The anpan, as previously mentioned, is sweet bread filled with sweet filling. It’s definitely more of a dessert than a meal. However, like manju, there are hearty meal fillings for pan as well. Curry pan is filled with Japanese curry, katsu pan has fried pork cutlets inside (yes, fried, breaded pork inside of the break), croquette pan has a croquette inside (a croquette is fried mixture of potatoes and other vegetables as well as potentially meat and seafood), and yakisoba pan is filled with yakisoba–fried noodles!–and ginger. Operating as both a dessert and a potential meal depending on your mood, the fruit sandwich is another common Japanese sandwich. Fresh-cut fruit is layered in bread with a yogurt cream.

Panko refers not to a sandwich-like treat but to a form of breading. Panko is a popular coating for fried meats, seafood, and vegetables. Panko is a lighter, crisper texture than other Western breading. This is unsurprising due the fact that Japanese bread tastes different than Western bread.

When you order a hamburger, you have to make sure that you’re in an American-style restaurant if you’re looking for a hamburger on a bun. Most Japanese hamburgers are served as patties on plates without bread. Until about the 1970s, foreigners in Japan looking to make hamburgers had a hard time finding hamburger buns!

Have you ever tried Japanese pan? Do you prefer the dessert breads or the meal breads? Do you like hamburgers without buns?

Yakitori literally means “grilled bird,” but you’ll find the term referring to variety of skewered, grilled meats and vegetables–although the proper generic term for skewered meats and vegetables is kushiyaki. However, since chicken is one of the most popular yakitori ingredients, the label is often appropriate.

Yakitori make great snack and appetizer foods and they can also constitute a light meal. You’ll find them for sale at festivals, in restaurants, in pubs, and in small food carts lining the streets. You can also purchase small indoor electric grills to make the dish yourself at home, although traditionally they’re grilled with charcoal. Pieces of meat and/or vegetables are slid on a thin bamboo stick and the food is places directly on the grill and rotated a few times. Traditionally, you can choose from shio (salt) alone on the food or tare sauce (a sauce made from soy sauce, sake, and sugar).

There are many varieties of chicken yakitori. Toriniku is the basic white chicken meat variety and mune is the dark meat choice, but you’ll also find types such as nankotsu (chicken cartilage–made soft), hatsu (chicken heart), shiro (chicken intestines), rebaa (chicken liver), and sunagimo (chicken gizzard). Chicken skin is torikawa, chicken tail is bonjiri, chicken wings is tebasaki, and chicken meatballs is tsukune.

The other common varieties of yakitori/kushiyaki include garlic (ninniku), enoki mushrooms (enokimaki), pork belly (butabara), Japanese scallion (ikada), ox tongue (gyuutan), fried tofu (atsuage tofu), green pepper (piman), and aspargus and bacon (asuparabeekon). You can have a yakitori with only one meat or vegetable or you can mix it up and sample a number of what’s available.

Have you ever eaten yakitori? Would you be willing to try something like chicken cartilage? Why or why not?

When you order a Japanese meal set, you’ll often be served a small plate of Japanese pickles. These will not taste or look like the Western pickles to which you are accustomed, as they are usually not pickled in distilled vinegar. They’re softer and smaller than the typical Western pickle and are sometimes made by soaking in a mixture that may include sake, miso, soy sauce, rice bran, mustard, sugar, spices and occasionally, vinegar. However, much of the time, they’re simply placed in a special pressurized container called a tsukemonoki along with some salt. The tsukemonoki uses tsukemonoishi (weight stones) to press upon the vegetables or fruit. The process takes at least ten hours. Juices come out of the produce and the tsukemono pickles in its own juices.

Besides the basic pickled cucumbers to which we in the West are accustomed, the most popular tsukemono include umeboshi, takuan (pickled daikon radishes), beni shoga (ginger pickled with the brine from umeboshi), shibazuke (pickled eggplants), oshinko (pickled Chinese cabbage), and acaharazuke (pickled turnips). You may even find certain types of fish pickled (this is usually called kasuzuke, but you can find kasuzuke made with just vegetables as well, as it refers to the method of pickling in sake lees [yeast]).

Tsukemono can be served as a side dish or they can be thrown together as a salad or within a meal. They also make popular items in rice and onigiri to give the plain rice a touch of flavor. They’re easy to buy in Japanese grocery stores, but they’re also simple enough to make in homes if you have a tsukemonoki. If you don’t have a tsukemonoki, you can try to make your own in a tight container as well by applying pressure to the vegetables.

Have you ever eaten tsukemono? Do you like tsukemono more or less than Western pickles? Would you like to try making tsukemono yourself?

How to order: When visiting a restaruant, you may be surprised to find that no server is coming to your table. In Japan, the servers give you time to settle in and look at the menu and won’t come over until you’re ready. In family restaurant (famiresu)–restaurants with a wide variety of Western and Asian dishes, somewhat similar in decor to family restaurants you’ll find in the West–especially, you’re likely to find a call button on your table. When you’re ready to order or if you need refills or anything else throughout your meal, push the call button. This will signal to the servers that you would like assistance. If you don’t find a call button on your table, you may call over a server by saying “Sumimasen” (“excuse me”) when a server passes by.

No tipping: Unlike in the West, where servers are often paid less than minimum wage with the understanding that diners’ tips will make up the rest, there’s no tipping food servers in Japan. Servers make minimum wage or more because they do not count on tips. Of course, this means you’ll have no way to show your displeasure if you’re unhappy with service other than complaining to the manager. However, Japanese servers will more often than not provide excellent service and don’t need tips as motivation. (If you tip, you’ll likely just confuse the servers, so don’t feel obligated out of habit to tip for excellent service.)

Eating with chopsticks: Unless you’re eating in a Western restaurant, you’ll most likely be provided only with chopsticks. Taking the time to learn to eat with chopsticks can help you be immersed in the culture. However, if you’re in Japan on a limited basis or you simply can’t master the utensils, you may be able to ask for forks and knives.

Smaller portion size: America in particular is often made fun of by the rest of the world for serving huge portions. If you’re used to American portions, you may be surprised to find that Japanese food portions are much smaller.

Have you ever eaten in a restaurant in Japan? Do you have any funny stories to share about cultural miscommunication? Do you like the idea of not tipping servers and having the servers paid higher wages?

First, you should be aware that while many Japanese homes and most Japanese restaurants have Western-style tables and chairs for dining, many more have only Japanese style tables, which are positioned very close to the floor. The participants in the meal are expected to sit on the ground, typically in the seiza position, which is a kneeling position in which you rest your shins on the floor and your rear on your feet. When you’re in a more casual setting, it’s socially acceptable for men to sit cross-legged and for women to sit with their legs crossed to one side. Depending on the setting, you may be sitting directly on the floor–on a tatami mat–or on a cushion. You may even have a chair with back support that goes directly on the ground.

Using chopsticks is considered the more polite way to dine in Japan, although you may use knives and forks in Western restaurants. You may still be able to request knives and forks even in Japanese restaurants and households, but your Japanese guests or hosts will be impressed if you use chopsticks correctly.  Chopsticks help you take smaller portions so you won’t be shoveling your food in all at once. When ingesting soup, you can use the chopsticks to remove the large ingredients in the soup and can then sip the soup broth directly from the bowl. Sipping sounds are considered polite, not rude, in Japan when not done in excess.

Many Japanese meals are shared meals, with the food served in the middle of the table. Use your chopsticks to grab a small portion of food to place on your plate and then eat from the plate. Don’t take more food than you can eat, as it’s good manners not to leave any food on your plate.

Like in the West, it’s impolite to burp or discuss gross or distressing topics at dinner. You should also refrain from blowing your nose and excuse yourself to the restroom if blowing your nose becomes necessary. When you’ve finished, try to put your dishes back to the position they started in, with your chopsticks in their holder and dishes and lids stacked as they were served to you.

If you’re enjoying alcohol, be aware that it’s proper table manners to serve others and not yourself. When you notice that a friend’s cup is empty, you can ask if he or she’d like more and pour it for him or her. Do not pour the alcohol for yourself or ask someone else to do so; your friends should notice that you need a refill.

There is no singular simmering sauce used in all dishes, but popular ones include dashi (the stock used in miso soup), soy sauce, and mirin (a type of rice wine). Ingredients typically (but not always) included are onions, eggs, and seafood. One of the most popular types of donburi is oyakodon, which literally means “parent-child donburi.” This is because it consists of both chicken (the “parent”) and egg (“the child”). Oyakodon also includes onions and may be simmered in a variety of sauces, but is usually simmered in a soy sauce mixture.

Another popular donburi dish is katsudon, which features fried pork cutlets, egg, and onions. However, there are many seafood varieties, such as tenshidon, which offers a crab meat omelet over rice, and tekkadon, which features spicy raw tuna and seaweed. There’s also unadon, which includes cooked eel.

You can find beef in donburi dishes such as gyuudon, which features just beef and onions, and tanindon, which is like oyakodon, only with beef in place of the chicken. (“Tanin” means “stranger,” since the beef and egg would have no familial relation.)

Donburi are typically inexpensive dishes available quick to order. You may find a small Japanese restaurant with only counter seating, but turnover is fast since the food is made quickly and you’ll be able to get a seat without much wait. Just don’t linger around more than necessary, as you’ll want to free up your seat for another customer.

Donburi dishes are also popular ways to prepare leftovers and give them additional flavor. Home chefs need only simmer some meat and vegetables from a previous meal together in sauce and serve them over steamed rice.

Have you ever eaten a donburi dish? Which one? Which ones sounds the most appealing to you and why?

Curry has only been in Japan since the late 19^th century, but it’s already considered a fairly quintessential Japanese dish. Curry made its way to Japan via the English Navy. As India was an English colony at the time, the British had been influenced by Indian cooking and introduced the way in which they replicated the dish to the Japanese once Japan opened up to the West. In the British recipe, curry mimicked the style of Western stew, and that became the basis of Japanese curry.

Japanese curry took a while to catch on, but it positively flourished in the late 1960s. Besides being available in many food stands and restaurants, the curry roux mix made it possible for Japanese homemakers to easily make the dish at home. It wasn’t until the 1990s that actual Indian-style curry became somewhat popular in Japan as well.

Japanese curry is traditionally much less spicy than Indian curry, although it can be extra spicy at the chef’s discretion. The sauce is typically made from curry powder, flour and oil (and can more easily be purchased rather than made in the form of curry roux in supermarkets). The basic vegetables cooked in the sauce are carrots, onions and potatoes, but the chef can add any number of vegetables (and fruits!), such as peas, scallops, eggplants, turnips, broccoli, lotus roots, pears, melons and apples. Also in the curry is usually a meat, either cooked without additives or deep-fried first. Popular choices in Japan include beef, pork, chicken, oyster, duck and even deer.

Served over rice, Japanese curry is known as just “karee” or “karee raisu.” Other popular ways to eat Japanese curry include as the filling in bread (“karee pan”), over Japanese noodles (“karee udon”), with a raw egg (“yaki karee”) and as a soup (“suupu karee”). Japanese curry is usually quite affordable and can be found at most types of restaurants in Japan, fast-food and sit-down alike.

Have you tried Japanese curry? Did you like it more or less than Indian curry? Which type of Japanese curry seems the most appealing to you?

Most Japanese hamburgers (known as “hanbaagu” in Japan) are similar to what is known as “hamburger steak” in the West. Eaten with a knife and fork on a plate (with no bun), the Japanese hamburger patty is made from beef or pork (or both) and is minced together with onions, breadcrumbs, eggs and/or a mixtures of spices. The patty is then served with the diner’s topping of choice, which is typically a combination of any of the following: a fried egg, teriyaki sauce, demi-glace brown sauce, or vegetables.

When the Japanese decide to make hamburgers at home, more often than not it’s the hamburger steak. This is also a popular dish in family restaurants and other restaurants serving Western-style food.

The Japanese actually do have American-style hamburgers complete with a bun, called “hanbaagaa,” in the American-export fast food chains, such as McDonald’s and Burger King, as well as in other Asian burger franchises. However, the Japanese find holding their food directly with their hands unsanitary. If you order a hamburger in Japan, don’t be surprised to find it served in cup-shaped tissue paper that you’re expected not to unwrap. You hold onto the burger by gripping the tissue paper portion (careful not to bite into the paper!), allowing you to eat the hamburger without touching your food directly.

Another way that the Western-style burger differs in Japan is in the toppings. Teriyaki sauce-covered patties, fried egg-covered patties, shrimp croquette-covered patties, patties made from tofu, and even pork cutlets in place of the beef make for popular hamburgers in Japan. Some hamburger buns are even made entirely from rice grains!

Have you ever had a Japanese hanbaagu or hanbaagaa? What did you think of them? Would you be interested in trying one? Do you like the idea of not touching your burger with your hands for sanitary reasons?

The furoshiki dates back to the 8^th century CE, when it was originally called the hirazutsumi (“flat, folded bundle”). It became colloquially known as the furoshiki (“bath spread”) during the Edo Period (17^th to 19^th century CE) when it became a common practice to use the cloth to bring clothes to and from the public baths.

The furoshiki is actually used for far more than just wrapping lunch to-go. The original intent of the furoshiki was something like a modern grocery bag or tote bag, allowing the user to transport food, shopping goods, and other items. It could also be used to protect boxes and items from dust during storage. The furoshiki was even used like wrapping paper for gifts. (Traditionally, the giver receives the wrappings back.) These uses are still prevalent today, particularly for those who wish to reduce their waste contribution.  You’re even likely to see some Japanese businesspeople and government workers carrying documents in furoshiki instead of briefcases.

Furoshiki come in multiple sizes and can be almost as large as a beach towel, only in a square shape. What we think of as a handkerchief in the West is usually not large enough to be considered a furoshiki because you need plenty of cloth with which to craft handles out of the fabric when you tie it around the item. However, if a handkerchief is all you have on hand, you can try wrapping something small. Otherwise, scour Japanese supermarkets and housewares stores for your own furoshiki, both locally and online. The ones made out of material like rayon are relatively inexpensive.

There are many ways to wrap items using a furoshiki, but we’re going to look at three of the most common ways in closer detail:

Otsukai-tsutsumi (“carrying wrap”):

The most basic of ways to wrap a furoshiki is the otsukai-tsutsumi, which is usually the method used for wrapping square or rectangular bento boxes.

1. Place the furoshiki, non-decorated side (if applicable) face up, on a hard surface. The fabric should be rotated 90 degrees, with the corners of the fabric pointing up, down, left and right. Place the box to be wrapped in the middle of the fabric.
2. Fold the top corner of the fabric down over the box as far as it will go without shifting the box from its place.
3. Fold the bottom corner of the fabric over the last fold and the box as far as it will go. Don’t pull too hard. Let the bottom corner flop over the box without tucking it in.
4. Fold the left and then the right corners of the fabric across the box.
5. Tie the left and right corners fairly tightly, but leave just a small amount of leeway in the fabric. (This will be the handle.)
6. Knot the two corners together. Make the knot tight enough so it won’t fall apart on its own, but loose enough that you won’t have difficulty getting the knot undone when you’re hungry!
7. Carry the box by the knot.

Hon-tsutsumi (“book wrap”):

Sometimes translated as “the briefcase” because it acts in a similar fashion, the hon-tsutsumi allows you to carry rectangular documents as well as books. You’ll need at least two piles of documents or two books of roughly the same height and width to make this wrap work.

1. Place the furoshiki, non-decorated side (if applicable) face up, on a hard surface. The fabric should be in a normal square shape with the corners of the fabric at the left and right of the top and bottom. Place the books (or piles of documents) diagonally across the fabric toward the center. Leave a small amount of space between the books.
2. Fold the bottom left and the top right corners of the fabric over the book that they are nearest. Tuck the corners under the book. Pull tightly, but make sure you don’t shift the books. There should still be a bit of space between the books.
3. Pull the top left and the bottom right corners of the fabric across the books to the opposite side. The corners should stick out a bit beyond the books.
4. Carefully flip one book over and stack it atop the other book. Make sure the corners of fabric that were sticking out before are still visible.
5. Pull the two corners of fabric out and up and over the books (in the direction of the place where the book you just folded over originally was). Tie the two corners together somewhat tightly, but leave a little leeway. (This is the handle.) Knot the corners together as tightly as possible (but make sure you can easily undo the knot when necessary).
6. Carry the books (or documents) by the knotted handle.

Bin-tsutsumi (“bottle wrap”):

Another popular use of the furoshiki is the bin-tsutsumi, which is used to wrap a single bottle either recently purchased or to be given as a gift. (There’s actually another method for wrapping two bottles at once.) Bottles intended for this wrap are traditionally tall and slender, such as wine and sake bottles.

1. Place the furoshiki, non-decorated side (if applicable) face up, on a hard surface. The fabric should be rotated 90 degrees, with the corners of the fabric pointing up, down, left and right. Place the bottle standing up in the middle of the fabric.
2. Pull the left and right corners of the fabric up over the top of the bottle. Tie them together fairly tightly, but leave some leeway. (This will be the handle.) Knot the fabric together tightly, but make sure you’ll be able to undo the knot when needed.
3. Wrap the top corner of the fabric around the front (not the top) of the bottle as far as it will go. Wrap the bottom corner of the fabric across the last fold in the opposite direction.
4. Flip the bottle around. Grab both corners of the fabric that are sticking out and pull them as tight as they will go. Tie and knot the two corners together as tightly as possible without making the knot too hard to undo. (You will not be using this knot as a handle, so you won’t need any leeway. You want to make sure the knot is tight enough to keep the bottle in place.)
5. Carry the bottle by the top knot of the fabric.

This post is an entry for Japan Blog Matsuri. Read about more Japanese how-tos at the Nihon Group website!

Onigiri is rice that’s specially prepared to remain sticky so that it’s easily shaped. The rice (white rice only) isn’t rinsed before cooking, which helps contribute to its stickiness and makes it clump together. The rice also can’t be instant rice and is usually short-grain. Depending on the chef, a small amount of salt may be added to help preserve the rice but is not always necessary.

The rice is then shaped into a convenient small form. Although usually translated as “rice balls,” onigiri are more often triangular in shape than circular, but they can also be circular, oval or rectangular (often confusing people unfamiliar with the dish who think that it’s sushi), star-shaped or any kind of shape the chef desires. To help keep the rice together, the outside of the rice is usually (but not always) partially wrapped in a strip of dried seaweed (nori).

Some onigiri are served plain, but there’s often at least one (usually salty) ingredient literally stuffed into the middle of the ball of rice. This helps not only contribute to longer preservation but gives the onigiri more flavor. Popular ingredients include umeboshi (pickled ume, an apricot-like fruit), kombu (dried kelp), satled salmon, dried tuna, and salted roe. In some parts of the world, particularly in Hawaii, onigiri is often prepared with Spam.

Japanese people frequently have onigiri for lunch (either on its own—perhaps more than one at a time—or paired with something else) and you’re more likely to see a student buy or pack an onigiri from home than a sandwich. People frequently make their own onigiri, but they can also buy them from convenience stores, vending machines and cafeterias for cheap. Ongiri are high in carbohydrates, so they’re filling and give you a fair amount of energy. However, they’re not typically a delicacy eaten for dinner or ordered at a restaurant.

Have you ever eaten an onigiri? Do you think you would like to try one? Would you rather have rice or sandwiches for lunch?