There are many views of what is fundamental to Japanese cuisine. Many think of sushi or the elegant stylized formal kaiseki meals that originated as part of the Japanese tea ceremony. Many Japanese, however, think of the everyday food of the Japanese people--especially that existing before the end of the Meiji Era (1868 - 1912) or before World War II.
Few modern urban Japanese know their traditional cuisine.
Traditional Japanese cuisine is dominated by white rice (hakumai, 白米), and few meals would be complete without it. Anything else served during a meal--fish, meat, vegetables, pickles--is considered a side dish. Side dishes are served to enhance the taste of the rice. Traditional Japanese meals are named by the number of side dishes that accompany the rice and soup that are nearly always served. The simplest Japanese meal, for example, consists of ichijū-issai (一汁一菜; "one soup, one side" or "one dish meal"). This means soup, rice, and one ccompanying side dish--usually a pickled vegetable like daikon. A traditional Japanese breakfast, for example, usually consists of miso soup, rice, and a pickled vegetable. The most common meal, however, is called ichijū-sansai (一汁三菜; "one soup, three sides"), or soup, rice, and three side dishes, each employing a different cooking technique. The three side dishes are usually raw fish (sashimi), a grilled dish, and a simmered (sometimes
called boiled in translations from Japanese) dish -- although steamed, deep fried, vinegared, or dressed dishes may replace the grilled or simmered dishes. Ichijū-sansai often finishes with pickled vegetables and green tea. One type of pickled food that is popular is ume.
This uniquely Japanese view of a meal is reflected in the organization of traditional Japanese cookbooks. Chapters are organized according to cooking techniques: fried foods, steamed foods, and grilled foods, for example, and not according to particular ingredients (e.g., chicken or beef) as are western cookbooks. There are also usually chapters devoted to soups, sushi, rice, noodles, and sweets.
Being an island nation, its people consume much seafood including fish, shellfish, octopus/squid, crabs/lobsters/shrimp and seaweed. Although not known as a meat eating country, very few Japanese consider themselves vegetarians by any sense of the word. Beef and chicken are commonly eaten and have become part of everyday cuisine.
Noodles, although originating in China, have become an essential part of Japanese cuisine. There are two traditional types of noodle, soba and udon. Made from buckwheat flour, soba (蕎麦) is a thin, brown noodle. Made from wheat flour, udon (うどん) is a thick, white noodle. Both are generally served in a soy-flavored fish broth with various vegetables. A more recent import from China, dating to the early 19th century, is ramen (ラーメン; Chinese wheat noodles), which has become extremely popular. Ramen is served in a variety of soup stocks ranging from soy sauce/fish stock to butter/pork stock.
Although the Japanese generally eschew eating insects there are a couple of exceptions. In some regions, grasshoppers (inago) and bee larvae (hachinoko) are not uncommon dishes. Salamander is also eaten as well. However the majority of Japanese probably have not even tried these dishes.
Chopsticks are generally placed at the very front of the tray near the diner with pointed ends facing left and supported by a chopstick holder, or hashioki (箸置き).
Sukiyaki - mixture of noodles, thinly sliced beef, egg and vegetables boiled in a special sauce made of fish broth, soy sauce, sugar and sake.
Shabu-shabu - noodles, vegetables and shrimp or thinly sliced beef boiled in a thin stock and dipped in a soy or sesame sauce before eating
Motsunabe - cow intestine, hakusai (bok choi) and various vegetables are cooked in a light soup base
Kimuchinabe - similar to motsunabe, except with a kimuchi base and using thinly sliced pork. Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish, but it has also become very popular in Japan, particularly in the southern island of Kyushu, which is situated closest to South Korea.
Soba - thin brown buckwheat noodles served chilled with various toppings or in hot broth
Ramen - thin light yellow noodle served in hot broth with various toppings; of Chinese origin, it is a popular and common item in Japan
Udon - thick wheat noodle served with various toppings or in a hot shoyu and dashi broth.
Champon - yellow noodles of medium thickness served with a great variety of seafood and vegetable toppings in a hot broth; originated in Nagasaki as a cheap food for students
Other
Agedashi Tofu - cubes of deep-fried silken tofu served in hot broth
Bento or Obento - combination meal served in a wooden box
Natto - fermented soybeans, stringy like melted cheese, infamous amongst non-Japanese for its strong smell and slippery texture. Often eaten for breakfast. Typically popular in Kanto and less so in Kansai.
Kamameshi - rice topped with vegetables and chicken or seafood, then baked in an individual-sized pot
Sashimi - raw, thinly sliced foods served with a dipping sauce and simple garnishes; usually fish or shellfish but can be almost anything including beef, horse and chicken.
Fugu - poison blowfish, a uniquely Japanese specialty
Sumashijiru - a clear soup made with dashi and seafood
Sushi - Vinegared rice topped or mixed with various fresh ingredients.
Nigirizushi - This is sushi with the meat atop a block of rice.
Makizushi - Translated as "roll sushi," this is the dish popular in America, where rice, meat, seaweed (nori), and possibly other ingredients are rolled on a bamboo mat and cut into smaller pieces.
Temaki - Basically the same as makizushi, except that the nori is rolled into a cone-shape with the ingredients placed inside.
Teppanyaki is said to be an American invention, as is the California roll, and while the former has been well received in Japan the latter has not and has, at worst, been termed not sushi by Japanese people. However thanks to some recent trends in American culture such as Iron Chef and Benihana, Japanese culinary culture is slowly fusing its way into American life. Japanese food, which had been quite exotic in the West as late as the 1970s, is now quite at home in parts of the continental United States, and has become an integral part of food culture in Hawaii.
A number of foreign dishes have been adapted to a degree that they are practically considered Japanese, and are an integral part of any Japanese family menu. Perhaps the best example is curry rice, which was imported in the 19th century by way of the United Kingdom, and has little resemblance to the original Indian dish. Another example is "hamburg steak", which is a ground beef patty (often greatly extended with filler) smothered in gravy and served with a side of white rice and vegetables. Both of the above can be found in almost any yo-shoku ("Western-food") restaurant in Japan.
