MOUNT FUJI 

Food & Wine:

If you are used to jumbo sets and super-size servings, you may take a bit of getting used to Japanese food. You are sure to find restaurants that will fill you up, and all you can eat (and drink) restaurants do exist (known as tabe-hodai and nomi-hodai respectively). However, in Japan, the presentation of the food is as important as the food itself. Furthermore, dishes are designed to appeal not only to the palate, but the eye as well. The Japanese custom is to use several small plates, with the food carefully arranged into bit-sized portions.

Also the Japanese eat early, so expect most restaurants to be closed by 9pm.

In Shizuoka, there are many famous foods. Particularly, in Fuji city, Japanese-style confectionery is one of the special products. It is called "Fujisancho". It is image of Mt.Fuji. The top of this Japanese-style confectionery is made from the coffee bean. It is sold at "Tagonotuki". Most of people in Fuji city serve the teacher who paid a home visit. The other is "sakurabo". It is sold at cheap sweet shop and festivals. It is only sold in Shizuoka.

Noodles:

Anywhere you go you in Japan, you are never far from a ramen, soba or udon shop. In Japan, noodles are differentiated by their ingredients. The two basic types are those made with buckwheat and those made with flour. Soba noodles are made from buckwheat and are most popular in Northern Japan, where the climate is cooler. Soba noodles firm and range from light to dark gray in color. The most common wheat flour noodle is udon, a soft white round noodle. Somen is thinner and kishimen is a long flat variety. Both kinds of noodles are served in a variety of different ways, sometimes in a warm broth, or sometimes cold and dipped in sauce.

Ramen is also extremely popular in Japan. Though, not traditional Japanese food, this egg noodle from China is especially popular as a late night meal for those out on the town and can be found on most menus. The two most popular types in Japan are shoyu (soy sauce) ramen and miso (fermented bean paste) ramen, although there countless kinds of ramen to choose from. Most ramen is served hot in a bowl, but in summer time you can order cold ramen noodles as well.

Sushi & Sashimi:

Moderately priced sushi bars are some of the most distinctive of all small Japanese restaurants. There are several different kinds of sushi with the most well-known being nigiri-zushi: raw fish, seafood, or vegetables placed on top of vinegared rice sometimes with a touch of wasabi (Japanese horseradish) and dipped in shoyu. Another kind of sushi is maki-zushi: seafood, vegetables or pickles rolled with rice inside a sheet of nori (seaweed). Inari-zushi, a favorite for kids, is vinegared rice and chopped vegetables inside a pouch of friend tofu (bean curd).

Sushi restaurants also come in a variety of kinds with cheap shops to very expensive restaurants. If you visit a sushi restauraunt, you'll be amazed at the skill of the chefs as they prepare the orders, keep track of bills and serve the food. Good sushi shops can be expensive depending on what you order, so it might be a good idea to go with someone who can help you navigate the menu.

If you want to try sushi but you don't want spend too much money doing it, kaiten sushi is a good and fun way to go. At these sushi shops, plates of sushi go around a circular conveyer belt and customers take what they want as it slides by. The sushi chefs will also take your order if you don’t see what you want. The price (and quality) depends on the color of the plates. When you're done they simply count your plates and give you the bill. Atom Boy and Kappa Sushi are two of the largest chains.

Yakitori, Shabu-Shabu, Sukiyaki & Tempura:

If you are visiting Japan and are looking for an alternative to all that fish and seafood, don’t worry. Over the years the Japanese have acquired a taste for meat and there are many restaurants that serve grilled meat and other dishes for non-vegetarians.

The most common kind of restaurant you will find are yakitori restaurants. Yakitori literally means grilled chicken, and the specialty at these restaurants (you guessed it) is chunks of chicken meat (and other parts of the chicken) grilled over a charcoal fire on thin skewers and seasoned with salt, or a sweet soy sauce. Yakitori are generally drinking establishments and places to socialize, however, they offer a cheap and relaxing place to get a quick meal.

Sukiyaki is another of Japan’s best-known meat dishes, and most westerners seem to enjoy them. The food is cooked right at the table , which makes for a fun dining experience. Sukiyaki is basically thinly sliced beef cooked in a broth of soy sauce, stock and sake, along with assorted vegetables and tofu. You use your chopsticks to serve yourself from the pot and then dip your food in a bowl that contains a raw egg. If the raw egg is too much, you can skip this part.

Shabu-shabu is also prepared at your table and consists of thinly sliced beef cooked in a hot broth with vegetables. When you eat shabu-shabu, you take the meat and vegetables of the plate and swish it around in the broth until it is cooked. The food is then dipped in some assorted sauces and then eaten. The name shabu-shabu comes from the swishing sound the beef makes when it is cooking. Shabu-shabu restaurants are a lot of fun, but can also be fairly expensive, so it’s best to check the price first.

Tempura is also one of the most famous Japanese foods. Tempura consists of fish, prawns or vegetables cooked in a fluffy, non-greasy batter. Tempura is best when hot, so try not too wait too long and use the light brown sauce (ten-tsuyu) to cool each peace before eating.

Teppanyaki restaurants were made famous in the US by Benihana. These are basically Japanese steakhouses, and although the food is cooked in front of you on a hot grill, teppanyaki restaurants in Japan generally do not have the same theatrics as you find in the states.

Okonomiyaki restaurants are another fun place to eat. They are fairly inexpensive and one of the more unique eating experiences you will have. Guests usually sit around an iron hotplate and then their order is brought to them with all their ingredients in a bowl. The guests then stir up their bowl, in what looks to be pancake batter, and cook it themselves on the hot grill. After about 5 minutes your okonomiyaki (which also looks similar to a pancake) is finished and ready to eat.

Tonkatsu restaurants are also popular in Japan, and a good place to go if you are a meat eater who really wants to get filled up. Tonkatsu is a deep-fried breaded pork cutlet served with a a special sauce, usually as part of a set menu (tonkatsu teishoku). Even if you don’t usually eat pork at home, you should try this dish once while you are in Japan – you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised. Most tonkatsu restaurants also let you choose from different cuts of pork, as well as chicken or prawns.

Nomi-ya are small local bars that can often be recognized by the large red lanterns hanging outside. They mainly serve sake and beer, but also have snacks and are a good place relax and meet over a drink.

Izakaya are lively Japanese-style pubs with a fairly large menu of small dishes. Although izakaya are usually loud and smoky, they are great place to meet friends and enjoy a meal and to see Japanese people relax after a long day of work.

Drink:

Alcohol is as much a part of Japanese society as sumo and sushi. Most adults of both genders (and quite a lot of teenagers) socially drink with family, friends and co-workers. Beer and other alcoholic drinks are sold out of vending machines in Japan, so it is also much more accessible than other countries and underage drinking is not looked upon as negatively as in the west either. The restriction on drinking is also not as strict as other places, as drinking in public, in trains and in parks is not prohibited.

Beer is a favourite beverage throughout Japan and the quality is generally very good. The largest breweries are Asahi, Sapporo, Kirin and Suntory.

Rice wine, or Sake, is arguably the most famous alcohol from Japan. People drink sake both warm and cold, depending on the season, however warm sake is more popular. Most people believe sake takes a bit of getting used to, but it can be very enjoyable as a night cap or to sip on when your lying in a hot spring at a mountain resort.

Shochu is the poor cousin of sake and is a much cheaper way to drown your sorrows. It has an alcohol content of about 30% and can also be consumed warm or cold. Recently a chuhai (a highball with soda and lemon or other fruit taste) has become more popular. Wine, whiskey and other alcoholic drinks can also be found in Japan without much of a problem.  

Here are some useful phrases!

General

Good morning: Ohayou
Good afternoon: Konnichiwa
Good evening: Konbanwa
Good night: Oyasuminasai

Thanks: Arigatou
That's okay: Ii desu yo
Sounds good: Ii desu ne

Eating Out

Looks delicious: Oishisou
Smells good: Ii nioi
Tastes good: Oishii
It's awful: Mazui
Let's order: Chuumon shiyou
Too sweet: Amasugiru
Too spicy: Karasugiru 

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