Explore everyday life in Japan
When you think of Japanese food, what comes to mind? I'm guessing that many of you will think of sushi and ramen. Maybe some of you will think of the various noodle dishes that are eaten in Japan--udon, soba, and somen. Some of you may also think of yakitori, yakiniku, sukiyaki, and shabu-shabu. If you are a little more versed in Japanese cuisine, you might think of oden, nabe, tonjiru, chawamushi, or one of the many other dishes that Japan has to offer.
When it comes to Japanese soul food, though, and by soul food I mean food that it is eaten often, is close to the heart, and is a favorite among people from children to adults, I'm guessing that you won't find many things in Japan that compete with curry and rice, niku-jyaga, and gyudon.
Gyudon is a dish that consists of paper-thin strips of beef cooked with sliced onions. The beef and onions are typically seasoned with dashi, soy sauce, sugar, and sake, and are served over warm rice. Pickled ginger and tougarashi (spicy, crushed red pepper) are generally served as accompaniments to gyudon. In addition, many people like to eat gyudon with either a raw egg, or a soft-boiled type of egg known as an onsen tomago.
If you are on the go, and don't have much time, gyudon makes for a great, cheap meal. In Japan there are two chain restaurants you can find just about anywhere. One is Matsuya. The other is Sukiya. If you find yourself in a Matsuya, you will find yourself face to face with a vending machine ordering system that can be found in many restaurants around Japan. In the past, you had to rely on matching the kanji characters on the buttons of the vending machines to the kanji characters written on the pictures of food hanging on the walls of the restaurant. Sometimes you had to take a guess or ask for help.
Recently, though, the vending machines in Matsuya have been updated to touchscreens which offer an English menu. These days, all you have to do is navigate your way through the screen options, find a picture of gyudon that looks appetizing to you, put your money in the machine, receive your order ticket, give it to the cook working behind the counter, and wait five minutes for your food to come.
This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting daily updates about life in Japan, please consider following me. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.