Food.

I don't really need a better title than that, it's what everyone wants to read about. If you listen to other people's horror stories you'd assume Japan's all pickled guts, fish flakes and other oddities, with a bit of sushi thrown on top, but really the Japanese diet's built around great, warming comfort food or dishes of rice surrounded by a mix of flavours. You could write an encyclopedia about everything that's great to eat in Japan, someone probably has already and I could go on for hours, but I'll pick out a few favourites.

Ramen. Holy shit ramen. Nothing quite prepares you for the step up from European ramen-lite to a proper, authentic Japanese bowl. It's my new favourite multi-purpose meal: post-booze hangover prevention, hangover cure, brunch and fast food. Plus every bowl is presented like a little piece of art. There's a few overall flavours to pick from - usually you'll find soy (shoyu) or miso ramen but in some areas they also have salt ramen which is just an extra level of savoury goodness, then most shops will have their own twist on the recipe.

A couple of noteable picks, both in Sapporo:

Ramen Republic: A weird little fabricated alley on the tenth floor of a department store, the shops are all hand picked from some of the region's top restaurants. Hokkaido's apparently a big producer of sweetcorn and butter, and a whacking lump of butter on top of miso broth works better than you ever thought possible.

Akoboshi: I found this on a random blog of 'Sapporo's best local ramen'. It's a tiny little venue, only seven or eight stools along the counter and very minimal sympathy for an English speaking audience. Just stammer out 'shoyu ramen' and you'll get something good. The ramen's gloriously rich and only 500 yen, which is a ridiculous bargain.

Having said that one of the best bowls I've found so far was in a random shop in Izu with fresh-made char siu pork. So wherever you are just look for the ramen flags over any door and dive in. If you're a fatty like me pay the 100 yen for an extra boiled egg or more meat.

Any trip to Japan of course needs to have at least one sushi meal, and here's where your plate can get a bit weird. It's usually easiest to order a set box, unless you feel super confident ordering individual items, and then it's just up to you to pick a comfortable price level. Lower the price and you can expect safe favourites like salmon and shrimp, priciers sets might have uni (sea urchin), scallop and clam. In Hokkaido, arguably some of the best sushi in the world, I paid about 2100 yen for a set of eight nigiri, maybe £15 and just above the mid-price level. From there it's a bit of a lucky dip, you'll get some stuff you definitely will find weird and some mouthfuls that are unbelievable. Scallop and fatty tuna: absolutely incredible. Abelone, notsomuch.

As with any meal in Japan there's a lot of etiquette to follow, if you don't want to do the local equivalent of insulting the chef's wife, so it's worth doing some research. Basically, don't soak sushi in soy sauce, just dip the corner, and if a piece is supposed to be eaten with wasabi it'll already be hidden somewhere inside.

What else. There's a type of restaurant called an Izakaya which is essentially Japanese tapas, small dishes designed to share. These are a pretty safe option as the menu usually has pictures (not something to be embarrassed about in Japan) and you can mix and match. You can usually pick from sushi, noodles, yakitori skewers, pizza, fries, then other beer-sponges like skewers of mochi (pounded rice, like savoury taffy) wrapped in bacon. Great for a pre-karaoke fuelling stop.

Oh, okonomiyaki. You can get these in restaurants, convenience stores or supermarkets. It's somewhere between an omelette and a pancake, with or without meat, and usually comes smothered in mayo and some sort of red sauce, ketchup or teriyaki sauce. A mighty snack that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

If you're self-catering then Japanese supemarkets will inevitably drop into your schedule. I guarantee there'll be a point where you walk along one of the fresh food aisles and think to yourself "Nope... no idea... or that... couldn't even guess". But 90% of the time it'll all feel totally safe. DON'T WORRY, Japan has cereal and cheese spread as well, shock. Two things I've noticed so far. Firstly, it's quite hard to get a 'proper' loaf of bread in Japan. Most stores sell a little bag of five or six thick slices. And second, almost all meat comes extremely thinly sliced, so you're unlikely to be able to find a T-bone steak which is a shame as barbecuing is hugely popular. But you can find cheese pizza flavoured crisps which blew my tiny mind.

If you're doing homestays or are lucky enough to be invited into a local's home for dinner you can usually expect to see a mix of grilled fish and vegetables, rice and pickles. It can take a bit of getting used to eating essentially a massive bowl of plain, sticky rice but always, always finish it to be polite, no matter how full you are. Japanese curry is amazing - a thick, brown gravy-like mess that you'll want seconds or thirds of. And nabe is a local variation on hot-pot that's great for a group meal with a few beers, based around a massive pot of noddle soup on a hot plate in the middle of the table, refreshed with never-ending toppings.

A quick note for vegetarians: Japan is mostly HARD. They don't really have much of a sense of the concept, especially if you're a full not-even-fish-please type, and it can be very difficult to selectively single out definite, non-meat options with complete certainty. There are ways to do it but expect to be left hankering at meal times and end up topping up with a lot of sandwiches at home.

No doubt there'll be a "Food 2: Judgement Day" down the line. Apart from one chewy piece of sushi I haven't actually tried anything I didn't like yet, but people keep threatening me with natto which is fermented soy bean paste.

#travel #japan #Workaway #iwanai #hokkaido #japanese #apps #izu