Itadakimasu

Like so many things in Japan, eating a meal is not simply eating a meal.  It is a full sensory experience – pleasing for the eyes, ears, and palate.  Japanese food is not always the most flavorful, there is a definite lack of spices in traditional food, but it is prepared so that the flavors of the ingredients compliment and accentuate the overall taste.  It is as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the stomach.  Food is served like edible pieces of art.  From dinnerware design to intricate combinations of colors in the food itself, even eating at an izakaya is more like a three star restaurant.

Depending on the restaurant or bar, the service and type of food will change.  At izakayas and fancy restaurants, everything comes in courses.  Small dishes you are expected to share.  Unlike America, where everyone orders their own plate, dining in most Japanese restaurants is more family style.  This creates a sense of camaraderie and community among diners.  As does the abundance of alcohol.  It seems a typical Japanese meal is not complete without beer. A fact which makes the lush in me very happy.  And so the hours pass quickly as you eat, drink, and laugh with amazing new friends.  Food and merriment are international languages after all.

On beautiful plate after another arrives and is quickly consumed.  In the end, it is almost like they care more about presentation than taste.  I won’t complain though, as long as I don’t have to wash all the little dishes. 

Dining in Japan is a truly wonderful experience.  It is a balance between cultural nuance and the soul of humanity I came here to find – at once utterly Japanese and completely human.  The food may be different, the attention to presentation beyond compare, but the sound of laughter and friendship could be found at any dining table in any corner of the globe.

Gochiso sama deshita!