Japan

What is Japan known for? - Khalid Saifullah

Land of the rising sun and home of the samurai – Japan is that one place everyone dreams of going in their lifetime. Being most famous for suffering the horror of the first nuclear bombs, it still remains a mystery to many in the world. Even to natives, it’s hard to fully understand the roots, values, and culture of a nation that is so different from the west that we are all familiar with. Unique and original are the two adjectives that come close to describing what Japan is all about. This refers to its technology but also its fashion, hairstyle, shopping malls, and most importantly its food. It’s absolutely unbelievable how many different kinds of food you can find on this band of islands that this nation is made up of. Starting with the world famous sushi, you will be able to find dishes such as ramen, okonomiyaki, tempura, tofu, udon, yakitori, wasabi etc. that you probably don’t have no idea how they look like. What you should know is that you will never be able to find another country that has invented so many organic and healthy foods with such a variety of taste that a week in its capital city, Tokyo is not going to be enough to fully understand its cuisine. You can spend hundreds of dollars on buying the finest sushi from a well-known restaurant but you can never say that is the best sushi you have ever eaten because honestly, every store in this city makes its own unique sushi. Some you might not end up liking but you will be able to feel the difference between enjoying a western dish and a Japanese one through the countless amount of service that comes with it. Let’s not forget the popular ramen jiro. If you are conscious about your health, this is probably not your cup of tea but among young students, this is what heaven tastes like. With tonkotsu broth, shoyu, rich pork gravy, a large amount of abura, and cabbage or moyashi, it is an ultimately a call for competition of who can eat more among young high schoolers. Whatever you do, you do not want to leave that shop without finishing the whole bowl because that by many is considered an insult to the chefs. It's hard to fully explain the taste of any of the Japanese dishes on paper, which is why my advice for you is don’t be surprised when you see a line of 15-20 people outside a restaurant because that ladies and gentleman is what Japanese dishes are all about.