Joanna James
Japanese cuisine is loved by many, and as a tourist in vibrant Tokyo, your best experience of the nation’s food will be to eat like a local. So, how do you eat your way around the city? It’s simple really - know what to order and what to expect. Do read on for details.
In true Japanese style, coffee is done just right, with loads of love, care and attention to detail. And while express coffee is widely available across Tokyo, do make sure to savour the delights of a charming Japanese Kissaten, or rather an old-fashioned coffee house. This traditional method of pouring coffee involves making each cup individually. The method is to use a single filter and hand-ground coffee beans. This method ensures the grounds are properly hydrated while extracting the flavour and stopping well before the brew turns bitter. If you are looking for a service apartment, Tokyo Shinjuku is a vibrant area in which to be based at. Plenty of coffee shops thrive around Citadines Shinjuku Tokyo, and other such apartments, so make sure to weed out the traditional coffee houses for a brew which you will keep hankering for long after you leave Japan.
The name is an evolution of ‘sushi made in Edo’ which was Tokyo’s former name. The sushi was so named since it was made from seafood caught in Tokyo Bay, or rather Edo, and sold within the surrounding areas. While Edo sushi is available all over Japan, there is nothing like tasting it right at the source. Do this by heading over to an area in Old Tokyo called Shitamachi, serving the sushi for over a hundred years. Do try the classic nigiri made with red vinegar which renders a red tinge to the rice.
Matcha, a type of green tea, will take your experience of ‘tea in Japan’ to new heights. Considered the epitome of green tea in the country, Matcha is the choice for traditional tea ceremonies. The tea is made by combining green tea powder with hot water, before it is whisked, with a bamboo whisk, to a foamy froth. Matcha will at times be served as a welcome drink, in a vessel that is slightly larger than a normal teacup. Made of subtle bitter notes, the tea is best matched with a sweet treat, and in Japan, it is often wagashi. Try Matcha tea at the traditional tea houses located close to your Tokyo hotel.
Since you must now be curious about the sweet treat called wagashi, here goes. Wagashi are Japanese sweet treats and offer one an earthy flavour since they are often made with local ingredients like muchi glutinous rice, sweet bean paste and toasted soy powder kinako which offers, a lovely nutty flavour to the dessert. Do try a variety to discover the varied flavours of each sweet.
The Japanese version of the Cornish pastry or even a sandwich, onigiri, is a snack made with rice balls into which salted fish and pickled plums are integrated, wrapped in nori seaweed these are bites to be eaten by hand. Available at even the convenience stores, onigiri is ever evolving with the likes of fried chicken being used as popular ingredients.
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