Visit Japan Now

While most people are familiar with many aspects of Japanese dining, actually visiting the city and experiencing their restaurant culture can be a fun and educational experience. When the topic of Japanese dining arise in conversation, most people are going to think of sushi. It is true that sushi is a big part of Japanese cuisine, and if you are planning a visit to Japan, you will want to bone up on your sushi terminology. There is more to be aware of than just raw fish, and you will want to know what to order and what your options are prior to dining out. It is also important that you practice chopstick usage, as they will be the primary utensil you will be offered at traditional Japanese restaurants. As many know, dining out in Japan is more than just sitting down at a table and shoveling food in one’s mouth. The Japanese have traditions and rituals surrounding their eating experiences and it is best to have an idea of what to expect prior to your arrive in the country.

In addition to the cuisine you would expect to find in Japan, there will probably be a few surprises. Bento boxes are often elaborate boxed meals, separated into compartments and varied in shape, sizes, and color. Bento boxes have been elevated to an art in Japan and are even growing popular across the world. They are unique because they create and organized and creative dining experience. At New Year’s you can buy special, expensive boxes, similar to Bento boxes, called Osechi meal boxes. It is filled with traditional celebratory New Year’s foods, and legend has it that the reason the boxes came about was so that Japanese ladies would not have to cook around the New year.

For the faint of heart, you can also find more traditional European and American style fare in Japan, such as pizza and burgers. But chances are, you won’t hear any of the locals raving about the quality or taste of these standards. So if you’re planning a visit to Japan, brush up on your chopstick skills, get familiar with sushi terms and plan to be adventurous.

Japan is known for its colorful festivals (matsuri). If you are planning to take a vacation in Japan, you surely should try to plan your tour in a way that will allow you to cover as many of these festivals as possible. Some festivities take days to complete. Given below are some of the most famous festivals and their approximate dates.

February - February in Japan attracts more than a million visitors both from within the country and from all over the world. It is the time of ‘Sapporo Snow Festival’. The highlight of the festival is the display of hundreds of statues made of ice, which all belong to one theme (mostly from the events of the last year). There are ice slides, amusement rides and variety of concessional stands for enjoying sumptuous food.

July and August - ‘Kyoto Gion Matsuri’ kicks of July. One of the top 3 national festivals of Japan, this has a colorful parade of tall floats. It is also called the festival of Yasaka Shrine. August begins with Nebuta Matsuri, the lantern festival which has huge lanterns on display. Don’t miss it if you are traveling to Japan during August. In the 2nd week of August, Awa Odori,a traditional dancing festival, is held in the Tokushima city.

Hope you enjoy your visit to Japan. You can read more about Japanese Festivals here!