Japanese foods & souvenirs that let you experience a taste of Japan at home

Try the flavor combinations of Japanese candy

“You can't go wrong buying Japanese candy. You will see some of the most creative packaging that will make the person receiving the candy wonder whether to open the candy or display it. It can look traditional or futuristic. But you are probably wondering what does it taste like and that is the most difficult to explain as there can be some really wacky flavor combinations here.”

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Make rice taste even better with furikake

“Although there are much variety to Japanese cuisine, personally, I believe that rice is always the main dish and everything else are just side dishes… Although I tried variety of dishes that go with rice, I can say that a simple thing can do you wonders. For that, I think one of the greatest Japanese creation is “Furikake” (especially for rice lovers). Furikake is a dry, flaky, Japanese seasoning meant to be sprinkled on a bowl of rice.”

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Taste Japanese teas

“Japan is famous for its green teas and there are many different types and grades, which can be confusing for foreigners. Sencha is the most common Japanese green tea made of the tea leaves. Whereas black tea has been roasted, green tea is steamed during the production process. Matcha is the green tea powder, which is used for the tea ceremony.”

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Study up on Japanese sake (called in nihonshu in Japanese)

“A trip to Japan would not be complete without a little sake tasting! But unless you are an avid sake drinker, it can be hard to know where to begin. To help you navigate the world of sake, we’ve done plenty of research in Japan: from consulting with sake connoisseurs, to sake tastings and sampling sake throughout Japan. But before we dive in, let's start with a few basics.”

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Prepare edamame (maybe the most popular bar snack in Japan)

“Edamame is a delightful vegetable commonly served at Japanese Izakaya and sushi restaurants as a meal starter. Also, we can also cook them easily at home when you want some finger food to dinner during summer. Although it's very easy and simple, how to cook edamame is very important since it makes a big difference to taste and color when you do it wrong.”

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Make nabe (hot pot), Japan’s comfort food

“I like to warm my body up with a hot nabe, which is a big pot filled with vegetables, meat and fish. As a person who eats little meat, I love cooking a mountain of vegetables in the soup stock. The vegetables that I always put in are daikon, nagaimo (type of yam), shiitake mushrooms, tofu, cabbage, spinach and scallions.”

Read the full post http://www.deepjapan.org/a/773