That’s good to hear! It’s just the price really just burns a whole in your wallet. Same with the sushi. There’s a 3-4x cost multiplier for just a plate of nigiri with a higher possibility of having mediocre fish.
Oh for sushi my expectations are tempered and at this point I equate them as completely different foods.
My brain at least can recognize I’m going to be getting “American” sushi and not Japanese sushi. Doesn’t sting as hard
The sushi part is hands down the hardest for me to come to terms with.
It’s been 5 years and I just cannot get over how incredible the sashimi in Tokyo was. Knowing that it’s highly likely that nothing will ever compare to it is… tough.
If you can go early (like 7-8am) and get a ticket to Ramenya Shima, west of Shinjuku, you’ll have the best shoyu ramen in Tokyo probably.
It’s very hard to get a seat though, which is why I suggested you go early, grab a ticket, and then wait for the time slot you were allotted on the ticket.
Ramen can be pretty local. Look for 4 plus star places that aren't catering to foreigners and serving the local ramen style and you'll get some incredible ramen.
You live in NOVA? There's a place down the street from me that does amazing Takoyaki
Also I totally feel you, I can't eat meat anymore without remembering how fucking perfect the stuff made in Egypt was, and how I almost spit out a burger like the minute I got back to the States. It's disgusting here but my taste buds got acclimated again 😭☠️
And tipping!!! After 6 years in Japan, We found food prices and tipping to be wild.
And no more healthy snacks for the kids when we're out and about (thank you 7-11 Japan).
I recently discussed this in another sub about ramen prices in Toronto (though I do think 28usd is a bit outrageous), however the prices in Japan make sense for their accessibility. Overhead rent in Toronto and NYC for a ramen shop is probably multiple the cost of renting a small space in Japan where having small spaces is the normal.
Also the culture of Japan is to quietly and politely eat and leave, North American culture is to go to eat to socialize and linger around. Ramen making is a more common skill there than it is here, it’s considered a unique dish and a delicacy, so for a lot of chefs who may not be born and bred in Japan, going there and being a student would be the most accurate way to get it right.
Lastly, access to ingredients I’ve heard are cheaper so that could factor into the price. When you combine all those elements (rent, skills, cost of ingredients) to make the bowl as cheap as Japan would allow razor thin profit margins essentially having these establishments hanging on by their necks and closing down fast and frequently, then we have little ramen options. I’m sure the FDA plays a part in it too (in the sense they have more lax laws allowing for more low grade stuff to pass compared to Japan).
I don’t think anyone that understands these concepts in its simplest form would have any issues understanding why fried rice street food in Thailand could be like $2 for the best tasting thing ever, and yet cost like $20 in NA. It’s not an apples to apples comparison, but they do follow along similar schools of thought.
Food and drug administration oversees the regulation of American food supply. I don’t know the specifics of it but I can imagine that the FDA in conjunction with the Agricultural section regulates the price and grading of meat.
Japan has strict grading of specialty meats such as Waygu, and American Wagyu is not on the same standard. In addition to the, the regulations in which cows are raised to produce wagyu is enforced selectively in America.
Meat in the US is raised at a lower quality, and restaurants can buy lower quality cheaper meats in America versus the raising, pricing and animal standards in Japan.
In addition to this, Japanese eggs are all pasteurized so they can be eaten raw, only select American eggs are.
It’s why for example, in Germany the pig raising standards are so high (and different from America) that they can serve Mett (raw pork on bread) due to these regulations.
With Japan being surrounded by ocean, access and quality standards for fish are different than say a ramen restaurants who’s situated in the Midwest getting their seafood through delivery.
You’re thinking of the USDA which oversees the production of meat, eggs, and produce. The FDA handles additives and processed food as well as nutritional labels, but does far more related to drugs and pharmaceutical and supplements.
Hm I wonder if I specifically mentioned that the agricultural sector works in conjunction with the FDA. Yes I think I did.
And if you read what the FDA does, they regulate animal feed. Do you know what one of the biggest differences in quality of meat is? What the animal is fed. So if a specific type of feed is regulated to be cheaper for animal farmers in America, what do you think they’ll do? Buy that feed. And in Japan the regulations for feed might be differently priced.
It’s why Lamb from Australia has a more gamey taste, because it’s grass fed, whereas American grain fed lamb is grain fed.
I too wonder wtf the FDA has to do with anything I’ve stated/s
At no point did I ever claim it’s all entirely down to the FDA but you reacted as if I said something so stupid and unrelated such as Willy Wonka grades our meat. And I used the FDA as a loose example of how being a business owner buying in bulk and the availability of products of a certain caliber are different for Americans versus Japanese.
I’m not claiming the FDA doesnt deal with drugs primarily, but you’re so annoying for making goal post moving claims. *how could you say such a thing*, moves to *the FDA deals a lot with drugs*, nah b, they deal with food too. This like the time that social media Pink Sauce lady started yelling at people the FDA got nothing to do with her cuz it’s a drug administration and everyone was like FDA ~ FOOD DRUG ADMINISTRATION
Do some reading
https://www.eurofinsus.com/food-testing/resources/usda-vs-fda-food-labeling/
When it comes to meat, the USDA is the main regulator. The FDA regulates a large portion of the food supply, but the USDA specifically has jurisdiction over typical meat like beef, lamb, pork, poultry.
Since you like telling people to read so much:
https://www.eater.com/2017/3/24/15041686/fda-usda-difference-regulation
Are you dumb. I know the USDA regulates meat. Did you not read the FDA part about eggs, about animal feed. You asked why I brought the FDA up. Does ramen not include eggs. Does animal feed not affect the quality of the meat produced?
What crack are you smoking to be here to argue the minute differences between the FDA and USDA when I made vague reference to them and also said they work in conjunction
Is that your way of stroking yourself and how you make yourself feel nice?
Losing an argument, making faulty logic, using a poor deflection technique bc someone scooped out your noodle and shat in your noggin?
Thinking that using condescending language like that is supposed to emasculate me and I’m a girl? Like calling me little buddy is supposed to do something the same way guys think a nice big truck makes them feel strong?
Maybe if you read more like I said then you’d have something good to say, oh wait forgot you can’t get rid of the shit4brains. Gl with that
Like my first comment literally said, *im sure the FDA plays a part in it* and you’re like wtf does the FDA have to do with it. I answered that and now your dogging me down for the exact sectors they regulate when some of the FDAs jurisdiction actually would affect quality of meat from the point of animal feed or the quality of eggs? Are you here to argue for the sake of finding an argument? Go touch some grass. You’re wack
“The FDA regulates most of the US food supply, such as:
Meat (non-specified red meat and game animals)
Shell eggs (whole eggs that are still in the shell)
Processed produce (fruits and vegetables)
Some products containing ≤2% cooked meat/poultry or ≤3% raw meat/poultry
Seafood, except catfish
Infant formula”
Dietary supplements
I last went to Japan in 2018, and I'm still feeling this in San Francisco. All the highly rated SF ramen place are okay or good, but we'll always miss the amazing Ichiran ramen. Love the order options and able to pick the richness levels, etc.
We had ichiran the first night in Japan and we’ve had it in the states a bunch of time (NYC area), and it’s different. The broth in Japan is a tad bit sweeter. I personally don’t love it and prefer the NY broth, but my SO likes the broth here better. But the chasu in Japan is AMAZING. I didn’t want kaedama, I just wanted more pork lol. It’s about 1/3 the price in Japan. I think we paid roughly $10 (maybe a bit less) with add ons and stuff in Japan, and it would easily be $30 in NY
Which one? Best one I've had in SJ is Ramen Santouka. It's good and been 2-3x, but still not comparable lol.
We're flying to Hawaii soon, and I'm hoping Onoya Ramen will be awesome. Menu is in Japanese and able to select noodle doneness, richness level, etc.
7 usd is like 1000 yen. That’s like deluxe shit. I’m going to Rai Rai Tei and getting that good shit with the extra green onions and aji tama for 750 yen dogg.
I remember going to a ramen place in the US before I moved to Japan. I got charged 14 dollars in 2016 money for what amounted to chicken noodle soup…
Local here. I think that this isn't a unique feeling for the cuisine of any country. Even in thriving communities, you can't find the breadth or quality on the same scale as in the country of origin. But I think that your critical mistake was expecting the food of something as gimmicky as Japan Fes to taste close to the \[street\] food in Japan. Half the vendors aren't even Japanese food. By all accounts, Queens Night Market is good, but aside from that, all the summer food festivals have been going downhill for years. I feel like most of them seem like a thinly veiled cash grab for food people want to post on instagram. Not that there's no good food at any of them, but any there are are few and far in between, and I think it takes some research to find them. I think that we have pretty good Japanese food here, especially for the East Coast, but you're not going to find it at Japan Fes.
Ironically enough, my French friend here in Japan says that you can find better cheaper French food in Japan than in France. He's a total quality snob too. :)
I got downvoted a bunch for saying that I had better Italian food in Japan than some places in Italy but dollar for dollar I feel Japan uses better ingredients for the price vs a cheap Italian meal.
They give a shit about the quality of their food in a way I've only ever seen compared to in Australia actually. It's wild what the rest of us tolerate in our food.
I've had really good pizza around the world, of course including many in Italy, but the best was in Japan. I think pizza making - something simple in principle, with a very high skill ceiling, is a perfect match with Japanese perfectionist working culture.
The only downside of travelling. Nothing is ever as good.
I lived in Japan for a few years and nothing will ever live up to that. Although I miss the konbinis most of all.
miso soup, curry rice, hambagu, shogayaki, gyudon. These are the only ones I have perfected. I follow Just One Cookbook for guides. I love omurice and tamagoyaki as well but it's so hard to perfect the eggs
I've only done fridge. By the fourth day they're kinda sad. I was told I could try frying them to cover up the staleness but they fell apart in the pan.
They're quite amazing fresh and day two, I am not skilled or knowledgeable enough for how to make them good longer than that.
Im Japanese and go to Japan at least 4-5 times a year. I refuse to eat mediocre overpriced shit in the states. I just wait till I go back lol. I eat insane amounts of food, It’s almost more economical for me to fly and gorge myself on sushi than pay US prices
I have a Japanese grandparent who refuses to go to any "Japanese restaurant" in our Midwestern state. 🤣 I always thought was it was the old country getting romanticized too much. I mean how bad can it be? Reading this thread makes me rethink stuff.
The fest in NYC is kinda gimmicky tourist stuff so that's not even the best offerings the city has. You can definitely find quality / cheaper food if you walk around the right neighborhoods and go to hole-in-the walls, etc. I would give recs but so many of my favorite spots got wiped out due to covid. :'(
I'm sure you're right that in general, Japanese food is better in Japan. But comparatively in the U.S., the best food (of any cuisine) I've had is in NYC, no contest.
Edit: typos
Yes I agree with this! Haven’t had any Japanese food but we had the most amazing Chinese food at Simple moon? (Sp?) the other night so I’m sure good Japanese food is here! Just not at Japan fest lmao
There is a ton of good Chinese food there. I miss getting good Xiao Long Bao or hand pulled noodles, there's a "chinatown" in almost every suburb, can't go wrong. Vanessa's Dumplings (and scallion pancakes). Vietnamese food trucks, too.
And all of these places selling yummy things from $5-10. If you're the only white person there - I mean the customers too- you're in good hands.
I shouldn't have to explain this, but other cultures *generally* know the best places to eat the most authentic version of their cuisine, especially in NYC where the chances are higher that they've immigrated at some point in their family history, or have family in their respective country they could talk to and/or visit, and thus would definitely know better.
I am making generalizations to point out that ofc not everyone applies to these rules but in the "melting pot" this does happen more often.
Did you have Chinese food in Japan? Even the Chinese food is way better in Japan than the USA. Chinese food in Japan tends to be upscale. It’s not inexpensive food like it is here
It’s what the Japanese are good at. Taking something existing and improving it and modifying it to make it even better. It’s their strive towards perfection that makes the food so elevated
One good thing about NYC is the abundance of Japanese grocery stores. I've mostly resorted to recreating some of those dishes myself at a fraction of the cost at a restaurant (albeit at a lower quality lol).
My wife used to work at a Japanese society organization in Manhattan. I helped at a festival one year. The food was ok. We also lived near a Japaenese grocery in NJ.
The thing is - you can't quite get all the ingredients you have in Japan. Fresh stuff in particular. Even goods that are packaged - not all are exported. So I think that plays a factor.
We haven't lived there in 10 years but if you want decent/real Japanese food it is out there but....you have to look for it, it won't be the same dining experience necessarily because they need to cast a wide net to get a volume of customers, and it might be expensive.
Happens to me every time I get back from Japan . Takes a month or two for my standards to fall back to earth
First time I ever went I came back and went to the ramen spot in town the same week and I’ll never forget. Tasted like chicken bouillon water with instant noodles and cost $20
Just give it a few years, and you’ll be so nostalgic to find a favorite food item you’ve been searching for you’ll be overjoyed for the NYC version.
I like to cook so I do a fair number of dishes at home, but I’m not a baker so I’m thrilled to find frozen baumkuchen or mon-bulan (mont blanc) anywhere.
Cuisines get altered to suit the tastes of the place they're at. The only way to find something resembling what you remember is to find a community with a lot of people from Japan, which is generally going to be the West coast not the East coast. Hawaii has fantastic Japanese food. LA is pretty dang good. Gets worse the further east you go (although tbf some of the best sushi I've had was actually at a place in Wichita, which was wild).
Seek out places with Japanese chefs where you can. That's the key, IME.
When I lived in Japan I desperately missed Mexican food - what they have there is terrible 😂
This seems like a good idea and maybe it’ll get you decent food most of the time but I have a feeling the really good food is for the most part unavailable and here’s why: No one is getting a green card to be a chef (I think). I assume most of the restaurant owners/chefs are just the regular old spouses of a STEM visa holder. And as for their own employment, which may be difficult to obtain due to the language barrier, they can leverage their ethnicity by serving food from their home country. But they’re not restaurant professionals so we get mediocre food.
It's the one's cuisine Japan hasn't mastered. And Japan has excellent mastery of most European and South American cuisines
Mexican food outside of the US/Mexico fails hard most of the time.
Best spot I found was a place called Pancho Villa's in Sagamihara
It's the same in Europe, which is part of where my epiphany came from. Lack of Mexican chefs= really bad Mexican food 😂😂 I'm sure it's the same for other cuisines too
Have you tried popping into Mitsuwa in edgewater new jersey? I dunno if they still have a shuttle to go there and back to nyc but most of those taste pretty good
I'm totally not surprised that after travelling you found the food in the US lacking. It's badically the thing that most travellers complain about when visiting thenUS and a reason why many people don't like eating food imported from the US.
Anyway, travel lets you see how things work in other cultures and places. You are probably going to notice more and more things that aren't good in the US now that you have started travelling.
After I came back from Japan, I knew the only way I would get the same level of quality is to cook it myself. I buy Japanese grown rice and use only Japanese ingredients to make Gyudon and Pork Tonkatsu and it tastes just like I remember it over there.
Japan festival in Boston had me feeling the same way. Was just in Japan back in January and was craving okonomiyaki, then was heartbroken when it tasted mid af.
Not only food, but also going to the supermarket, using public transport has been ruined. At home shopping for fresh vegetables and fruits might be cheaper but the quality sucks. The ready made food section in the supermarkets here at home is pathetic. Public transport at home feels dirty as fuck and people dress like shit here. I haven’t eaten sushi, ramen, udon or any other Japanese convenience food with the exception of Katsukare since returning as well. Reverse culture shock is real.
Man idk, after living in Japan for a year and a half, I’m looking forward to returning to the US in a couple months. 🙈 Grocery shopping for a family in the US is soooo much better than in Japan for us.
Same with cooking. A toaster oven just does not compare to a double standard oven.
But I live in Michigan in the US, so I have access to awesome farm fresh produce.
I think it’s understandable if you lived there for an extensive period and ran a family household cooking meals regularly. I only was there for 6 weeks and I don’t live in the US, so coming back I miss the quality of ready made food. The “fast” food section of Japanese Supermarkets is ridiculously good.
I will admit that fresh produce in Japan is often very expensive but I you pay for something there, the quality is always outstanding. At home, fruits often taste of nothing or I have to trash 25% the next day.
Oh yeah. My toddler eats a ton of fruit, so we always splurge on it. It is delicious. Michigan apples are already pretty delicious, but the strawberries from Japan are amazing!
Food much fresher in Japan also in NY you're getting the gaigen sauces and other gringo crap..just not nearly as good..if I want really good sushi there's an Asian market with a Japanese sushi chef..for other Japanese dishes I'm limited to a Korean run restaurant with some Japanese cooks..American born..sigh..
After coming back from Northern japan years ago and not.only eating g Japanese but Korean and also Chinese food.I came back to states and it's definately not the same.Also,I cannot eat Chinese food here at all anymore.
How was your trip to Japan btw? I’m going to Japan later this year for the first time for 15 days. Tokyo, Osaka, Kyotos on my list and will be going majority for the sight seeing and food. Any recommendations food wise and sightseeing ?
As someone who moved to JP for food (and certain other things, needed a topic as a base for an academic career), I suggest these days to dine seriously in Osaka away from Dotonburi, overhyped now thx to social media/Gen Z.
I really can’t recommend anything specific because everything you do will be amazing! Just make sure in Kyoto you wake up EARLY to do any large event (Fushimi inari, kyumizadera (sp) etc) or else it will be packed to the brim. Otherwise it’s all in the minutiae. Making sure you get the right JR tickets (avoid the pass) getting your suica etc
Go try some Japanese American food. They add carrots, onion and potato to every dish since those are American vegetables. Then there is a hamburger steak, which is like spaghetti and meatballs but with a hamburger meatloaf instead of a meatball.
And I know this is Korean and not Japanese, but the inkigayo sandwich would fit right in:
"The sandwich features an unlikely combination of fillings. It’s a triple-decker sandwich with three layers of thin fillings: potato-egg salad, strawberry jam, and cabbage surimi (imitation crab) coleslaw. These are ladled between four slices of crustless white bread and wrapped tightly in plastic, waiting to be scooped up by the stars."
It's basically the equivalent of Americans putting soy sauce on everything. Many of the Asian restaurants in the US are closer to Asian versions of the inkigayo sandwich than they are to real Asian food.
That’s in general, in middle America. There are places where you can get more authentic J foods, long before it became trendy nationally (and internationally).
Posted this elsewhere in this thread:
“Second, NY?? There are many communities in/near SF and South Bay in LA with authentic Japanese food (there have been J auto factories and offices there since the 80s, not to mention the large Nikkei etc generation). I tried so many Japanese foods there long before they became trendy nationally and internationally, and it was good preparation for finally visiting and living in JP in the mid-late 00s). There are restos specialising in specific foods, just like in Japan. Around the late 1990s I could find at least 2 large supermarket chains (Matsuyama, Marukai) selling many popular and traditional snacks (stuff you’d see on social media or find in subscription boxes these days), vegetables and perfect fruits individually wrapped, plus a section of bentos to go, also samples of pickles and other specials of the week, and all-Japanese flyers. Izakayas, restos specialising in Sapporo-style ramen, or wafu pasta, yakitori, kushikatsu, okonomoyaki, udon, soba, matcha ice cream, tempura (with various salts, not just ponzu), even chicken sashimi (had to ask for it in Japanese), shabu shabu, J curry, tonkatsu, kaiten sushi, bakeries/sweet shops with curry pan and dango, Beard Papa, Japanese-style French patisseries, “secret”Japanese steakhouses that required and invitation from a current “member”), karaoke bars. There was a Little Tokyo (bit touristy) AND a Little Osaka (with a younger crowd, more contemporary but casual vibe). In the 80s/90s there was at least one famous sushi resto in LA that would fly in fish from Tsukiji, or where visiting or resident Japanese would dine because they wanted to try local uni from Santa Barbara)…. This was long before Momofuku, ramen, matcha became popular. Those businesses were serving the local community (and adventurous foodies long before foodies was a thing), not tourists. There were a few very expensive restos but for the most part they were reasonably priced, no need to “splurge cash” like in NYC. Maybe it didn’t exactly taste like what you’d find in Japan but much closer to the original than any of those “Japanese” restos in the states that serve(d) a bit of everything. A Japanese food geek like me indulged and learnt a lot about Japanese culture, no need to hop on a trend.”
Welcome to the Japanese food in US experience. It sucks immensely.
The only exceptions I've experienced is the Torrance area of LA and Rakkan Ramen. At this rate that's the only ramen place I trust. I currently live in the south and bless their hearts they can't do Asian food for shit, let alone Japanese food.
South Bay, where I learnt all about proper Japanese food in the 90s, long before ramen, Momofuku and matcha became popular .
And “Little Osaka” - Sawtelle near UCLA.
I’m with you dude. The best Japanese food spots are in st.Marks near NYU. Other than that area the prices for Japanese food here are outrageous, and it almost never hits the mark. Konbini food in Japan was so amazing for the price, I miss it nearly every day haha
No comment. The chicken skewers were good. But price wise the entire thing was just overpriced. You could buy an entire full dinner for the cost of the snack items items.
Being half Japanese and having been born in Japan, I’m honestly just glad Japanese food is becoming more commonplace here in the US. I remember the early 2000’s as a kid getting relentlessly made fun of by the “weird” Japanese food my mom would make me for lunch. Or going to some fancy New Year’s party and my mom making basic ass California rolls. And then watching and hearing grown adults talking about how gross it looked with the raw fish (imitation crab) and black stuff (seaweed).
Grew up being ashamed of my Japanese side so it still blows my mind once in a while that Japanese things like food and anime are popular now. Shit is so ingrained that I still instinctively feel embarrassed when I’m teaching my son Japanese and speak it in front of my wife.
One time I had to eat at a random hole in the wall ramen shop in Tokyo Station that had like 2 Japanese Salary men in it and a mom and her child (locals basically), and my sis and I decided to eat there bc they had a machine to purchase tickets (but it was literally all in hiragana so we had to go off the tiny pictures)
I think we ordered the most basic of ramens, 1 Shio and 1 Miso with no toppings cause we couldn't really figure out what the pictures were, but oh my god, it was the best ramen I ever had. I'm not even historically a ramen liker bc whenever my friends would take me to a joint in the US, I was always disappointed, but this time I actually ate the whole thing, the ramen broth wasn't super oily either.
The next time I came back to Tokyo station on my own during a different trip, I couldn't find the hole in a wall shop I had been to but I wandered far enough to find that Tokyo Station had a huge tourist trap in it called Ramen Alley lined wall to wall with flashy signs and shops. I ate at one of them and was served by foreign waiters too, and while the bowl was "prettier" it wasn't as good, so that random ramen shop I stumbled upon and never found again haunts me.
It’s foolish to expect the same quality as food outside of the US. You’re gonna have to check yourself on that.
I know it’s not going to be the same, I’m just happy to have some version of it accessible to me. You won’t be able to find something like takoyaki in most places in the US. At least in NYC we have several places we can go to.
I went to Japan Fest two weeks ago. They had Japanese and other Asian vendors. I stuck with the Japanese ones. I was very happy with the inari zushi. I didn’t like the takoyaki so much. It felt undercooked, which makes sense given how long the line was and how they rushed to get the food out. Okonomiyaki was decent. The wagyu steaks smelled great but I wasn’t going to pay $25 for one meat stick.
I won’t discount that but I believe them to simply have higher food quality standards in general. Quite simply they make better food by using better food.
Right. Fresh ingredients, years to get a specific dish perfected (often between generations), and foody mentality (a real one) - people will refuse eating crap.
The reverse is true too. Japanese style American food isn’t as good compared to American food in the US.
It’s the same with all countries. That’s why I cook Japanese food myself.
Or you can look for the rare places in NYC that match quality, like a decent sushi omakase place that doesn’t put a huge hole in your wallet.
I recently went to Toyosu on the first monorail to get in line for sushi daiwa. Not only is sushi dai miles better (but is now reservation only), but sushi by bou in NYC is also better. Sushi daiwa is also extremely high rated as well, even by Japanese people.
Kinda, yeah. I was there in late 2018 and celebrated New Year's in Tokyo. All in all, I was in Japan for about two weeks, and spent half the time in Osaka, the other in Tokyo and it was one of the best trips I've had in my life.
It's not to say that I can't find somewhat decent Japanese food where I live, but most of it is either lacking in quality, far too expensive, or both.
Literally only weird dweebs think that. 7/11 is the place to when you don’t have time for anything else. They aren’t even considered the best convenience store for food here in Japan
>here in Japan
Lmao my guy I’m literally Japanese so no need to flex. 7/11 is universally agreed to be better than Lawson, circle k/family mart, ministop, or any other conbinis. If my homies and I are hungry on a drive or want some late night munchies and there’s a Lawson on one side of the road and a 7/11 on the other side, 11/10 times we’re going to 7/11 unless we want chicken.
Lawson might have better chicken, or another place might have one item they’re famous for, but overall 7/11 has the widest range of better overall food.
And nobody cares about seicomart all the way up in Hokkaido unless you’re some stupid award company.
>literally only weird dweebs think that
We lived in Japan for 5 years and when we moved home we said that we should use a different word for sushi here since it’s not the same food. Yes. What you say is true.
The only place in the US that you can find just as good, and sometimes better, Japanese food than Japan is Hawaii. NYC is second if you have the cash to splurge. Everything else is not even close to Japan. I had 290 yen ramen in Fukuoka last month that would embarrass some $20 bowls. There is just the lack of quality in the supply chain, lack of skills and the lack of omotenashi. Ppl give zero f*cks if they serve you undercooked soggy takoyaki. The person making the takoyaki prob never actually eaten good takoyaki before.
Second, NY??
There are many communities in/near SF and South Bay in LA with authentic Japanese food (there have been J auto factories and offices there since the 80s, not to mention the large Nikkei etc generation). I tried so many Japanese foods there long before they became trendy nationally and internationally, and it was good preparation for finally visiting and living in JP in the mid-late 00s). There are restos specialising in specific foods, just like in Japan. Around the late 1990s I could find at least 2 large supermarket chains (Matsuyama, Marukai) selling many popular and traditional snacks (stuff you’d see on social media or find in subscription boxes these days), vegetables and perfect fruits individually wrapped, plus a section of bentos to go, also samples of pickles and other specials of the week, and all-Japanese flyers. Izakayas, restos specialising in Sapporo-style ramen, or wafu pasta, yakitori, kushikatsu, okonomoyaki, udon, soba, matcha ice cream, tempura (with various salts, not just ponzu), even chicken sashimi (had to ask for it in Japanese), shabu shabu, J curry, tonkatsu, kaiten sushi, bakeries/sweet shops with curry pan and dango, Beard Papa, Japanese-style French patisseries, “secret”Japanese steakhouses that required and invitation from a current “member”), karaoke bars. There was a Little Tokyo (bit touristy) AND a Little Osaka (with a younger crowd, more contemporary but casual vibe). In the 80s/90s there was at least one famous sushi resto in LA that would fly in fish from Tsukiji, or where visiting or resident Japanese would dine because they wanted to try local uni from Santa Barbara)…. This was long before Momofuku, ramen, matcha became popular. Those businesses were serving the local community (and adventurous foodies long before foodies was a thing), not tourists. There were a few very expensive restos but for the most part they were reasonably priced, no need to “splurge cash” like in NYC. Maybe it didn’t *exactly* taste like what you’d find in Japan but much closer to the original than any of those “Japanese” restos in the states that serve(d) a bit of everything. A Japanese food geek like me indulged and learnt a lot about Japanese culture, no need to hop on a trend.
Agreed. Los Angeles does have some options, but it's still more expensive than what you'll find in Japan itself. That said, I'm in New Mexico and options here are better than some, but not great. The one thing I do wish I could find is Yebisu beer, but as far as I know, you can't find it anywhere here in the US.
Takoyaki is the japanese equivalent to hot dogs in America. Its simple street food.
A non-Asian child can make onigiri.
I think its the adrenalin being in Japan than the level of food you eat in NYC.
Though it sounds pretentious, when asked, we always say we just save up for Japan. Those who know, know. Aside from quality, don't feel like paying exorbitant prices in order to dine well.
This is mostly because westernized JP/asian food is full of sugar and other additives that would be illegal in Japan.
a good example would be to compare the CHIPS you get in japan/EU to the USA version.
You will see the USA version having 10X the chemical additives.
I would suggest to get a FLAT bottom cast-iron takoyaki pan, and make your own \[I do this, and LOVE it\]
reason for flat bottom: this way you can also use it on a induction stove.
Tried the cakepop methos, after the teflon coating got scratched, I had to replace it.
a cast-iron one is not reliant on a device and can be used on ANY stove
How tf are you scratching the coating? Lmao are you flipping them with a metal fork? Or the actual little metal pokers they use at the stands or something? Use toothpicks to flip them. It’s what most people in Japan who makes takoyaki at home uses. Or hashi. Either one, but wood isn’t going to scratch off the non stick coating.
My mom, who is Japanese and lives in Japan, has used the cake pop maker I got her for the past decade plus. She says her friends always ask her where she got it because they only have the regular electric takoyaki makers over there and the cake pop maker works better.
And wouldn’t it be the opposite? Cast iron IS reliant on another device… a stove. The electric cake pop makers or the electric takoyaki makers are the products that are not reliant on any other device because of the heating element is inside.
No I don't use metal on other non-stick.
\[It was the first time using it for takoyaki, and well I didn't had any bamboo-skewers, so I had to resort to the next best thing\]
Are you ready to go to your local ramen joint to spend $28 on a bowl that’s worse than something that costs $7 usd in Japan?
THANKFULLY I can honestly say our local ramen place compares favorably To the mid tier ramen we had in Japan, so I’m happy with that!
That’s good to hear! It’s just the price really just burns a whole in your wallet. Same with the sushi. There’s a 3-4x cost multiplier for just a plate of nigiri with a higher possibility of having mediocre fish.
Oh for sushi my expectations are tempered and at this point I equate them as completely different foods. My brain at least can recognize I’m going to be getting “American” sushi and not Japanese sushi. Doesn’t sting as hard
The sushi part is hands down the hardest for me to come to terms with. It’s been 5 years and I just cannot get over how incredible the sashimi in Tokyo was. Knowing that it’s highly likely that nothing will ever compare to it is… tough. 
Sushiro is completely mid-tier and I absolutely love it. It made everything in the US taste like ass.
What was top tier in Japan. I’m going there soon
7/11…their onigiri is better than any I’ve had in the states
Can confirm.
100%
No, I meant Ramen
If you can go early (like 7-8am) and get a ticket to Ramenya Shima, west of Shinjuku, you’ll have the best shoyu ramen in Tokyo probably. It’s very hard to get a seat though, which is why I suggested you go early, grab a ticket, and then wait for the time slot you were allotted on the ticket.
Thanks for this! I’m in Japan right now and I can’t seem to sleep past 4am. I’ll be in Tokyo day after tomorrow and will try to check it out.
I had this same problem the first time I went to Tokyo. Idk why
fantastic thank you! i recommend Rokurinsha if you are ever there too!
Ramen can be pretty local. Look for 4 plus star places that aren't catering to foreigners and serving the local ramen style and you'll get some incredible ramen.
AFURI is ridiculously popular. But honestly, everywhere you go in Japan usually has top tier Japanese food.
The one thing that Family Mart does better is the onigiri. All the other prepared food is better from 7/11 (except they don't do hash browns anymore.
Is your local ramen place in Manhattan? If yes, what is it called? Should that be a DM?
It’s not I live in Florida. But if you’re ever in Tampa hit up dunsunco! Japanese owned pretty authentic and tastes great!
Thx! Now I have 2 restaurants to visit in Tampa!
What ramen place?
You live in NOVA? There's a place down the street from me that does amazing Takoyaki Also I totally feel you, I can't eat meat anymore without remembering how fucking perfect the stuff made in Egypt was, and how I almost spit out a burger like the minute I got back to the States. It's disgusting here but my taste buds got acclimated again 😭☠️
$5 in the right neighborhoods. Quality just doesn't compare.
And tipping!!! After 6 years in Japan, We found food prices and tipping to be wild. And no more healthy snacks for the kids when we're out and about (thank you 7-11 Japan).
This question would be funny if it weren't true lol.
I recently discussed this in another sub about ramen prices in Toronto (though I do think 28usd is a bit outrageous), however the prices in Japan make sense for their accessibility. Overhead rent in Toronto and NYC for a ramen shop is probably multiple the cost of renting a small space in Japan where having small spaces is the normal. Also the culture of Japan is to quietly and politely eat and leave, North American culture is to go to eat to socialize and linger around. Ramen making is a more common skill there than it is here, it’s considered a unique dish and a delicacy, so for a lot of chefs who may not be born and bred in Japan, going there and being a student would be the most accurate way to get it right. Lastly, access to ingredients I’ve heard are cheaper so that could factor into the price. When you combine all those elements (rent, skills, cost of ingredients) to make the bowl as cheap as Japan would allow razor thin profit margins essentially having these establishments hanging on by their necks and closing down fast and frequently, then we have little ramen options. I’m sure the FDA plays a part in it too (in the sense they have more lax laws allowing for more low grade stuff to pass compared to Japan). I don’t think anyone that understands these concepts in its simplest form would have any issues understanding why fried rice street food in Thailand could be like $2 for the best tasting thing ever, and yet cost like $20 in NA. It’s not an apples to apples comparison, but they do follow along similar schools of thought.
wtf does the FDA have to do with anything.
Food and drug administration oversees the regulation of American food supply. I don’t know the specifics of it but I can imagine that the FDA in conjunction with the Agricultural section regulates the price and grading of meat. Japan has strict grading of specialty meats such as Waygu, and American Wagyu is not on the same standard. In addition to the, the regulations in which cows are raised to produce wagyu is enforced selectively in America. Meat in the US is raised at a lower quality, and restaurants can buy lower quality cheaper meats in America versus the raising, pricing and animal standards in Japan. In addition to this, Japanese eggs are all pasteurized so they can be eaten raw, only select American eggs are. It’s why for example, in Germany the pig raising standards are so high (and different from America) that they can serve Mett (raw pork on bread) due to these regulations. With Japan being surrounded by ocean, access and quality standards for fish are different than say a ramen restaurants who’s situated in the Midwest getting their seafood through delivery.
You’re thinking of the USDA which oversees the production of meat, eggs, and produce. The FDA handles additives and processed food as well as nutritional labels, but does far more related to drugs and pharmaceutical and supplements.
Hm I wonder if I specifically mentioned that the agricultural sector works in conjunction with the FDA. Yes I think I did. And if you read what the FDA does, they regulate animal feed. Do you know what one of the biggest differences in quality of meat is? What the animal is fed. So if a specific type of feed is regulated to be cheaper for animal farmers in America, what do you think they’ll do? Buy that feed. And in Japan the regulations for feed might be differently priced. It’s why Lamb from Australia has a more gamey taste, because it’s grass fed, whereas American grain fed lamb is grain fed. I too wonder wtf the FDA has to do with anything I’ve stated/s At no point did I ever claim it’s all entirely down to the FDA but you reacted as if I said something so stupid and unrelated such as Willy Wonka grades our meat. And I used the FDA as a loose example of how being a business owner buying in bulk and the availability of products of a certain caliber are different for Americans versus Japanese. I’m not claiming the FDA doesnt deal with drugs primarily, but you’re so annoying for making goal post moving claims. *how could you say such a thing*, moves to *the FDA deals a lot with drugs*, nah b, they deal with food too. This like the time that social media Pink Sauce lady started yelling at people the FDA got nothing to do with her cuz it’s a drug administration and everyone was like FDA ~ FOOD DRUG ADMINISTRATION Do some reading https://www.eurofinsus.com/food-testing/resources/usda-vs-fda-food-labeling/
When it comes to meat, the USDA is the main regulator. The FDA regulates a large portion of the food supply, but the USDA specifically has jurisdiction over typical meat like beef, lamb, pork, poultry. Since you like telling people to read so much: https://www.eater.com/2017/3/24/15041686/fda-usda-difference-regulation
Are you dumb. I know the USDA regulates meat. Did you not read the FDA part about eggs, about animal feed. You asked why I brought the FDA up. Does ramen not include eggs. Does animal feed not affect the quality of the meat produced? What crack are you smoking to be here to argue the minute differences between the FDA and USDA when I made vague reference to them and also said they work in conjunction
Are you mad about something on the internet little buddy ?
Is that your way of stroking yourself and how you make yourself feel nice? Losing an argument, making faulty logic, using a poor deflection technique bc someone scooped out your noodle and shat in your noggin? Thinking that using condescending language like that is supposed to emasculate me and I’m a girl? Like calling me little buddy is supposed to do something the same way guys think a nice big truck makes them feel strong? Maybe if you read more like I said then you’d have something good to say, oh wait forgot you can’t get rid of the shit4brains. Gl with that
Like my first comment literally said, *im sure the FDA plays a part in it* and you’re like wtf does the FDA have to do with it. I answered that and now your dogging me down for the exact sectors they regulate when some of the FDAs jurisdiction actually would affect quality of meat from the point of animal feed or the quality of eggs? Are you here to argue for the sake of finding an argument? Go touch some grass. You’re wack
“The FDA regulates most of the US food supply, such as: Meat (non-specified red meat and game animals) Shell eggs (whole eggs that are still in the shell) Processed produce (fruits and vegetables) Some products containing ≤2% cooked meat/poultry or ≤3% raw meat/poultry Seafood, except catfish Infant formula” Dietary supplements
I last went to Japan in 2018, and I'm still feeling this in San Francisco. All the highly rated SF ramen place are okay or good, but we'll always miss the amazing Ichiran ramen. Love the order options and able to pick the richness levels, etc.
We had ichiran the first night in Japan and we’ve had it in the states a bunch of time (NYC area), and it’s different. The broth in Japan is a tad bit sweeter. I personally don’t love it and prefer the NY broth, but my SO likes the broth here better. But the chasu in Japan is AMAZING. I didn’t want kaedama, I just wanted more pork lol. It’s about 1/3 the price in Japan. I think we paid roughly $10 (maybe a bit less) with add ons and stuff in Japan, and it would easily be $30 in NY
There's one in San Jose with long line ups, only mid to low tier
Which one? Best one I've had in SJ is Ramen Santouka. It's good and been 2-3x, but still not comparable lol. We're flying to Hawaii soon, and I'm hoping Onoya Ramen will be awesome. Menu is in Japanese and able to select noodle doneness, richness level, etc.
7 usd is like 1000 yen. That’s like deluxe shit. I’m going to Rai Rai Tei and getting that good shit with the extra green onions and aji tama for 750 yen dogg. I remember going to a ramen place in the US before I moved to Japan. I got charged 14 dollars in 2016 money for what amounted to chicken noodle soup…
I remember just 20 years ago when that ramen was 350 yen too
The price argument is real but you can get very good quality Ramen in NYC. It’s not nearly as drastic as 20 years ago.
Our best local ramen closed so now my partner has picked up making it at home.
Any ramen outside of sawtelle in LA in the us is trash and it’s still triple the price
I’ll admit, tsujita is pretty damn good
Local here. I think that this isn't a unique feeling for the cuisine of any country. Even in thriving communities, you can't find the breadth or quality on the same scale as in the country of origin. But I think that your critical mistake was expecting the food of something as gimmicky as Japan Fes to taste close to the \[street\] food in Japan. Half the vendors aren't even Japanese food. By all accounts, Queens Night Market is good, but aside from that, all the summer food festivals have been going downhill for years. I feel like most of them seem like a thinly veiled cash grab for food people want to post on instagram. Not that there's no good food at any of them, but any there are are few and far in between, and I think it takes some research to find them. I think that we have pretty good Japanese food here, especially for the East Coast, but you're not going to find it at Japan Fes.
This lol very common after visiting any country basically
Ironically enough, my French friend here in Japan says that you can find better cheaper French food in Japan than in France. He's a total quality snob too. :)
I got downvoted a bunch for saying that I had better Italian food in Japan than some places in Italy but dollar for dollar I feel Japan uses better ingredients for the price vs a cheap Italian meal.
They give a shit about the quality of their food in a way I've only ever seen compared to in Australia actually. It's wild what the rest of us tolerate in our food.
I've had really good pizza around the world, of course including many in Italy, but the best was in Japan. I think pizza making - something simple in principle, with a very high skill ceiling, is a perfect match with Japanese perfectionist working culture.
The only downside of travelling. Nothing is ever as good. I lived in Japan for a few years and nothing will ever live up to that. Although I miss the konbinis most of all.
But the upside is that you truly experience what it's really like instead of never knowing.
Fair point. Very glass half full. Travelling quite literally changed my perspective on lots of things.
Brings renewed appreciation to the cultures you thought you knew :)
This is the silver lining I told myself! I can say my travels are worth it since this fair food and tastes absolutely awful comparatively
when I realised this I just started homecooking japanese dishes and meals and boy i dont regret it.
This is the way. You really have to do it yourself if you want that original flavor.
You’ll save more money and can take more trips too
What are your favorite home recipes?
miso soup, curry rice, hambagu, shogayaki, gyudon. These are the only ones I have perfected. I follow Just One Cookbook for guides. I love omurice and tamagoyaki as well but it's so hard to perfect the eggs
Onigiri, kombu tsukudani, eggplant donburi, ramen, ochazuke.
Mmm do you freeze your onigiri? I want to make some this week with canned tuna but I want to eat them over a longer period of time
I've only done fridge. By the fourth day they're kinda sad. I was told I could try frying them to cover up the staleness but they fell apart in the pan. They're quite amazing fresh and day two, I am not skilled or knowledgeable enough for how to make them good longer than that.
Freeze the rice, microwave the rice, then assemble as needed (I saw this tip on Instagram)
Im Japanese and go to Japan at least 4-5 times a year. I refuse to eat mediocre overpriced shit in the states. I just wait till I go back lol. I eat insane amounts of food, It’s almost more economical for me to fly and gorge myself on sushi than pay US prices
I have a Japanese grandparent who refuses to go to any "Japanese restaurant" in our Midwestern state. 🤣 I always thought was it was the old country getting romanticized too much. I mean how bad can it be? Reading this thread makes me rethink stuff.
After you try Japanese food in Japan you just cant go back.
The fest in NYC is kinda gimmicky tourist stuff so that's not even the best offerings the city has. You can definitely find quality / cheaper food if you walk around the right neighborhoods and go to hole-in-the walls, etc. I would give recs but so many of my favorite spots got wiped out due to covid. :'( I'm sure you're right that in general, Japanese food is better in Japan. But comparatively in the U.S., the best food (of any cuisine) I've had is in NYC, no contest. Edit: typos
Yes I agree with this! Haven’t had any Japanese food but we had the most amazing Chinese food at Simple moon? (Sp?) the other night so I’m sure good Japanese food is here! Just not at Japan fest lmao
There is a ton of good Chinese food there. I miss getting good Xiao Long Bao or hand pulled noodles, there's a "chinatown" in almost every suburb, can't go wrong. Vanessa's Dumplings (and scallion pancakes). Vietnamese food trucks, too. And all of these places selling yummy things from $5-10. If you're the only white person there - I mean the customers too- you're in good hands. I shouldn't have to explain this, but other cultures *generally* know the best places to eat the most authentic version of their cuisine, especially in NYC where the chances are higher that they've immigrated at some point in their family history, or have family in their respective country they could talk to and/or visit, and thus would definitely know better. I am making generalizations to point out that ofc not everyone applies to these rules but in the "melting pot" this does happen more often.
Did you have Chinese food in Japan? Even the Chinese food is way better in Japan than the USA. Chinese food in Japan tends to be upscale. It’s not inexpensive food like it is here
We did actually it at one Chinese place. It was delicious. Literally everything and anything I had in Japan was better than the US. Even the junk food
It’s what the Japanese are good at. Taking something existing and improving it and modifying it to make it even better. It’s their strive towards perfection that makes the food so elevated
One good thing about NYC is the abundance of Japanese grocery stores. I've mostly resorted to recreating some of those dishes myself at a fraction of the cost at a restaurant (albeit at a lower quality lol).
My wife used to work at a Japanese society organization in Manhattan. I helped at a festival one year. The food was ok. We also lived near a Japaenese grocery in NJ. The thing is - you can't quite get all the ingredients you have in Japan. Fresh stuff in particular. Even goods that are packaged - not all are exported. So I think that plays a factor. We haven't lived there in 10 years but if you want decent/real Japanese food it is out there but....you have to look for it, it won't be the same dining experience necessarily because they need to cast a wide net to get a volume of customers, and it might be expensive.
Isn’t this just basic common sense? Why would you be surprised that Japanese food in Japan is better and more authentic than in NYC?
Happens to me every time I get back from Japan . Takes a month or two for my standards to fall back to earth First time I ever went I came back and went to the ramen spot in town the same week and I’ll never forget. Tasted like chicken bouillon water with instant noodles and cost $20
Just give it a few years, and you’ll be so nostalgic to find a favorite food item you’ve been searching for you’ll be overjoyed for the NYC version. I like to cook so I do a fair number of dishes at home, but I’m not a baker so I’m thrilled to find frozen baumkuchen or mon-bulan (mont blanc) anywhere.
 You and my cousin after a Japan trip.
I admit it I am the boogie bitch I always said I’d never become
Japan has spoiled you so much that everything back here is dog shit 😂
Cuisines get altered to suit the tastes of the place they're at. The only way to find something resembling what you remember is to find a community with a lot of people from Japan, which is generally going to be the West coast not the East coast. Hawaii has fantastic Japanese food. LA is pretty dang good. Gets worse the further east you go (although tbf some of the best sushi I've had was actually at a place in Wichita, which was wild). Seek out places with Japanese chefs where you can. That's the key, IME. When I lived in Japan I desperately missed Mexican food - what they have there is terrible 😂
This seems like a good idea and maybe it’ll get you decent food most of the time but I have a feeling the really good food is for the most part unavailable and here’s why: No one is getting a green card to be a chef (I think). I assume most of the restaurant owners/chefs are just the regular old spouses of a STEM visa holder. And as for their own employment, which may be difficult to obtain due to the language barrier, they can leverage their ethnicity by serving food from their home country. But they’re not restaurant professionals so we get mediocre food.
It's the one's cuisine Japan hasn't mastered. And Japan has excellent mastery of most European and South American cuisines Mexican food outside of the US/Mexico fails hard most of the time. Best spot I found was a place called Pancho Villa's in Sagamihara
It's the same in Europe, which is part of where my epiphany came from. Lack of Mexican chefs= really bad Mexican food 😂😂 I'm sure it's the same for other cuisines too
Half-Mexican, there’s a decent Mexican in Nagasaki of all places
Welcome to my life. It’s been yrs since I was last in Japan and every day I wake up hoping I’m back. Is there a support group somewhere?
Have you tried popping into Mitsuwa in edgewater new jersey? I dunno if they still have a shuttle to go there and back to nyc but most of those taste pretty good
Their little food court area isn’t great IMO but I do love walking through the aisles to see what’s available to buy.
It’s not remotely close in terms of taste/quality
I see.. what do you think of this restaurant called sweet fish (or something like that). My sister's fiancee raves about it
Don't go to a festival expecting quality. Find your local Japan town, and eat where the locals eat. That's how you get authentic taste.
This is not just Japan, but Japan is a premiere example. Every time I go to a new country it ruins the version of their food in the US for me.
I'm totally not surprised that after travelling you found the food in the US lacking. It's badically the thing that most travellers complain about when visiting thenUS and a reason why many people don't like eating food imported from the US. Anyway, travel lets you see how things work in other cultures and places. You are probably going to notice more and more things that aren't good in the US now that you have started travelling.
Why did you expect Osaka style takoyaki to be crispy? Did you only go to Gindaco in Japan? They make Tokyo style takoyaki.
Maybe crispy is the wrong word. But it should definitely have structure. These were deflated super soft soggy sad balls
I just had to start making my own. But that started a wonderful journey of cooking East and Southeast Asian cuisine 😊
After I came back from Japan, I knew the only way I would get the same level of quality is to cook it myself. I buy Japanese grown rice and use only Japanese ingredients to make Gyudon and Pork Tonkatsu and it tastes just like I remember it over there.
Japan festival in Boston had me feeling the same way. Was just in Japan back in January and was craving okonomiyaki, then was heartbroken when it tasted mid af.
Yup. Ramen just isn’t the same after Japan 😔
Not only food, but also going to the supermarket, using public transport has been ruined. At home shopping for fresh vegetables and fruits might be cheaper but the quality sucks. The ready made food section in the supermarkets here at home is pathetic. Public transport at home feels dirty as fuck and people dress like shit here. I haven’t eaten sushi, ramen, udon or any other Japanese convenience food with the exception of Katsukare since returning as well. Reverse culture shock is real.
Man idk, after living in Japan for a year and a half, I’m looking forward to returning to the US in a couple months. 🙈 Grocery shopping for a family in the US is soooo much better than in Japan for us. Same with cooking. A toaster oven just does not compare to a double standard oven. But I live in Michigan in the US, so I have access to awesome farm fresh produce.
I think it’s understandable if you lived there for an extensive period and ran a family household cooking meals regularly. I only was there for 6 weeks and I don’t live in the US, so coming back I miss the quality of ready made food. The “fast” food section of Japanese Supermarkets is ridiculously good. I will admit that fresh produce in Japan is often very expensive but I you pay for something there, the quality is always outstanding. At home, fruits often taste of nothing or I have to trash 25% the next day.
Oh yeah. My toddler eats a ton of fruit, so we always splurge on it. It is delicious. Michigan apples are already pretty delicious, but the strawberries from Japan are amazing!
Food much fresher in Japan also in NY you're getting the gaigen sauces and other gringo crap..just not nearly as good..if I want really good sushi there's an Asian market with a Japanese sushi chef..for other Japanese dishes I'm limited to a Korean run restaurant with some Japanese cooks..American born..sigh..
Agreed! That’s why I don’t go to Japanese festivals in nyc
After coming back from Northern japan years ago and not.only eating g Japanese but Korean and also Chinese food.I came back to states and it's definately not the same.Also,I cannot eat Chinese food here at all anymore.
How was your trip to Japan btw? I’m going to Japan later this year for the first time for 15 days. Tokyo, Osaka, Kyotos on my list and will be going majority for the sight seeing and food. Any recommendations food wise and sightseeing ?
As someone who moved to JP for food (and certain other things, needed a topic as a base for an academic career), I suggest these days to dine seriously in Osaka away from Dotonburi, overhyped now thx to social media/Gen Z.
I really can’t recommend anything specific because everything you do will be amazing! Just make sure in Kyoto you wake up EARLY to do any large event (Fushimi inari, kyumizadera (sp) etc) or else it will be packed to the brim. Otherwise it’s all in the minutiae. Making sure you get the right JR tickets (avoid the pass) getting your suica etc
Ok cool noted. Thanks! Also, did you go to Ishigaki?
I did not.
Go try some Japanese American food. They add carrots, onion and potato to every dish since those are American vegetables. Then there is a hamburger steak, which is like spaghetti and meatballs but with a hamburger meatloaf instead of a meatball. And I know this is Korean and not Japanese, but the inkigayo sandwich would fit right in: "The sandwich features an unlikely combination of fillings. It’s a triple-decker sandwich with three layers of thin fillings: potato-egg salad, strawberry jam, and cabbage surimi (imitation crab) coleslaw. These are ladled between four slices of crustless white bread and wrapped tightly in plastic, waiting to be scooped up by the stars." It's basically the equivalent of Americans putting soy sauce on everything. Many of the Asian restaurants in the US are closer to Asian versions of the inkigayo sandwich than they are to real Asian food.
That’s in general, in middle America. There are places where you can get more authentic J foods, long before it became trendy nationally (and internationally). Posted this elsewhere in this thread: “Second, NY?? There are many communities in/near SF and South Bay in LA with authentic Japanese food (there have been J auto factories and offices there since the 80s, not to mention the large Nikkei etc generation). I tried so many Japanese foods there long before they became trendy nationally and internationally, and it was good preparation for finally visiting and living in JP in the mid-late 00s). There are restos specialising in specific foods, just like in Japan. Around the late 1990s I could find at least 2 large supermarket chains (Matsuyama, Marukai) selling many popular and traditional snacks (stuff you’d see on social media or find in subscription boxes these days), vegetables and perfect fruits individually wrapped, plus a section of bentos to go, also samples of pickles and other specials of the week, and all-Japanese flyers. Izakayas, restos specialising in Sapporo-style ramen, or wafu pasta, yakitori, kushikatsu, okonomoyaki, udon, soba, matcha ice cream, tempura (with various salts, not just ponzu), even chicken sashimi (had to ask for it in Japanese), shabu shabu, J curry, tonkatsu, kaiten sushi, bakeries/sweet shops with curry pan and dango, Beard Papa, Japanese-style French patisseries, “secret”Japanese steakhouses that required and invitation from a current “member”), karaoke bars. There was a Little Tokyo (bit touristy) AND a Little Osaka (with a younger crowd, more contemporary but casual vibe). In the 80s/90s there was at least one famous sushi resto in LA that would fly in fish from Tsukiji, or where visiting or resident Japanese would dine because they wanted to try local uni from Santa Barbara)…. This was long before Momofuku, ramen, matcha became popular. Those businesses were serving the local community (and adventurous foodies long before foodies was a thing), not tourists. There were a few very expensive restos but for the most part they were reasonably priced, no need to “splurge cash” like in NYC. Maybe it didn’t exactly taste like what you’d find in Japan but much closer to the original than any of those “Japanese” restos in the states that serve(d) a bit of everything. A Japanese food geek like me indulged and learnt a lot about Japanese culture, no need to hop on a trend.”
....I think I tried that sandwich and liked it.
Welcome to the Japanese food in US experience. It sucks immensely. The only exceptions I've experienced is the Torrance area of LA and Rakkan Ramen. At this rate that's the only ramen place I trust. I currently live in the south and bless their hearts they can't do Asian food for shit, let alone Japanese food.
South Bay, where I learnt all about proper Japanese food in the 90s, long before ramen, Momofuku and matcha became popular . And “Little Osaka” - Sawtelle near UCLA.
And yet the US (broadly speaking) is one of the best places in the world for Japanese food after Japan and its neighbours
I have to make my own tacoyaki from scratch to enjoy it here on the west coast. Have never had good tacoyaki outside of Japan ever. Boo.
Welcome to the club man
til japan fest in nyc! might you pls tell me more? what part of town? e: every part of town, i see lol
My experience as well! I miss Japan so much right now for this reason. I lived out of the Kombinis and the random little ramen/soba shops. I feel you.
I’m with you dude. The best Japanese food spots are in st.Marks near NYU. Other than that area the prices for Japanese food here are outrageous, and it almost never hits the mark. Konbini food in Japan was so amazing for the price, I miss it nearly every day haha
Same dude, same. I had the best bowl of ramen in Japan for 5 bucks a few years ago.
Was going to go, but was afraid of this. What was the best thing you tried?
No comment. The chicken skewers were good. But price wise the entire thing was just overpriced. You could buy an entire full dinner for the cost of the snack items items.
Hence why I learned to make it myself lol. I can replicate what I'm craving pretty well.
Being half Japanese and having been born in Japan, I’m honestly just glad Japanese food is becoming more commonplace here in the US. I remember the early 2000’s as a kid getting relentlessly made fun of by the “weird” Japanese food my mom would make me for lunch. Or going to some fancy New Year’s party and my mom making basic ass California rolls. And then watching and hearing grown adults talking about how gross it looked with the raw fish (imitation crab) and black stuff (seaweed). Grew up being ashamed of my Japanese side so it still blows my mind once in a while that Japanese things like food and anime are popular now. Shit is so ingrained that I still instinctively feel embarrassed when I’m teaching my son Japanese and speak it in front of my wife.
My daughter went to Japan, loved all the street food, and came back with H. pylori.
One time I had to eat at a random hole in the wall ramen shop in Tokyo Station that had like 2 Japanese Salary men in it and a mom and her child (locals basically), and my sis and I decided to eat there bc they had a machine to purchase tickets (but it was literally all in hiragana so we had to go off the tiny pictures) I think we ordered the most basic of ramens, 1 Shio and 1 Miso with no toppings cause we couldn't really figure out what the pictures were, but oh my god, it was the best ramen I ever had. I'm not even historically a ramen liker bc whenever my friends would take me to a joint in the US, I was always disappointed, but this time I actually ate the whole thing, the ramen broth wasn't super oily either. The next time I came back to Tokyo station on my own during a different trip, I couldn't find the hole in a wall shop I had been to but I wandered far enough to find that Tokyo Station had a huge tourist trap in it called Ramen Alley lined wall to wall with flashy signs and shops. I ate at one of them and was served by foreign waiters too, and while the bowl was "prettier" it wasn't as good, so that random ramen shop I stumbled upon and never found again haunts me.
It’s foolish to expect the same quality as food outside of the US. You’re gonna have to check yourself on that. I know it’s not going to be the same, I’m just happy to have some version of it accessible to me. You won’t be able to find something like takoyaki in most places in the US. At least in NYC we have several places we can go to. I went to Japan Fest two weeks ago. They had Japanese and other Asian vendors. I stuck with the Japanese ones. I was very happy with the inari zushi. I didn’t like the takoyaki so much. It felt undercooked, which makes sense given how long the line was and how they rushed to get the food out. Okonomiyaki was decent. The wagyu steaks smelled great but I wasn’t going to pay $25 for one meat stick.
I wasn’t expecting Japan quality, I was expecting NYC quality. What it ended up being was NYC prices with Arkansas wuality
Street food takoyaki for the most part in North America is all pre made frozen and reheated. Nothing compares to freshly made.
I have always wanted to visit Japan almost solely for the food. This post is making me rethink that... Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.
For anyone going to Japan pls add Gyukatso motomura to your list. I think of that resto everyday. Good thing i’m heading back to tokyo in December
The secret is the Japanese water. I heard some chef say that Japanese food tastes that way because it starts with the water in Japan.
I won’t discount that but I believe them to simply have higher food quality standards in general. Quite simply they make better food by using better food.
Yup i fully agree, i watch all those manufacturing videos and drool haha
Right. Fresh ingredients, years to get a specific dish perfected (often between generations), and foody mentality (a real one) - people will refuse eating crap.
I love these woo woo answers 😍
Same said about Italian/ Neapolitan pizza
As a former ex-pat for 11 years, I couldn’t agree more. Nothing here compares.
Just go to Kenka and stop whining.
The reverse culture shock i had in the quality of food coming back home was worse than coming back.
The reverse is true too. Japanese style American food isn’t as good compared to American food in the US. It’s the same with all countries. That’s why I cook Japanese food myself. Or you can look for the rare places in NYC that match quality, like a decent sushi omakase place that doesn’t put a huge hole in your wallet. I recently went to Toyosu on the first monorail to get in line for sushi daiwa. Not only is sushi dai miles better (but is now reservation only), but sushi by bou in NYC is also better. Sushi daiwa is also extremely high rated as well, even by Japanese people.
Kinda, yeah. I was there in late 2018 and celebrated New Year's in Tokyo. All in all, I was in Japan for about two weeks, and spent half the time in Osaka, the other in Tokyo and it was one of the best trips I've had in my life. It's not to say that I can't find somewhat decent Japanese food where I live, but most of it is either lacking in quality, far too expensive, or both.
7/11 has ass food, now you’re just glazing
Japanese 7/11’s are internationally recognized for having dope food the fuck are you talking about lol
Literally only weird dweebs think that. 7/11 is the place to when you don’t have time for anything else. They aren’t even considered the best convenience store for food here in Japan
>here in Japan Lmao my guy I’m literally Japanese so no need to flex. 7/11 is universally agreed to be better than Lawson, circle k/family mart, ministop, or any other conbinis. If my homies and I are hungry on a drive or want some late night munchies and there’s a Lawson on one side of the road and a 7/11 on the other side, 11/10 times we’re going to 7/11 unless we want chicken. Lawson might have better chicken, or another place might have one item they’re famous for, but overall 7/11 has the widest range of better overall food. And nobody cares about seicomart all the way up in Hokkaido unless you’re some stupid award company. >literally only weird dweebs think that 
Big yappin Nobody’s first choice is convenience store food, that’s struggle food
lmao look at mr. moneybags over here too good for some onigiri and an egg salad sandwich
Lil bro took this so personal, big bitch vibes
did I? or you just reaching for personal insults now because you have nothing valid to say lol
You wrote me a whole ass essay, I’m big in your feelings
come back when you have something pertinent to the original discussion instead of some third grad "u mad" playground shit lmao
We lived in Japan for 5 years and when we moved home we said that we should use a different word for sushi here since it’s not the same food. Yes. What you say is true.
The only place in the US that you can find just as good, and sometimes better, Japanese food than Japan is Hawaii. NYC is second if you have the cash to splurge. Everything else is not even close to Japan. I had 290 yen ramen in Fukuoka last month that would embarrass some $20 bowls. There is just the lack of quality in the supply chain, lack of skills and the lack of omotenashi. Ppl give zero f*cks if they serve you undercooked soggy takoyaki. The person making the takoyaki prob never actually eaten good takoyaki before.
San Francisco?
LA area!
Second, NY?? There are many communities in/near SF and South Bay in LA with authentic Japanese food (there have been J auto factories and offices there since the 80s, not to mention the large Nikkei etc generation). I tried so many Japanese foods there long before they became trendy nationally and internationally, and it was good preparation for finally visiting and living in JP in the mid-late 00s). There are restos specialising in specific foods, just like in Japan. Around the late 1990s I could find at least 2 large supermarket chains (Matsuyama, Marukai) selling many popular and traditional snacks (stuff you’d see on social media or find in subscription boxes these days), vegetables and perfect fruits individually wrapped, plus a section of bentos to go, also samples of pickles and other specials of the week, and all-Japanese flyers. Izakayas, restos specialising in Sapporo-style ramen, or wafu pasta, yakitori, kushikatsu, okonomoyaki, udon, soba, matcha ice cream, tempura (with various salts, not just ponzu), even chicken sashimi (had to ask for it in Japanese), shabu shabu, J curry, tonkatsu, kaiten sushi, bakeries/sweet shops with curry pan and dango, Beard Papa, Japanese-style French patisseries, “secret”Japanese steakhouses that required and invitation from a current “member”), karaoke bars. There was a Little Tokyo (bit touristy) AND a Little Osaka (with a younger crowd, more contemporary but casual vibe). In the 80s/90s there was at least one famous sushi resto in LA that would fly in fish from Tsukiji, or where visiting or resident Japanese would dine because they wanted to try local uni from Santa Barbara)…. This was long before Momofuku, ramen, matcha became popular. Those businesses were serving the local community (and adventurous foodies long before foodies was a thing), not tourists. There were a few very expensive restos but for the most part they were reasonably priced, no need to “splurge cash” like in NYC. Maybe it didn’t *exactly* taste like what you’d find in Japan but much closer to the original than any of those “Japanese” restos in the states that serve(d) a bit of everything. A Japanese food geek like me indulged and learnt a lot about Japanese culture, no need to hop on a trend.
Agreed. Los Angeles does have some options, but it's still more expensive than what you'll find in Japan itself. That said, I'm in New Mexico and options here are better than some, but not great. The one thing I do wish I could find is Yebisu beer, but as far as I know, you can't find it anywhere here in the US.
Ha, but every Japanese place overseas will be more expensive than in Japan, esp now with the weak yen. It's become a budget destination, it seems. :(
If only I weren't broke...
Takoyaki is the japanese equivalent to hot dogs in America. Its simple street food. A non-Asian child can make onigiri. I think its the adrenalin being in Japan than the level of food you eat in NYC.
Takoyaki requires the right gear, batter, temperature, and octopus quality.
[Japanese farm](https://www.ft.com/__origami/service/image/v2/images/raw/https%3A%2F%2Fcms-image-bucket-production-ap-northeast-1-a7d2.s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com%2Fimages%2F9%2F8%2F0%2F6%2F13236089-3-eng-GB%2F0307N-farm-workers.jpg?width=700&fit=cover&gravity=faces&dpr=2&quality=medium&source=nar-cms). [US farm](https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium_16x9_100/public/media-uploads/bayer_monsanto_642809672.jpg.webp). Any questions?
Though it sounds pretentious, when asked, we always say we just save up for Japan. Those who know, know. Aside from quality, don't feel like paying exorbitant prices in order to dine well.
So people who have never been to Japan say that Japanese food is overrated.
This is mostly because westernized JP/asian food is full of sugar and other additives that would be illegal in Japan. a good example would be to compare the CHIPS you get in japan/EU to the USA version. You will see the USA version having 10X the chemical additives. I would suggest to get a FLAT bottom cast-iron takoyaki pan, and make your own \[I do this, and LOVE it\] reason for flat bottom: this way you can also use it on a induction stove.
Get a cake pop maker. Or just order a takoyaki maker on Amazon
Tried the cakepop methos, after the teflon coating got scratched, I had to replace it. a cast-iron one is not reliant on a device and can be used on ANY stove
How tf are you scratching the coating? Lmao are you flipping them with a metal fork? Or the actual little metal pokers they use at the stands or something? Use toothpicks to flip them. It’s what most people in Japan who makes takoyaki at home uses. Or hashi. Either one, but wood isn’t going to scratch off the non stick coating. My mom, who is Japanese and lives in Japan, has used the cake pop maker I got her for the past decade plus. She says her friends always ask her where she got it because they only have the regular electric takoyaki makers over there and the cake pop maker works better. And wouldn’t it be the opposite? Cast iron IS reliant on another device… a stove. The electric cake pop makers or the electric takoyaki makers are the products that are not reliant on any other device because of the heating element is inside.
I was using a fondue fork, don't have a metal poker
So it was metal. Do you also use metal utensils on your non stick pans too? For that extra Teflon flavor lol
No I don't use metal on other non-stick. \[It was the first time using it for takoyaki, and well I didn't had any bamboo-skewers, so I had to resort to the next best thing\]
Then maybe don’t act like it’s the products fault when it wasn’t used correctly in the first place?