Exploring Japanese food is half the fun of being in Japan. Whilst dishes such as sushi, tempura and sukiyaki are well known the world over, there are hundreds of other local cuisine to sample. There are also many stranger foods in Japan: Suzume - cooked Sparrows on a stick and Fugu - a potentially deadly blowfish which if not prepared properly could kill you in minutes. Vegetarianism isn't a concept fully understood in Japan, you may order what you believe to be a vegetarian meal to find that it contains meat or fish pieces, so if you're unsure, it's best to stick to dishes such as tofu, miso (fermented bean paste) and noodles. Eating out in Japan needn't be expensive, with lunch rarely costing over 2000 Yen and plenty of noodle bars to choose from. The are estimated to be over 100,000 restaurants in Tokyo alone.
Eating Etiquette
There are a few important eating rules to remember when it comes to using chopsticks (hashi): never stick them upright in your rice as this is how rice is offered to the dead, and it is also considered bad form to pass food from your chopsticks to someone elses. Also, never cross your chopsticks when you place them on the table. Contrary to western conduct it is polite to slurp very loudly when eating noodles or soup.
