Katsudon time

For those who come to Japan, don't know any Japanese and think they will have to spend their time hopping from burger franchise to burger franchise to get something to eat should know that is not the case. If you ever feel hungry and look around you will most likely find food displays outside Japanese restaurant showing what they have to offer. They have incredibly realistic plastic models on many of their menu items and it is very easy to mistake them for the real thing.

The plastic food model industry in Japan is supposedly huge and I have heard of collectors travelling all over Japan looking for rare models of local cuisine.

I have not seen this in Sweden. I mean, we do have menus outside and sometimes a sun bleached picture show some of the dishes that are served, but even high class restaurants only have piecs of paper telling what they serve. I definitely think it would give the restaurant a certain "pop" if they brought out food models. When dining out I definitely think the eyes eat just as much as the mouth and a flat representation of a meal isn't that fulfilling. 

Most typical Japanese restaurants have a certain look I can't explain, but if you see a food display outside somewhere and a door with short curtains covering the top of the entrance you can be sure you will get a dish served with miso soup, rice or noodles.

When I entered around 7 PM there were only two people eating. If you go out to eat most places will be packed with people around lunch time or after 8 in the evening any day of the week.

Dining in Japan can be pretty cheap so don't worry too much if you go out every day on your visit. There are of course luxury restaurants that are expensive, but then you get what you pay for and much more. Even when it is expensive it will feel like a deal.

As a Swede I have been to many noodle restaurants I have enjoyed my meal every time. Not once have I gotten a meal that has made me think that I won't return, but when a couple of my Japanese housemates took me to a newly opened place they said they hated it.  They didn't explain why but said that after having lived in Tokyo you will start to taste the difference in noodles. It sounds reasonable as some people I know in Sweden wouldn't drink certain varieties of coffee or sodas if they so were force fed.

I am not as picky when it comes to food, I gladly try almost anything at least once. This time I ordered a katsudon set. with cold soup. A katsudon is a bowl of rice with a pork cutlet and if you order the set you also get a choice of hot or cold noodle soup and a small plate of pickled vegetables. My meal consisted of fried katsudon dipped in egg and fried again, cold noodle soup with seaweed, leek and a few ingredients I still haven't figured out what they are.

The dish itself is not unusual at all, it exists all over Japan but in different local variations and sauces. If you don't like pork you can always go for the beef, omelette, eel, shrimp or just fried vegetables. Whatever you like you will definitely feel full afterwards. I have barely finished any of the katsudon sets I have ever eaten. 

Expenses

• Katsudon set 900 yen