Japan has endless of surprises and if I were to start a topic on that, it'll be just ENDLESS. So here's Part 2 of my favourite Japan Culture.
I mentioned No. 1~5 in PART 1 post so I'll start from:
6. RAMEN
It's available all day at any time in Japan. The broth, the noodle and that char siew.... All these make up this simple yet complex bowl of RAMEN. And depending on what you like, you can add toppings to it, like egg, spring onions, seaweed, pickled veggies and the list goes on and on. I had this bowl at Ichiran, one of Japan's MUST-EAT ramen, so search your Google map for this if you are in Tokyo.
7. EAT AND WALK
You got to walk those calories off in Japan. If you visit places like Tsukiji Fish Market and Harajuku, apart from normal meal time, you'll be spending your yens on small food stalls selling yakitori and take away sized food. All freshly grilled and prepared on the spot. And because they are all so fresh and appetizing, you won't even be counting those calories! I ate like 4 soft serves when I was at Hakodate in Hokkaido in a single day! And all soft serves came in unique flavors and were specialties of that region/season. And I felt zero guilt eating them all by myself.
8. ONLY AVAILABLE IN JAPAN PRODUCTS
There are tons of merchandise that are limited to JAPAN ONLY! And that gives me the urge to want to track them down and get them. For brands like Samantha Thavasa, they recently launched a collaboration with Sailor Moon and this exclusive range is all so pretty. I didn't get any because it wasn't the one I wanted but it was good to have a chance to see a limited edition piece at Shibuya that day (o^ ^o)
9. SASHIMI ALL-DAY, EVERYDAY
If you love sashimi in general, then you got to stuff yourself with more sashimi in Japan. For me, I ate everyday so I won't come back to Singapore feeling I haven't had enough. The sashimi are very reasonably priced unless you walk into one that is for fine dining. Food in Japan is NOT EXPENSIVE, so ditch that thought outta your head. If you can afford to drink Starbucks in Singapore or dine at hipster cafes, then Japan food prices are nothing more than that. Sashimi are fresh and very cheap in Japan, so for those that had bad experience of eating raw stuff in Singapore, try them again in Japan and I'll bet it'll be a game changer.
10. FOOD SECTION AT SUPERMARKETS
Japanese love their food hall section down at the supermarkets. Unlike in Singapore we have food court, the Japanese have stations down at the supermarket to serve different kinds of food from fried stuff to bentos. Up to you, you like it, you choose and you pay. That's it! All beware, you'll be carried away because their presentation are all so NEAT AND PRETTTYYYY!
11. FOOD GIFTS
You will NEVER leave Japan without carrying back a food wrapped gift. They are the best present to bring back from Japan to distribute to colleagues and friends. Super economical and very presentable.
And like I said, Japan culture is ENDLESSSSS. So see ya next time in PART 3.