Lonely Planet World Food: Japan (Lonely Planet World Food Guides) (Paperback)

~ John Ashburne (Author), Yoshi Abe (Author) "The Japanese don't just consume kome (rice) all day, every day..." (more)
Key Phrases: tea ceremony cuisine, prickly ash pepper, hotpot dishes, New Year, Gunma Prefecture, Hina Matsuri (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

From temple food to beer spilling vending machines. Deliciously designed, this guide to the food of Japan completely covers the culture of eating and drinking in this inviting country.

Product Description

From the traditional dishes served at rural hot-spring ryokan inns, to Buddhist temple tea ceremonies, to the restaurant-filled high-rise madness of Tokyo, Japan expresses itself through its food. This guide takes you on a journey through all of Japan's culinary life. We go beyond the familiar sake and sushi, covering the essentials dashi (stock), bento boxes and soba noodles, and the exotic fermented soy beans, matsutake mushrooms, and fish that still wriggle as they slide down your throat, Itadakimasho! Let’s eat!

• the essential guide to the culture of food and drink in Japan
• celebrating the seasons with Japan's calendar of festivals
• an exploration of the regional influences that make up Japanese cuisine
• shopping and eating out in Japan as well as understanding the menu
• the definitive culinary dictionary, a quick reference glossary and useful phrases for every food and drink occasion
• tantalising photography and recipes

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications (February 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740590104
• ISBN-13: 978-1740590105
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #648,645 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Japanvisitor.com, June 13, 2003

By	Soccerphile.com (Japan) - See all my reviews

Essential reading for anyone even remotely interested in Japan's incredibly sophisticated food culture. This pocket-sized book is crammed with useful information both practical and historical, not merely chronicling recommended restaurants (it does that too), but seeking to explain the culture through the cuisine. Its chapters cover staples and specialities; drinks and drinking; home cooking and traditions; foreign infusion; celebrating with food; regional variations; shopping & markets; where to eat and drink; understanding the menu; a Japanese banquet; fit & healthy; and the culture of Japanese cuisine. The concluding bilingual glossary is particularly useful, for first-time visitor and Old Japan hand alike. Ashburne's writing is fun, almost irreverent, and the research (as one might expect with an LP title) is highly detailed; the definition of the origin of Tempura is the most complete that this reviewer has ever encountered. It made me laugh too. Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Japan's Culinary Delights Chronicled Nicely in Stylish, Concise Guidebook, July 14, 2006

By	Ed Uyeshima (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Even if the focus has been mainly on sushi and teriyaki dishes, Japanese cuisine has made more of an impact stateside than many other food types, which makes this pocket-sized guidebook all the more valuable when planning a visit to the source of such epicurean delights. As part of Lonely Planet's great World Food series, the entry on Japan is full of useful information about the complex food culture there, whether it's providing a historical perspective, recommending select restaurants for their specialties or discerning the nuances of a sweet shop. Author John Ashburne, a Kyoto-based Englishman, has an obvious passion for Japanese delicacies and an irreverent eye toward unlocking their mysteries. Granted the book is not as comprehensive as I would have liked given the inherent conflict between its size and the richness of the subject, he covers most of the high points.

Although I am Japanese-American, my knowledge of the food culture was fairly limited when I visited the land of my birth three years ago. This book allowed me to seek out the more traditional dishes I heard about in my childhood. There are terrific sections focused on home cooking traditions, the components of a standard Japanese banquet, and a detailed rundown of regional variations and foreign influences, in particular, from China and Korea. Like other books in the series, this one ends with a definitive culinary dictionary, a quick-reference glossary and useful phrases when you order food and drink there. Ashburne also includes recipes, city and regional maps highlighting his favorite eateries, and entertaining essays, such as the social history of curry rice and the schedule of activities at the legendary Tsukiji Fish Market. Even though Ashburne makes the food come alive through his prose, the colorful photographs really make this one indispensable when planning a trip there.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Travel Food Book "Not Cook Book", January 26, 2006

By	Benson J. Low "Sprae" (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Very concise book on Japanese food and great descriptive traditions and cultural significance. For those look to find recipes or how-to-cook japanese, then its not what its meant to be. Its for travellers to Japan willing to try local food and try different things. It has very good nation-wide representation from staple foods, alcohol, history and cultural depth. I would recommend it those who love Japanese food and travels to parts of country other than Tokyo.