I have always been impressed with Japanese cuisine and culture. This article will discuss on its aspects and why Singaporeans find it so familiar, so much so that aspects of their culture seem to resonate with us. Firstly, they are rice eaters, just like us. In Singapore the staple diet of all the major cultures is rice. It is the centre of our dining experience and side dishes are just used to complement the rice and make it more delicious. Japanese rice is short grain and usually sticky.



They normally do not do anything to the rice because they perceived that it was important for the diner to experience the taste of the rice. A typical Japanese meal would consist of rice, miso soup and some side complementing dishes to complete the fair. They are also not heavy on seasoning and salt, because the Japanese believe that they take away the authentic taste of the food. As you can see, Japanese culture and cuisine interplay one another, and the whole concept behind it is simplicity and purity. They believe that too much seasoning, too much condiments and spices and cooking, came in the way of one's ability to truly enjoy the natural taste of the food. This is why they usually enjoyed their food raw and with minimal cooking. However, their simplicity did not prevent them from using soya sauce, which plays a very important role in the Japanese kitchen.

Usually, the clearer type of soya cause is used to enhance the flavour and used as a seasoning to improve the dining experience. The Japanese also use soup stock with either seaweed or dried bonito. If you are looking for a traditional approach to eating Japanese food, then look out for restaurants that have the ‘Kaiseki' eating experience, with is a formal way to present Japanese cuisine. It is slightly different that the Chinese style in the fact that the sequence of the services are decided by the cooking methods.

In Japan, these sort of restaurants are accompanied by music and performances by traditional Geisha or Japanese dancers. I doubt you can find the same thing in Singapore, but there are many Japanese restaurants in this country that offer a slightly tweaked version of this eating experience, adding customisability to the food and making it less formal. If you need to know what foods to try, just as the house chef or cook – Japanese cooks are usually extremely friendly and will recommend easy to eat foods for first timers. In addition to the tête-à-tête with cook, what is good for answer is the proximity sandwiched between where food is made and where it is eaten. The less the time amid food preparation and eating, the better is the taste.

Once you find your favourite dishes you can try them in other restaurants and you will know whether they are of good quality or not. This will be your introduction to Japanese cuisine and culture – right in the heart of Singapore.