Travel Japan: Seafood!
Posted:
Japan's Protein of choice
It has come to my attention working and writing for Japan Deluxe Tours that we tend to serve a lot of seafood during our tours. If you're like me, you can see why that's such a weird statement. For those who don't get why this is so strange, would you ever say the following:
Italy was nice, but there was too much pasta
France was beautiful, but too much bread, cheese, and wine.
India was lovely, but the food was too spicy
I think you get my point right? Seafood is one of the main proteins of Japan, and has been the main protein of Japan for hundreds of years. Japan didn't start consuming beef until after the Treaty of Peae and Amity between the United States and Japan, back in 1854. Seafood has, and always will be, the main protein of choice for Japan. Of course, rice is the side-dish of choice.
Variety
To be fair, Japan is famous for Kobe Beef from the Hyogo prefecture, as well as Japanese Wagyu beef. These cuts of meat are far pricier than your average steak, but well worth shelling out the extra money for. Be that as it may, Japan serves seafood in a near endless-list of varieties. Between grilled, steamed, raw, and all the other ways to cook, along with the thousands of different creatures in the ocean, Japanese cookbooks are stacked with ways to make a delicious tuna or yellow-tail. My favorite is probably a toss up between sashimi or tai, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy a thick cut steak or a juicy burger from time to time. It's important to remember even though Japan is a culinary gem for foodies, if you don't like fish or seafood, you're going to have to plan your meals accordingly.
One last note, please never say:
Too much seafood, more sushi
If you do, I'm probably going to say you should vacation somewhere else...