Tonight we went to dinner in Japan , more precisely in Tokyo, is a city full of energice but it is  primarily a blend of fashion and cutting-edge technologies that coexist with art and ancient traditions .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Its history dates back about nel1600 , when Tokugawa Ieyasu established the first feudal government which began a remarkable development , at the time Tokyo was called Edo . Political, cultural and economic development of Japan , has an understated charm , the highest telecommunications tower in the world, the station is the largest brick building in the Japane… then the history, the tradition and the constant innovations contribute to making this city a reference point for the whole world .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The future at the table? The new trends come from FOOD EX where you will find interesting trail mix flavor Asia and the West : sparkling sake , sake cowboy to be combined with a plate of meat, the beer produced by the method of champagne.

But I am ready for  Japanese dinner , I am immediately greeted with the words ” irasehaimase ” ( please come ) , I find immediately a great courtesy , you can choose to sit at the table or on the pillows , in informal situations the men sit cross-legged ,  while women  sit on their knees with their legs from a side , the first way of sitting is considered exclusively male , the second purely female .

They warned me that there are rules of etiquette to follow:

- It ‘s good to finish all the rice that you have on your plate

- Never point your chopsticks to something or someone

- Do not blow your nose in public , much less at the table

- Do not make sounds or unpleasant noises .

The first thing I notice is that they are brought to the table at the same time all the food , there is no separation between first , second, vegetables and fruit, typically Western , many dishes are shared in the sense that it draws all from a central pot .

Here sukiyaki , is prepared in a pot placed over a hot plate that is at the table, is a dish consisting of beef thinly sliced ​​, accompanied by vegetables and tofu, everything is boiled in a soy sauce, sugar and sweet rice wine ( mirin ) ,I  fetch the food from the pot and I realize that I have to pour into a bowl containing raw eggs lightly beaten .

 

 

 

 

 

Let the misoshiru , just a rice soup that is made ​​with soybeans crushed and fermented with a special enzyme .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My eyes light up : sashimi and sushi , the later is made up of rice and raw fish (salmon, sea bass, shrimp) and seaweed ( nori ) . Sometime between the rice and the fish is put a bit of wasabi ( spicy green paste ) . Sashimi consists of simple slices of raw fish or shellfish accompanied by a touch of wasabi paste or embellished with white strands of daikon roots , served me well as a soy sauce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taste now the yakitori , delicious grilled chicken skewer with tare ( soy sauce )

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step to tonkatsu , breaded and fried pork cutlet served already cut into thin slices

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do not miss a tempura appetizer plate of fish and vegetables retouched in a batter and then fried ( shrimp , zucchini , potatoes, pumpkins )

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My dinner ends with ammitsu typical Japanese dessert consisting  cubes of agar jelly obtained from red algae , all served me in a bowl along with a jam adzuki beans, peas boiled and mixed fruit , apart from bring me a syrup sweet black called mitsu which is paid on gelatin before being eaten … let’s say I have a little on the sweet regret … where is my tiramisu ?

Well the Japanese dinner is over, I leave this beautiful city full of charm and tradition, crazy fashions and advanced technology and go back to my nice couch with the usual cup of espresso !

Until next time!

And … the journey continues!