About the local cuisine of my hometown.

okonomiyaki (Japanese pan cake)

I live near Osaka. As for the local cuisine of our area, I am very proud of Okonomiyaki, and Takoyaki dishes. Okonomiyaki is a kind of Japanese pancake. Batter mixed with egg, grated yam, chopped green onion, cabbages, and Japanese broth is cooked in a pan. Thinly sliced pork or shrimp are also added on the top of batter and cooked. Just before eating, thick sauce, paper thin sliced dried bonito, sometimes mayonnaise are added. This typical Osaka restaurant cuisine is nutritious and diners can enjoy cooking food themselves with an electric hot-plate at the table.

takoyaki ( octopus dumpling)

Another cuisine is takoyaki, which is ball shape octopus dumpling. This food is mainly eaten in snack time. The takoyaki stalls can be easily found on the street in Osaka. It is said that takoyaki has been so popular in Kansai region that every house have special plate for making takoyaki at home. We have of course a takoyaki plate to enjoy eating at home.

takoyaki-ki ( takoyaki plate at the table)

What is a good way of enjoying good Japanese food at a reasonable price?

I recommend “Kaiten-sushi restaurant” if you would like to eat sushi. It is a casual restaurant for sushi. You can find conveyer belt carrying many kinds of sushi. Customers can grab any of plate when it passes by.. You can also order your favorite sushi to the sushi chef. I also recommend Izakaya, a Japanese tavern. They serve various kinds of dishes and beverages at a reasonable price.

What are some differences between sake and shochu? How are they usually drunk?

chu-hai cocktail with shochu , soda, and fruit juice.


Sake is fermented alcoholic beverage made from rice, while shochu is distilled alcoholic beverage made from various ingredients such as sweet potato, buckwheat, rice, wheat and the like. Sake is served hot or cold. Shochu is often mixed with other kinds of drinks such as hot water, tea, juice and soda. We enjoy drinking shochu mixed with other drinks like a chocktail.

What are some typical Japanese dishes?

I think sukiyaki is famous as a typical Japanese dishes. Sukiyaki is thinly　sliced marbled beef and vegetables cooked in a shallow pan on a small burner at the table. Soy sauce, sake and sugar are added as a flavor. The other one is sushi, which is small oval shaped vinegared rice topped with a sliced of raw fish such as tuna, yellow tale, and squid. Just before eating it, they dip it into soy sauce. I want to add another famous dish, tempura which is deep fried vegetables and fish. They are eaten after dipping into a special sauce or salt.