[left-struck]

I work in tourism in Japan and so many tourists ask me what are some good places to eat. It’s such an annoying question because the honest answer is I eat what the locals eat, which is to say the most authentic Japanese cuisine is what you find in a Japanese supermarket. That’s what the people of Japan are actually eating. Of course that’s not really what the question is though, but my point is I’m not a good person to ask because I just eat normal stuff.

[myrrhman]

As a fellow resident of Japan, I find this sorta question very funny.

People naturally romanticize food of foreign cultures, but I can't help but giggle at the crazy hype given to Japanese food in particular. Especially considering how 'bland' the food is (at least, how bland it is to the American sensibility).

These days, I direct touristing friends towards foreigner-friendly restaurants that promise some sort of food "experience" (at the prices you'd expect)...while I mosey over to the nearest salaryman friendly hole-in-the-wall for some plain zaru soba or udon. One part because I'm eternally broke, and another because I genuinely like it more than the ungodly katsu-don concoctions larger than the standard birth weight.

Not that there isn't interesting 名物 depending on the region (although naturally the 名物 of Tokyo might as well be Taco Bell), but I've always found my friends to be disappointed by "real" Japanese food...even from the Yatai of my local Fukuoka (which is pretty darn good, as far as I'm concerned!) Let alone from places like rural Tohoku (the village a friend resided in had a specialty of whole-salamander tempura...bluegh).

[left-struck]

My own experience has been that the average quality, and especially the like floor of the quality of food here in Japan is pretty high compared to Australia. What you get compared to what you pay for is especially high in Japan’s favour. But perhaps you’re right that the hype is not deserved, if you’re coming here expecting a heavenly experience then you’re probably going to be disappointed purely because of unrealistic expectations. I would say tourists from wealthy western countries should expect decent food for a great price. Touristic places might have higher prices though.

[dalocals]

Your answer is the answer I want. Why do you presume it's not valuable to say, "There's a good grocery store over there. I like X brand"?

Maybe I want to know a decent place I can get a cheap hot meal too, but I'm not interested in fancy meals or nice restaurants. I want the workaday egg salad from the tiny deli in New York that costs 4.99 and comes with a pickle. I want the simple pho that's the only thing on the menu. I want the tamales sold from a cooler in the Home Depot parking lot.

I wish there was a better way to signal that's what i want to find than, "Whats a good place to eat?"

[left-struck]

I see what you mean, the thing about food in Japan though is that the minimum quality is pretty high. So I can’t really recommend a specific grocery store, all of the major ones have decent quality ready to eat food that just needs to be microwaved. (They usually have a microwave in the front of the store). Convince stores as well. I’m originally from Australia and so that’s my point of comparison, a convenience store karage bento here in Japan is similar in quality to a Japanese restaurant chain in Australia, but the price is like 1/3rd.

As for actual restaurants, I think the mistake tourists make is trying to find the best ramen or whatever, but the best isn’t going to be that much better than the average joint catering to locals. So in other words, spend less time thinking about where to go and just explore and pick a random place that you like the vibe of, that’s what I do and I’ve never been disappointed here.

I don’t really have time to say all that to every tourists that asks though lol.

Also I’m literally writing this from a random ramen place I walked into, and it was delicious!

[piaste]

> It’s such an annoying question because the honest answer is I eat what the locals eat, which is to say the most authentic Japanese cuisine is what you find in a Japanese supermarket. That’s what the people of Japan are actually eating.

Well, that's only true if you also observe what Japanese customers are buying and do your best to mimic their habits.

You could go into any Italian supermarket and fill your cart with weißwurst, avocados, and Camembert cheese - and they're all right there in the meat, fruit, and dairy areas respectively, not in an 'ethnic' corner - but it would be hardly a good representation of what the locals typically eat.