What's What in Japanese Restaurants: A Guide to Ordering, Eating, and Enjoying

By Robb Satterwhite

Book Overview

In this completely revised edition of a long-time favorite, Robb Satterwhite offers readers an insider's tour of the vibrant and constantly-changing contemporary restaurant scene in Japan. Sure, just about everyone knows and loves sushi, but there's so much more to the cuisine; and with the help of this easy-to-use guide, diners everywhere can learn to appreciate the Japanese restaurant experience in all its variety--and enjoy it with confidence.

This third edition of What's What in Japanese Restaurants includes many favorite features, completely updated, such as an explanation of different kinds of restaurants, how to read menus (with examples), phrases for ordering, and a glossary and food vocabulary. Many new features have been added as well: an overview of the changing restaurant scene; sections on fish, Japanese beef, and premium pork brands; expanded sections on different types of restaurants and kinds of foods; and Japanese beverages including sake and shochu. Satterwhite also explains various cooking styles and ingredients, and offers insights into culinary traditions, history, and the finer points of food preparation. He even has a section on drinking customs and etiquette.

Robb Satterwhite has lived in Tokyo for many years and eaten at thousands of restaurants, doing research for his hugely popular web- and mobile-based site, Bento.com. Incorporating this extensive research and the author's deep knowledge of Japanese culture and cuisine, What's What in Japanese Restaurants will be an entertaining and invaluable resource for travelers, foodies, and restaurant- goers, both in Japan and at home.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 4770031440
• ISBN13: 9784770031440
• Release Date: April 2011
• Publisher: Kodansha International
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

As indispensable as any map or guide book

If you are going on a trip to Japan, take "What's What in Japanese Restaurants" with you. It is a handy, pocket-sized reference book that will save you many a stomach-ache and hopefully let you discover many a good taste. Not all strange Japanese food is to be feared!The guide outlines many of the main Japanese foods, a few ways to eat them and some simple restaurant etiquette. The food are named in both English and Japanese, with the Japanese written in Katakana and Hiragana. This is important, as most Japanese menus will not contain an English translation.The books small size is most convenient, as luggage space can be at a premium. In the end, you will be glad you brought this book along.

I CONSIDER MYSELF TO BE ADVENTUROUS EATER HOWEVER EVEN I

HAVE MY LIMITS AND WITH THIS BOOK I FOUND IT VERY EASY TO ORDER FOOD THAT I KNOW I WILL ENJOY! It can be intimidating to order food of other cultures and having this book helps alot. While I know that the resturant staff TRULY do their best to describe menu items there can still be problems (i.e. busy staff, language barriers etc. I found this book able to make my dining much more enjoyable as i can experiment with new foods while avoiding something that I am not interested in eating at all. ALSO NOTE: IF YOU HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO EAT JAPANESE FOOD BUT ARE TOO IMTIMIDATED BY ALL THE CHOICES, NAMES, AND INGREDIENTS THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU.

Useful and accurate.

I used this book during a business trip to Japan and found it very useful and accurate, both in and outside of Tokyo. The descriptions of the types of food were helpful, as were the prices (even though the exchange rate has deteriorated). I would recommend this book to anyone who has questions about Japanese food.

Extend you Culinary horizons!

Great book. I know some Japanese, but the restaurants have proven daunting at best, and it's especially difficult since many of the best ones are specialty restaurants -- and when you walk in and sit down, you can't even guess how to order since you're not sure what they serve! A little time spent with this book helped me immensely, and I was able to pick up some of the kanji along the way. Even if I can't make out an entire menu item, I can usually tell "this is a chicken dish, this is a beef dish, this is some sort of fried vegetable dish", etc. A couple nights with this book and I was suddenly much less intimidated by all that great food available out there!

An indispensable book for anyone travelling to Japan

Ever ordered raw chicken platter or cow's stomach when you couldn't read the menu? I have, and it's a very unpleasant experience eating it with the whole staff watching and laughing. With 'What's What in Japanese Restaurants' in your pocket this will never happen to you. Robb Satterwhite has written an indispensable book for anyone travelling to Japan for the 1st or even the 30th time. The book is divided into sections detailing regional styles, types of food, etc., and each section gives the Japanese characters that you will find on the menu, a transliteration into Roman characters and an explanation of the dish. He talks about diferent types of eating places, from standup noodle stalls to the VERY exclusive Japanese traditional restaurant. Included also are useful phrases for dining and there's even a section on drinking. He touches on etiquette and finishes with a glossary of terms. This is the most comprehensive book on eating in Japan that I have come across in more than 20 years of travelling to and fro. An absolute must buy.