Language Culture

In the Edo period, the area near the present Asakusa was called Yoshiwara. It was home to a red-ligh

Sukiyaki is a dish made from beef, tofu, spring onions, and other vegetables simmered in a sweet and salty sauce made with sugar and soy sauce as a base.

Sashimi is raw seafood served in thin slices. It is also called otsukuri.

To make shabu-shabu, you cook vegetables and tofu in a hotpot filled with flavored broth, and dip thinly sliced pieces of meat into the broth. The meat and vegetables are eaten with ponzu or sesame sauce.

Today, though, there are a lot of stylish yakitori places that are like café bars, and it is not unusual for women to dine alone, or for couples to come on dates.

Although now sushi is a gourmet cuisine, it was first mainly eaten at food stands and considered as a simple fast food.

Like udon, soba noodles, made from buckwheat flour, are the typical Japanese noodles.