TODAY we continue a regular column from Bolton lass Danielle Hayes who lives in Japan. She was born in Bromley Cross and attended Turton High School — class of 2008. She now lives in the beautiful city of Kyoto and spends her time teaching English, writing and exploring.

WHEN people think of Japanese food, I’m sure the first thought that comes to mind is sushi and raw fish; and while these do make up a good chunk of the best food available over here, they really just scratch the surface! I love Japanese food, and have been surprised by the sheer variety of delicious dishes available over here. One of the unique and interesting aspects of Japanese culture is that every region in Japan is famous for a specific food. This means that travelling around Japan means more than just sightseeing, it means a culinary adventure too!

Now, if I was write about all the Japanese food that I love, then I would have to take over this whole newspaper, possibly for more than one issue, so today, I will just cover my top three Japanese foods.

Yakiniku

Yakiniku in Japanese literally translates into ‘grilled meat’, and simply put, that is all this meal is. There are hundreds of yakiniku restaurants in Japan, and it’s easily one of the most popular meals people like to enjoy over here. At your table, you will have your very own grill built in, and then you get to enjoy all-you-can-eat meat, and all-you-can-drink beer. You cook the meat yourself, and this really makes the meal more sociable and fun. My favourite place to eat yakiniku, even has all-you-can-eat steak for less than £15! Not exactly what you were expecting from an article about Japanese food? People are often surprised that some of the most popular food over here isn’t fish, and isn’t that different from what they’re used to!

Japanese Curry

Something that I eat very often over here is Japanese curry. It has fast become my go-to comfort food because it’s one of the many forms of good quality fast-food over here, and is packed full of flavour. The most popular curry restaurant over here actually allows you to build you own curry dish. First you chose your filling: chicken, pork, beef, egg, vegetables etc; then, you chose your toppings: cheese, vegetables, egg, pickles etc; then, you choose how much rice you want, and the ‘level’ of spice (from 1 -10). This is what makes it such a comfort food, it feels like it’s made just for you! It’s also the only really spicy Japanese food there is, most dishes over here can be fairly plain.

Dancing Squid

Ok. So this one isn’t something I eat very often, in fact, I’ve only had it once. But, as far as cool Japanese food goes, this is right up there! It’s a speciality dish that I had the chance to try while travelling Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. Put very simply, it’s just really fresh squid. So fresh, in fact, that it’ still moving! They kill it and slice up it’s body for you to eat, but keep the head and tentacles on the plate. When you touch the tentacles with your chopsticks, the wiggle around as if it’s still alive. Then, if you pour soy sauce on it, it really goes crazy. When it’s finished moving around, they take it off and cook it for you so you can eat it too! A very interesting experience, and exactly the kind of food I love to try while I’m over here!

While Japan does have it’s weird and wonderful dishes, it’s also a country full of fresh, tasty, and delicious foods. Be sure to check the internet for videos of the dancing squid - as long as you’re not too squeamish!

n Read Danielle's blogs at kinkigeek.wordpress.com