I’m about to reveal one of the most important secrets about Japan. Please be aware that it may totally change the way you see the World.
Everything lies in one word: cornucopia (the horn of plenty). Yes, that’s it, now you know. Japan IS the cornucopia. Just look at its curved shape, exactly like the famous horn.
Let’s go a bit further: haven’t you ever wondered why Japan was subject to so many earthquakes? Does “replenishment” ring a bell to you? Well, now it does.
Jokes aside, it’s crazy to see the number of restaurants (any kind) everywhere in Japan. It’s literally a country of food. And not crappy food (there are fast food chains of course). Really. Good. Food.
Overall it’s very affordable. You can have a very good meal for less than 1000円. Which is perfect for small budgets (especially if you are travelling and want to taste a lot of different things).
Let’s begin with a chain called カレーハウスCoco (Kare House Coco): the house of curry. If you haven’t guessed already, it’s all about curry. But not the Indian yellow curry that you may be thinking of. It’s actually some kind of brownish curry, I don’t exactly know what is different in the making process, just that it’s less spicy (actually it depends as sometimes you can choose how spicy you want it to be, and choosing the wrong option can lead to an inedible – or at least painful to eat – dish) and probably thicker and sweeter. The main thing that you must remember is that it’s awfully good.
There are different ways of serving カレー. It can be just the “sauce” itself, or it can be mixed with some meat and vegetables. Most of the time, you eat カレー with rice.
Simply writing about it makes me salivating o__o
Something that is, I believe, very specific to Japan is that you can read books, manga and magazines directly inside the restaurant.
There is a large choice of dishes, which is why it took us ages to choose. I wish I could try them all. Oh wait, I actually can, I live in Japan! :D
Usually in every restaurant in Japan you’ll find some stuff on your table such as napkins, spicies, soy sauce, toothpicks, water, tea (in powder), chopsticks, etc. It may vary depending on the resto.
So this is what I ordered: “Cheese hamburger カレー” (730円). The burger is filled with some melting cheese. Needless to say how good it is… Approved by Biwa-chan!
Perhaps have you noticed that that カレー is the kind of not having vegetables nor pieces of meat in it. It’s mainly a カレー sauce meant to be mixed with the rest of your plate.