The long-awaited play-at-home version of the John & Amanda's Trip to Japan Game is here, at least the food part! Here are pictures to drool over - as well as recipes - for the best foods we tried during our visit. It seemed only natural to put together something of this sort, since my journal from the trip was crammed with food memories! Justin and Mayumi made sure we were well fed, let's just put it that way. And here, without further ado, are five reasons I was a very happy vegetarian (and food lover) on this trip:




Tonkatsu (March 26th, Kyoto): This was one of our first meals in Japan, and we really enjoyed the fried but not heavy food. There were a variety of sauces to mix and use, and each person got a mortar and pestle with sesame seeds to grind and add in. I had a vegetarian version of the traditional breaded pork of course, made from cooked potatoes and other veggies.
http://www.justhungry.com/2004/01/tonkatsu.html




Nabe (March 27th, made by Mayumi): This feast of a soup was cooked at the table in an electric pot, putting in the vegetables, noodles and fish first and the meat later when I was done eating. The recipe is on the second page of the link below, after a lot of sumo trivia.
http://web-japan.org/nipponia /nipponia29/en/appetit/index.html




Yakitori (March 28th, Kusatsu Daikichi): I understand why Mayumi picked the Daikichi restaurant in Kusatsu (where she and Justin are on a first-name basis with the owner) for this, her birthday dinner - yakitori is pure fun as well as being quite delicious. You order as many as you like of all different grilled things on skewers. In addition to chicken and other meat skewers there were many veg choices like mushroom, eggplant, and green pepper. The staff had even bought her a surprise birthday cake!
http://www.canderel.uk.com/uk/recipes/m_recipe3.asp




Okonimiyaki (March 31st, Omi-Hachiman): The local restaurant where we tried these thick filled pancakes had one of the more memorable atmospheres of those we visited, including a tree growing up through the ceiling and low cozy tables with set-in grills (some food was cooked at the table by customers). The vegetarian-friendly variation I tried had mochi, or pounded rice, and cheese as fillings.
http://www.geishablog.com/food/make-your-own-okonomiyaki/




Omu rice (April 1st, Omi-Hachiman): This was another local restaurant, and they took the combination of eggs and rice to new heights: my enormous rice-filled omelet came in a sauce with two of my favorite things, tofu and spinach. Scroll down for recipe in the link below.
http://www.justhungry.com/2006/08/omuraisu_omu_ri.html 



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And a few of our own food photos from the Japan galleries...




Lunch at the green tea restaurant in Kyoto - green tea fried rice for me.




Traditional snacks in Kyoto - pounded rice with filling and flavoring.  We tried the pumpkin kind (right side).




Justin and Amanda rack up empty plates at the conveyor belt sushi restaurant in Omihachiman.





The happy vegetarian at Fudo-in, the temple at Koyasan where we stayed the night.




So pick out a recipe, tie on a bib, and wolf down some great chow!