Japan... what do I do?

[DukieInKansas]

The restaurants do put plastic "samples" of the menu in the windows. You will find spring rolls, a variety of soba (noodle) dishes, etc. Sukiyaki (ski-yaki) is a beef dish. There is also shabu shabu. It seems that each country has a version of this dish - Genghis Khan in Korea. It is cooked at the table - beef in broth, with cabbage, various sauces (Korean memory here).

You will find various castles and temples. The Imperial Family had a home there until the late 1860s.

Are you flying into Kyoto? Of course, if you have time to travel to Tokyo, I can give you directions so you can visit my childhood home.

I am avoiding the mess of Tokyo, and I am flying Seattle to Osaka/Kyoto (KIX). I then have to take a train from the airport to Kyoto. Beats me how I get from the train to the hotel.

Can I get the noodles whole grain? I've been very diligent with sticking to a cardiologist recommended adjustment to my diet.

Thanks Usul!

Don't know about the whole grain. The soba noodles are made out of buckwheat. (Confession - I live in a wheat producing state but do not know how buckwheat varies from regular wheat.)

[DukieInKansas]

Here is an online sight that seems to have some info: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2158.html

I don't know how reliable it is - but at least the sightseeing info should be helpful. I would look for a map online or in a local bookstore - or at least at the airport when you arrive.

Osaka was the sight of Expo '70 - I don't know if any of the exhibits remain or not.

[devildeac]

Beware of the Happy Ending.

[bluebutton]

While the Japanese do eat a fair amount of fish, if you are worried, you don't actually need to eat fish.

7-11s and all things that look like 7-11s are supposed to be really awesome convenience stores and not the semi-slummy things we have. So you can always pop in and get some food/drinks there. Of course, these will be Japanese prepared foods, but less likely to be raw.

Also yakitori is/are grilled chicken, typically on skewers, Japanese style of course, but would probably be worth hunting down if you are looking for a safe Japanese food experience. OTOH, they will grill parts of chicken that you may not eat in the US like heart and gizzard, but you shouldn't be allergic to the stuff.

As someone mentioned noodle houses are also a more safe route to go. Typically, what varies is the broth and the texture of the noodle. It is highly likely that there will be ALOT of noodle and not a lot of other stuff like meat/veggies. The broth may be cold, so don't be shocked. The flavors range from delicate to bold.

If you are allergic to soy, however, you are screwed. Eat plain rice. Or go to McDs.

ETA: Have a TON of fun!! A lot of my family have visited and they all love Japan (for visiting). Sorry to hear about your anxiety, but I think things will go better than you expect. And do bring your camera.

[bluebutton]

Oh how could I forget: okonmiyaki!

These are cabbage based omelettes/pancakes for lack of a better description. While they can put seafood in them (and that seafood would be cooked), you can also find it with pork and "regular" meats. Often comes with something akin to teriyaki sauce. Provided you like the idea of a cabbage pancake with teriyaki sauce, this would be another option for a safer food adventure.

A frequent breakfast food is natto over rice. Natto is fermented soybeans and kinda feels like salted beans covered in slime, looks sort of pale brown in color. If you are texture sensitive, I recommend avoiding this food. I personally think it is rather tasty and like it more than the description I was given before I tried it. However, it's a love/hate thing for most people even the Japanese.

And lastly, I vaguely remember that you may be tall. 1) you will be stared at. 2) Japanese people probably consume less calories that you do/day. You may need to order more food to feel full.

Enjoy your adventures and take photos of your food!!

[Bob Green]

On Friday, I leave for an international conference in Kyoto, Japan. I have several immediate questions about Japan:
1) What do I eat? Warning: I am allergic to something in American sushi (something in California Roll; herring also causes problems);
2) Can I get by with English?
3) Is there anything to do there?
4) Given that airfare and hotel expenses are covered, will I go broke with food and transportation costs over there?

I'm a little scared of the stories of high prices over there.

Sorry for the delay in answering:

1. Ramen and Yakitori are great choices for eating. Ramen is noodles in soup while Yakitori is different types of meat on a stick. Japanese curry is also tasty while not being spicy like indian or Thai curry.
2. Yes. You will have to do a lot of pointing. Restaurants have plastic food in display windows so you can just point at the dish you desire. Moreover, Japanese are incredible honest so there were times when I couldn't understand how much I owed, such as at the Fare Adjustment window of a train station, so I just held out a bunch of change and allowed the attendant to take what I owed out of my hand.
3. Even though I lived in Japan over 17 years, I've never been to Kyoto. However, it is the cultural center of Japan with lots of shrines. There will be plenty of sightseeing opportunities so bring a camera.
4. You want go broke as long as you keep alcohol purchases under control. Food isn' really that outrageious but beer wine etc can be very pricey.

Okay, now I'm going to read this whole thread and perhaps post again.

Bob

[Bob Green]

Okay a few more things after reading the thread:

1. Natto sucks....
2. 7-11, McDonalds, KFC, Ringer Hut, Yoshinoya are all food options. There are other convenience stores as well: Larsons, Am-Pm, etc...
3. Miso soup is delicious but looks like dirty dishwater to me. Don't let the looks put you off as Miso Soup is good stuff.
4. Japan is safe so you can walk everywhere
5. Here is a link for train directions. The only problem is you have to spell the station names correctly:

http://www.hyperdia.com/

6. Pizza is expensive and not good. I would avoid pizza in Japan.
7. Yakiniku might not be authentic Korean BBQ but it is good.
8. Sashimi is raw fish. I love raw tuna. You mix soy sauce and wasabi (hot stuff) together as a sauce and dip the raw fish into it.
9. As previously suggested, go to the 100 Yen stores. They are great for deals and a good experience. You can find a lot of quality products for Y100 each.

[Bob Green]

One more thing I thought of, if you are out and about walking, checkout a department store (Seiyu,Seikaya) and head down to the basement. Most department stores have a grocery store in the basement and most of the grocery stores have an extensive selection of already cooked food. It is a nice option for dinner and definitely better than eating at 7-11.

[Lavabe]

Thanks Bob, and to all the others for assistance on this matter. Here are some initial thoughts from my hotel room in Kyoto:

1) The place is expensive;
2) I mean really expensive (American style breakfast is something like $20);
3) Dietary issues, combined with the cost of everything, combined with language issues, make this place extremely difficult to function in.
4) Once the conference begins, things will settle down, and I'll be able to eat out in a group.

I wonder if I can get some fresh apples or something? SHEESH!

[bluebutton]

Hang in there!

Here are happy travel vibes

I hope you 1) find food you can eat and 2) find delightful food you can eat

[lawgrad91]

Good luck, Lavabe! Hope things settle down once your conference starts.

[Lavabe]

Good luck, Lavabe! Hope things settle down once your conference starts.

They had better. The binto box at the reception is described in the "what's for dinner" thread. Hideous.

Only surpassed in quality by the SUNTORY beer.

On the bright side, the water is good here.

When I get home, I hope ILJ will make me a nice meal. I also hope that she's stocked up on apples. I haven't had a piece of fruit since getting here (well, except for the 1/8 slice of a navel orange in the binto box). Come to think of it, I haven't had any dairy or meat to speak of.

Devildeac: do you think that sake (Japanese rice wine) would be okay for my triglycerides? They had a sake bar at the reception. And Japanese music.

FWIW, the next international meetings will be in Veracruz, Mexico.

[Lavabe]

Oh yeah... the temperature rose to 97 Sunday. It's due to hit the 90s Monday, complete with high humidity.

[colchar]

Good luck, Lavabe! Hope things settle down once your conference starts.

They had better. The binto box at the reception is described in the "what's for dinner" thread. Hideous.

Only surpassed in quality by the SUNTORY beer.

On the bright side, the water is good here.

When I get home, I hope ILJ will make me a nice meal. I also hope that she's stocked up on apples. I haven't had a piece of fruit since getting here (well, except for the 1/8 slice of a navel orange in the binto box). Come to think of it, I haven't had any dairy or meat to speak of.

Devildeac: do you think that sake (Japanese rice wine) would be okay for my triglycerides? They had a sake bar at the reception. And Japanese music.

FWIW, the next international meetings will be in Veracruz, Mexico.

Where everything will be fine except the water!

[devildeac]

Good luck, Lavabe! Hope things settle down once your conference starts.

They had better. The binto box at the reception is described in the "what's for dinner" thread. Hideous.

Only surpassed in quality by the SUNTORY beer.

On the bright side, the water is good here.

When I get home, I hope ILJ will make me a nice meal. I also hope that she's stocked up on apples. I haven't had a piece of fruit since getting here (well, except for the 1/8 slice of a navel orange in the binto box). Come to think of it, I haven't had any dairy or meat to speak of.

Devildeac: do you think that sake (Japanese rice wine) would be okay for my triglycerides? They had a sake bar at the reception. And Japanese music.

FWIW, the next international meetings will be in Veracruz, Mexico.

Where everything will be fine except the water!

[captmojo]

The water? I don't understand.
I only drink fine, imported, Mexican river water.

[Lavabe]

Today, I had white toast and coffee, veggie curry, and some sort of chinese/korean / rice.

[Lavabe]

Conference talk and session went well. Today was very humid and hot (though not 95 degree temps).

Kyoto seems to be a very safe city where I am, and have been walking at night. Clean city. Just very confusing if you can't understand language. The pros seem to be:
1) Clean 2) Polite (VERY) 3) Well laid-out 4) Efficient 5) Generally nice scenery
The cons seem to be:
1) Food 2) Heat 3) Cost of living 4) The EXTREME anal retentiveness

Cheers,
Lavabe

[Lavabe]

The Hotel is right on the banks of the river, but what is BIZARRE is that the river is not deep. It seems to flow down these block-long flat areas, then cascades down 5-6 feet, and continues in this pattern. It sort of looks and sounds like feng shui. Will try to use my camera bit more in the next few days. We had overcast weather, with slight drizzle. Perhaps the heat wave snapped. Hard to tell.

[colchar]

4) The EXTREME anal retentiveness

They obviously haven't been drinking any Mexican water.