Japanese people are generally very conscious about the passing of seasons and place great emphasis on the festivities that take place during each season. During summer, one of the highlights is the Bon Odori, or Summer Dance Festival. In Japan, Japanese of all ages will flock to a Bon Odori celebration by dancing in their kimonos and trying their hands on beating the drum. Stalls are set up offering a variety of food and drinks. Friends and relatives meet up for a chat with their quaint fans.
As there are many Japanese expatriates working and living in Malaysia, this practice of having festivals has also been adopted in Malaysia. Every year, there is a Japanese Festival being held here where many activities are organised such as Bon Odori, martial arts exhibitions, food exhibition and other fun things.
If you are into Japanese food, there is no better place to enjoy Japanese food than in Malaysia. For starters, it's cheaper than in many places - especially compared to Japan. Many Japanese restaurants in Malaysia are also halal, so our Muslim brothers and sisters can enjoy this unique cuisine.
Here's our glossary to help you know what to order when you're at a Japanese restaurant.
Ramen is a type of noodle that has the thickness of spaghetti. It is served in a soup base with various toppings. Common soup base are shoyu (brown soya sauce), miso, shio (transparent, salt based) and tonkotsu (white, milky, pork based). Popular toppings include chashu (BBQ pork ) and wonton (Chinese dumplings - ie wantan). If you see chasu or tonkatsu, chances are the restaurant is not halal.
Udon are thick Japanese noodles. Soba noodles are thinner than Udon but thicker than ramen noodles. One popular way of eating soba noodles is having it cold.
Sashimi means thinly sliced, raw seafood. If sashimi is placed on top of a ball of rice, it is called nigiri sushi. The more popular sashimi includes maguro (tuna), Ebi (prawn), saba (mackerel) and ika (squid).
Tempura is a Portugese import to Japan. Tempura is basically seafood or vegetables deep fried in special batter.
Gyoza means pan-fried dumpling. This is a Chinese dish and is called "Wo-Tip" in Chinese (Cantonese).
Okonomiyaki is a cross between a pancake and pizza. You can choose the various ingredients in a Okonomiyaki which will be placed within this pancake pizza. Incidentally, "okonomi" means "as you like", referring to the ingredients.
Chawan-mushi is steamed egg in a quaint Japanese bowl. You'll get one of these as a standard in some set Japanese dinners or Japanese Buffet (Kampachi and Benji comes to mind).
Wasabi is Japanese horseradish. It is most famous in form of a green paste used as condiment for sashimi (raw seafood) and sushi. However, wasabi is also used for many other Japanese dishes. Read more here.
Yakitori means skewered grilled chicken. You can get these at Jusco supermarket in Mega Mall (Japanese section).
Oden is a stew made by simmering fish dumplings, fried tofu, eggs, and vegetables (like radish) in a kelp-based stock for several hours. It's the Japanese equivalent of Yong-Tau-Foo (Get the picture?). We used to be able to find it in Jusco supermarket in Mega Mall (Japanese section). We are not aware of where to get this. This dish is very popular in Japan and you can even find them in 7-11 and other convenience shops.
Unagi (grilled eel) is a delicacy in Japan. It's traditionally eaten during one of the hottest days of the summer to provide strength and vitality for the rest of the year.
Tonkatsu means pork cutlet. If you find this on the menu, you know you've entered a non-halal Japanese restaurant.
Shabu-shabu is basically Japanese steamboat with an emphasis on beef. The word means "swish-swish" ie the swishing action when you cook a very thin slice of beef in hot water.
