“Japanese cuisine is distinctive from other cuisines, first and foremost because much of the preparation of ingredients includes maintaining maximum freshness by applying unique preservation techniques to otherwise raw ingredients,” he says. “Additionally, regionality and seasonality are strictly respected and adhered to, and attention to optimizing their flavour and quality of ingredients are prioritized over any other efficiencies.”

Waxman goes on to identify two Japanese dining experiences that he finds particularly praiseworthy.

“Kaiseki-ryori is a very special style of dining in which the chef prepares a highly refined, artful, multi-course meal representing his own skill and finesse at reflecting and highlighting the very best of the season and the local region at that moment,” he says. “Sukiyaki is a dining experience in which a simmering nabe pot mixed with soy sauce, sugar and mirin is used to cook meat and vegetables. The meat or vegetables are then dipped in a bowl of raw beaten egg and then eaten. This is a hearty winter dining experience.”

Meanwhile, Waxman goes on to say that cuisine in Japan “absolutely” varies from one part of the country to another.

“Historically, each region of Japan has developed its own traditions,” he reports. “Agriculturally, each region of Japan specializes in foods to which they are best suited. Seasonally, availability changes, as do nutritional needs. Tourism promotes these differences so that each Prefecture is known for its own brand of wagyu, fruit and signature dish. For example:

• Okonomiyaki in Osaka is prepared differently than in Hiroshima, where soba noodles are added.
• Seasonal variation between the south and north of Japan, as well as temperature difference between the Japan Sea on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other mean that blowfish will be incorporated into dining in Oita at the same time that salmon roe is being promoted in Niigata and sea urchin in Hokkaido.
• Orange groves proliferate in Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, and so chicken, cows and even fish are fed these oranges, eliciting a different flavour profile than in Kagawa Prefecture on the other side of Shikoku island where chicken, cows and fish are fed a diet of olives from the olive groves.

Waxman notes Ehime is famous as a big-time mikan (mandarin oranges) producing prefecture. In fact, Ehime is second in mikan production in Japan, falling short just behind Wakayama prefecture. Mikan is the second most consumed fruit in Japan after bananas. There is even an urban legend saying orange juice comes out of some faucets in Ehime. However, this is not too far from the truth – there are some special faucets in the prefecture that do serve orange juice. The orange juice faucet legend only came to life recently. Ehime Beverage Inc., the manufacturer of the famous POM mikan juice, decided to make the legend into a reality. The very first orange juice faucet was made in 2007. It was placed in Matsuyama Airport, originally as a limited time only event, but due to its immense popularity, it became a permanent juice stop in 2017, called Orange BAR.

Since then, several other orange juice faucets have popped up around Ehime. Some of the famous ones are the ones at Ehime Egao no Kanko Bussankan and Dogo Yaya.

It’s worth noting that Japan is a Buddhist country and in areas where ancients sects still have cultural predominance cuisine tends to be vegetarian, as in parts of Kyoto, Wakayama and Yamagata to name a few.