Donburi is a favorite lunchtime dish throughout Japan. Simple, inexpensive and tasty, it’s just a bowl of rice topped with vegetables, meat and other ingredients. There are many varieties, but a few favorites are available almost anywhere lunch is served. 

 Oyako (parent and child) don is topped with chicken and egg. Katsu-don is a bowl of rice buried beneath a batter-fried pork cutlet, and unagi-don tops rice with grilled eel, especially popular in the hottest summer months. For visitors on a thin budget, cheap, filling donburi can be a lifesaver.

Yakiniku means grilled meat, whish is probably all the explanation most people will need. This is another (usually) cheap and delicious alternative for lunch or dinner, and as Kevin mentions it can be a lot of fun to sit around the tabletop grill with cold beer and a few friends and cook your own dinner to perfection one bite at a time.

Japanese curry is completely unlike the curries of India or Southeast Asia. It’s a sweetish, brown roux often cooked with chicken, beef or vegetables and served with rice. If you are a fan of other curries, the Japanese version may be a disappointment at first, but it definitely has a way of growing on you over time. It’s true Japanese comfort food, cheap and universally available.

Choi mentions her aversion to raw eggs , which appear in many simple Japanese recipes. Often they’re mixed into some other dish to be lightly cooked by the heat of the food. There are apparently no real concerns about salmonella or other problems from eating raw eggs in Japan. Fortunately they’re pretty easy to avoid if you find them unpalatable.

  Shirako , which means white child, is the sperm sack of any of several species of fish. Unless someone explained this to you, however, you might never know. Shirako looks like the snow-white brain of some unfortunate creature, and is served both raw and simmered. The cooked version has a very smooth, creamy texture. The flavor that isn’t really bad, but it’s nothing to turn cartwheels over either. It’s not nearly as common as the other foods mentioned here, and you may never see it during your travels unless you’re determined to eat fish sperm. Try it if you like, but don’t worry about missing much if you decide to give it a pass.

Natto , on the other hand, is very common and poses a morning-time dilemma for many travelers. It’s sometimes described as a fermented bean paste, but it’s not really a paste at all. Natto is small, whole soybeans which have been allowed to ferment until they’re engulfed in a slick, sticky goo with a smell famously reminiscent of old socks. When you lift a bite of natto with your chopsticks, strands of this goo come away with it. Somehow, it’s not nearly as bad as it sounds, especially when mixed with mustard, soy sauce and maybe some sliced green onion. It’s also supposed to be very good for you. Natto is very popular at breakfast, and you may find it on your morning tray if you’re staying in a ryokan or minshuku. Try it! You may surprise yourself by asking for more. Just do everyone a favor and brush your teeth when you’re done.

Finally, Yoon expresses his bafflement at wanting to eat cold rice for lunch. He’s talking about the bento lunchboxes that can be bought out of the cold cases at most convenience and grocery stores. These often include a large serving of rice, which is naturally cold. A lot of businessmen don’t bother heating up their lunches, but if you share Yoon’s dislike of cold, sticky rice you can always ask the clerk to heat it up for you in the microwave.

Shooting Location: HACHIRO'S BAR












  >>Access
Takata Bld. 2F,5-15 Nakamachi, Nakaku, Hiroshima
TEL: 082-246-3086

Bus
Hiroshima Station====(Hiroden bus (green bus No. 3, 4, or 6), 20min.)====Fukuromachi===(on foot, 5 min.)===HACHIRO's BAR

Streetcar
Hiroshima Station====(Streetcar No.1, 25 min.)====Fukuromachi===(on foot, 5 min.)===HACHIRO's BAR

>>Open Hours
6:00 p.m. - 3:00 a.m.

>>Holidays
Sunday

>>Map
Hiroshima Downtown Map>>>Click here to view

-Matt Mangham