Japanese cuisine offers a large variety of dishes and regional specialties, such as sushi, miso soup and noodle soup.

 

 

Sushi

 

Sushi is a Japanese specialty based on boiled rice flavored with rice vinegar. It is the most famous Japanese dish outside of Japan, and one of the most popular dishes among Japanese themselves.

 

 

Miso soup

 

Miso soup is a traditional Japanese favorite often served as a side dish for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is made by dissolving miso (a healthy soybean paste) in hot water and adding additional ingredients, such as seaweed and small pieces of bean curd.

 

 

Japanese noodle soup

 

Japanese noodle soup, called "ramen" in Japanese, is composed of a kind of Chinese-style noodle prepared in soup with various toppings, such as sliced pork, seaweed, green onions and even corn. Almost every locality, or prefecture, in Japan has its own variation of noodle soup.

 

It is one of the many popular dishes that was originally introduced from China but has become completely Japanized over time.

 

(CRI April 10, 2007)