Japanese Food

There are a few things about Japanese food that are unique.  The following is a series of sweeping generalizations about an entire culture which I have made based on approximately zero time in the country.

#1.  Japanese people love plastic food.  I really don't understand this phenomenon, as the "food", generally made of PVC, looks like crap, and upon viewing it, I want to get to the nearest McDonald's, which I don't even like, except for egg mcmuffins and Shamrock shakes, which they don't even have in Japan, to my knowledge.  OK OK fine I also like chicken nuggets.

Don't worry though, if you disagree with my view, you can take a ride on the information super highway and get your own plastic mini udon noodles or plastic pork ramen to display in your foyer.  

#2.  Japanese people love vending machines.  The below is from our hotel in Hiroshima and included beer (both tallies and normal cans - how considerate) and nuts.  Basically, it is happy hour in a box.  We supplemented with cup noodle from the 7-11.

I guess that's all the generalizations I have.  On to really important stuff like the largest rice paddle in the world - at  Miyajima where it was apparently invented.

Below - shaved ice (the ice is mixed with strawberries before its shaved, then mixed with sweetened condensed milk - can I get a booyah?)

No trip to a mountain pirate's hangout is complete without a giant chicken thigh on a stick and an even more giant beer.

World's most complicated dessert. I don't even remember what kind of food this was but it involved grilling and various other complicated situations.

Lastly, the mother lode of Japanese food: Okonomiyaki.

Basically, it involves a crowded three story building that only serves okonomiyaki, a pancake filled with bean sprouts, pork, egg, cabbage, pork, noodles, seaweed and special sauce, that sits on the griddle while you eat it so it doesn't get cold!  Celia has some great pictures here.  

The final product.  Genius, defined.