Japanese food is much praised both at home and abroad — a tribute that most of the time is very much warranted too. But good food needs equally good people preparing it, and doing so can clearly be hard work, particularly so in decidedly less than ideal surroundings.
Martin says
Some of the best food comes from little hole in the wall restaurants.
Lee says
Yes, couldn’t agree more. They are by far my favourite kind of places. Often filled with character (and characters) too.
Ben says
Looks more like China to me.
Lee says
Yeah, it’s certainly not the standard image of Japan/Tokyo that’s for sure. But in many ways it’s arguably a more honest one.
Ben says
Indeed it is. Japan has nothing to be smug about towards China, I think.
Hans ter Horst says
Not as dirty as I imagined 🙂 Don’t get me wrong, I love the food in these places!
Lee says
Haha, I know what you mean!
But yeah, likewise. Give me this type of place any day of the week.
Jeffrey says
Yes. The best Chinese places in Japan are always the “less than” establishments outside of Chinatown.
Jeffrey says
In the summer time, that place has e-coli or salmonella written all over it.
Lee says
It amazes me how many places look like this. Many of them a lot worse too. And yet the two times I’ve had food poisoining here has been at much fancier places.
Jeffrey says
One time my was from a ramen cart outside a JR station in Nagoya, in the summer! Thought (wished) I was going to die.
I was thinking about all the school lunch room food poisoning stories over the years. I doubt most of these kitchens would pass a health department inspection here in the States – no air conditioning, windows open with no screens, dishes and such washed by hand in luke warm water.
Lee says
Yeah, the speed food goes off in the summer is frightening. It would be interesting to know how many people do get sick, although it’d obviously be impossible to get anything like accurate numbers.
I remember all too well when I got sick the first time. After fighting it for a good while, a huge wave of nausea came over me just as the train doors closed in front of me. Mercifully (although god knows how) I somehow kept things under control, allowing me to make the remaining two stops and the minute or so walk home from the station before what I’d eaten would simply wait no more…