Food
Tokyo has lots of places that sell tempura, noodle and sushi box lunches. If there are no photos or plastic food displays, ordering can be a challenge, depending on your server's patience level or tolerance of foreigners. This isn't a problem at self serve sushi outlets or other self-serve places. Fortunately, the Japanese are polite and at least in Tokyo show a remarkable level of patience with foreigners unfamiliar with the language and customs. We were warned that it's a good idea not to have lunch too late, because places start to run out of food or close up after the main lunch hour (12 to 1:30).

One thing that may surprise Westerners is the number of ethnic food places in Tokyo. In any neighborhood, you may find Chinese, Thai, Indian, Mexican, Italian and French. Of course, there is also Japanese food, which can vary from sushi, to noodles, to kai-seki and to teppan-yaki (or barbecue on a hot grill).

Sushi was our first dinner experience in Tokyo. No one in the restaurant spoke English. Fortunately, the menu had photos, and the sushi itself was very fresh and (mostly) very good. Rather than ordering the types of sushi individually, the way it's done in the States (and possibly Japan if you're more fluent in the language), we all got combination plates (known as setto or sets to the Japanese). Some of the items were familiar; some weren't. One thing much more popular in Japan than the US are fish eggs: ikura, salmon roe, and uni, sea urchin roe. These are acquired tastes. Uni has the taste of salty rubber and I've had a hard time eating salmon roe because it reminds of what I used to bait fish hooks with when I was a kid. As anyone who has ordered a California roll knows, Tobiko is flying fish roe, and resembles orange caviar and is the least exotic of the sushi fish eggs. Another flavor enhancer used in Japan, in sushi and elsewhere, not found in the US, is the sishu leaf, a.k.a. beefsteak or Japanese mint, which looks like a stinging nettle leaf and has a unique flavor, bitter and herby at the same time.

Kai-seki
Kai-seki is a food style focussing on elaborate presentation, and (I think) based on Buddhist beliefs. It is generally very expensive, often more than $200. When our Japanese colleague heard that John wished to try kai-seki, she agreed that unfortunately it was expensive. Then an idea flashed in her mind, and she asked the 3 of us if we like chicken. We said sure, so she directed us to a restaurant in an alley near the Ebisu JR station. She had other plans that evening, but told us to order one of two dinner combos on the Japanese menu. We flipped a coin and selected one.

What arrived was course after course of chicken, about 15 in all, each course prepared from a different part of the chicken or in a different manner. One of the first courses was some raw dark meat in some kind of marinade. We thought maybe they would bring a mini-hibachi for us to self-cook, but after a couple of more courses, nothing arrived. After catching the waiter's eye, John, my colleague, pointed at the raw chicken and asked, 'cook?' The waiter looked back, confused, and repeated, 'cook?' John said, 'you know, fire. . . .' and we all made the gesture of warming our hands over an imaginary fire on the table. The waiter said, emphatically, 'Uh, no! no fire!' then made an eating gesture, to imply don't be shy, eat up.

None of us could eat the raw-marinated-darkmeat-strips course, but when we were presented with the raw chicken livers in a later course. John said let's try it, we will all go on the count of 3. John and I (but not Rob) gulped down the livers and sishu. Immediately afterward, we simultaneously drained the full glasses of beer in front of us. Other courses during the meal included cartilidge pieces on a skewer, and ground meat on a skewer (all cooked) served with a raw egg on top.

More on Food
There is more to Japanese food than sushi, teriyaki, tempura and raw chicken. See below.

A few more notes on etiquette. Don't stick chopsticks straight up into the rice, or eat rice by pointing chopsticks straight down. That's how rice is offered to the dead. Second, if taking food from a communal plate or bowl, don't share your saliva with everyone -- flip your chopsticks to serve yourself using broad or non-eating sides of chopsticks. When drinking beer or sake, it's customary to fill other people's glasses first before your own. Others will fill your glass as soon as there is space in the glass. Drink slowly if you don't want to get plastered. Lastly, the Japanese don't customarily put food on other people's plates, serve yourself only when it's your turn.

Ramen -- Americans know this as the staple in the college student diet, that you stock up on when it's on sale 8 for a dollar. In Japan, it's something completely different. Noodle shops are everywhere, and noodles are served with vegetables, pork, fish, beef, hard-boiled eggs; you name it. If the place is busy, always the case with the less expensive places, you're expected to order while you're still outside waiting in line. When eating, don't be put off by the loud slurping sounds made by the locals -- it's a compliment to the chef as well as a way to cool the noodles. If you don't know any Japanese, you may want to talk one of your Japanese colleagues into escorting you to one of these places the first time, as plastic food models or pictures are often absent. Other Japanese noodles include soba and udon, which are wider than ramen noodles.

Yakitori -- Or barbecued chicken on a stick. Basically, it's just grilled chicken on a skewer coated in sauce. Good, and simple.

Ton-katsu -- Pork cutlet stuffed with cheese and breaded and fried. Not the thing to eat while on a diet or looking for light eating. If you eat for lunch, will stay in your stomach like a lead weight (trust me). Served with rice and a hoisin-like sauce.

Okonomiyake -- Self-cooking places, distinguished by the griddle built into the center of the table. We discovered one of these places purely by accident. After pointing at the seafood dish in the window, we realized we were going to have to make it ourselves. Fortunately, the waiter saw that we were clueless, and showed us how to get started. The end result was an omelette-like thing with bean sprouts and seafood that was quite different than what was displayed in the window, no doubt, due to our lack of cooking skills - my wife's first meal in Tokyo and not one of her favorites.

Shabu-shabu -- Vegetables and thin slices of beef and seafood cooked in a pot of broth at the center of the table and served with an assortment of sauces. Think fondue using broth, rather than cheese sauce.

Fugu -- Also known as blowfish; most of the parts of the fish are deadly poisonous. However, the parts of the fish that aren't are a delicacy in Japan. Chefs must have years of training to be licensed to prepare fugu. Restaurants that serve fugu usually serve nothing else, and are expensive. Running joke is to let the other person taste theirs first. Nope, never tried it.

Bento meals -- Not really a food type, but rather an assortment of items served in a box segregated by compartments. Bentos include rice, pickled plums, and a mix of some of the following: a fried cutlet, a piece of teriyaki, a bit of sushi, marinated fish and some pickled veggies. In my office, you can order a bento by 9, and for ¥400, have it delivered to the lunch room of the office by noon. There are places selling bentos in every train station in Japan, and if I was feeling lazy, I would pick one up on the way home from the office.

Department Stores -- Or depato in Japanese. Like the UK, the bottom floor of a department store will have both an enormous grocery score, and vendors selling every type of prepared food known to humankind. Prices are reasonable, but you will have to take it outside and eat on a bench, as these places don't usually have indoor seating. Some of the larger Japanese depato include Kyocera, Mitsukoshi, and Isetan. If you're staying at the Westin Tokyo, try the Mitsukoshi just across the street in Ebisu Garden Center.

Teppan-yaki -- grilled steak and vegetables cooked at your table with theatrical presentation, pricey.

Other Customs
As a gaijin (outside person or foreigner), you're expected to make a few mistakes and faux pas. With that in mind, here are a few rules that aren't in the JAL travel magazine.

* Blowing one's nose in public is highly offensive. Likewise, the Japanese don't understand using a cloth handkerchief as recycling vehicle for mucous. Better to use disposable tissues and sniff until in a non-public area (such as the bathroom).

* If in a sento (public bath) or a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), soap up and wash off at the faucets before entering the bath water. The bath is for relaxing, not bathing. If the water is contaminated with soap, the proprietors will have to drain the tub and scrub it. This is one of the reasons ryokan are reluctant to take foreigners as guests.

* Becoming angry in a meeting or in the office is a huge loss of face and causes a complete lack of respect for the individual who lost their cool, as well as embarrassment for those surrounding the individual. When the boss is alone with his subordinates, he's exempted from this rule.

* When entering an elevator or building, among traditional Japanese, men go first. In our office, where they have seen enough foreigners, you can get away with not following this one, but if you're a guy, and you gesture to a women to go first on the bus on the street corner, she may be a bit embarrassed.

* Tipping is not done. It is considered gauche to give someone money directly (it should at least be hidden in an envelope). This may be why the custom at Japanese stores is to put your money or credit card in a tray in front of the cash register, where the clerk will return your change and receipt. The one exception to this rule is the maid at the ryokan -- leave the tip in an envelope when you vacate the room.

* Counting one's change after completing a transaction is considered offensive, as is questioning items on your bill in a restaurant. Due to high value of honesty, it is assumed that the clerk is giving you the correct change. I haven't heard any stories of foreigners being shortchanged in Japan the same way that I have been in at least 5 European countries.

* You may notice a number of people with masks that look similar to those worn by surgeons. They aren't planning to rob a bank or going to job as a painter. Due to Eastern idea of always considering others ahead of yourself, Japanese who have a cold or are sick will wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth.

* Likewise, when sitting on a bus or a train on a rainy day, the Japanese will remove his/her coat prior to being seated, and be sure that the coat and umbrella do not touch the individual next to whom they are seated.

* Even more amazingly, you can cross the street on a green light, and a driver that's turning will actually stop, and not try to run you out of the cross walk. San Francisco drivers, please take note that it's true: you can actually still get where you're going without attempted homicide on the people in the crosswalk.

* Japanese toilets aren't always supplied with toilet paper and are never supplied with paper towels or hand dryers. Best to carry a supply of TP and a handkerchief if you think you may need.

* Work is serious business with no place for joking or goofing around. Jokes or sarcasm will not be understood. Not to say the Japanese don't have a sense of humor, they do, but save the clowning around for cocktail hour or karaoke night. Just remember, humor rarely travels well internationally.

* Be punctual for meetings and appointments, and be organized and prepared. This means have copies and business cards for all promptly when meeting is scheduled to start.

* Business cards or meishi are used everywhere. Bring four times as many as you need. You will give them to everyone. When presented a business card, take the time to read it (hopefully it's in English), and don't write on it or cram it into your wallet or put in your back pocket. If you have your information printed on Japanese on one side, present it with that side up, so it's right side up when given to the recipient. It's customary to accept a business card with both hands.

Toilets and Other Dangers
The Japanese have gone further than anyone in commode design, a multi-purpose toilet that doesn't just flush, but also makes soothing sounds or music (to cover up embarassing noises from user); shoots streams of water at appropriate places, bidet-style; self-cleans, and freshens the air, all at the push of one of the buttons on a panel. This is great if you read Japanese, but embarrassing if you don't and hit the bidet button after you've buckled your trousers. Good luck. You'll need it.

If you don't like cigarette smoke, you will have a difficult time in restaurants, or other indoor gathering places. No smoking sections don't exist because they are not needed.

In Japan, driving is done on the left side of the road. Look right before crossing the street. Also, crossing a street against a signal even if there's no traffic generally isn't done. In fact, you will be sternly lectured by a police officer if there's one in the vicinity and you attempt it.

Loud announcements are everywhere; when you near the end of a moving sidewalk in the airport or train station, or you're near a truck that is backing up or turning, you hear a recorded voice warning. If it's not a voice warning, it's birds chirping or music in the shopping mall. Additionally, almost every major intersection, or large train station has a jumbotron video screen with sound, with animated advertising. Prepare for sensory overload.

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