7 things you need to do when you come visit Japan
If you are considering or already decided upon visiting Japan, here is a list of what you should not miss out on when you come and visit.
Rice Cooker
While us Japanese have and use different kinds of kitchen utensils to cook all sorts of food, the rice cooker is by far the most important kitchen utensil. We eat rice virtually everyday and any Japanese person will tell you to get one if you eat or are planning to eat rice often. By using this very easy-to- use machine, it will make your life so much easier, as all you have to do is to wash the rice, put it into the machine and wait for it to cook, rather than using a normal pot to cook, in which you have to watch over it every once in a while to prevent it from overflowing or preventing the rice from being too hard or too soft.
Table of Contents
A little bit about Rice Cooker
Considering how Japanese people eat rice almost everyday, it is a testament to how rice is one of the central component in making Japanese dishes. If you love Japanese food, then we highly recommend that you get a rice cooker. While you might be put off from purchasing a machine, considering the time, effort and the end quality of the rice, I would personally say that it is worth every penny.
Of course, you must be careful on which brand to purchase. Zojirushi, is the best rice cooker brand by far and if you purchase one from Zojirushi, it will most likely work for 5 to 10 years. Price ranges from roughly $ 200 – 500 depending on what kind of functions you want to get on your rice cooker. For example, if you want to get one that cooks more amounts of rice, it will cost you a little bit extra, but it allows you to cook more in one batch and save it in the freezer for another time. Other distinctive features include better quality steel pots that makes the rice tastier and make the pot easier to clean. While you may be wondering whether getting a rice cooker is worth it, we assure you that it will make such a big difference so we highly recommend that you try it out. You won’t regret it!
Below are some of the more famous Japanese dishes in which a rice cooker would be very useful during the preparation of the dish.
・ Chicken Oyakodon (親子丼)
・ Gyudon (牛丼)
・ Sushi (寿司)
… and more.
Where can I buy a Rice Cooker?
Again, we reiterate that you get one from an established brand such as Zojirushi, as otherwise, you would probably find yourself breaking it and never trust a rice cooker again. While getting one from a Japanese brand might be a little bit more expensive, you will get more out of it so don’t go for the cheaper one to save $50.
With the rise of e-commerce, you can easily find a rice cooker on the internet. Go to Amazon or Zojirushi’s official online store and you can have one delivered to your home in a couple of days.
Our Recipes using a Rice Cooker
We have compiled some a list of dishes that you might also like for your next cooking session below.
Takikomi Gohan (炊き込みごはん)
Takikomi Gohan (炊き込みごはん) is a Japanese dish, which is very tasty, yet simple to make. All you need to do is put the soy sauce, dashi, and either meat, fish, veggies, or mushrooms into the rice cooker and wait for it to cook.
Onigiri (おにぎり)
The most orthodox Onigiri (おにぎり) is made with rice, dried seaweed seasoned with salt. However, one of the reasons why Onigiri is such a popular dish back in Japan is because it is easily portable, easy to make and there are simply many varieties of Onigiri you can make.
Oyakodon (親子丼)
Oyakodon (親子丼), means “parent-and-child donburi” in Japanese. This is because the meat (=parent) and the egg (=child) are cooked together, which is then poured on to a bowl of rice.
Share this information with your family and friends!
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on pinterest
Latest Posts
6 dishes to take to on a Hanami (Cherry Blossom viewing)
If you go to Japan in the summer, there will be many Masturi, which is a Japanese festival taking place. While traditional dancing and festivities taking place is one reason why you should go to one, another is enjoying these festivities with some nice Japanese food which are sold in the adhoc food stand which is referred to as ‘Yatai (屋台)’ in Japanese.
6 dishes you need to try when you go to a Matsuri (Japanese Festival)
If you go to Japan in the summer, there will be many Masturi, which is a Japanese festival taking place. While traditional dancing and festivities taking place is one reason why you should go to one, another is enjoying these festivities with some nice Japanese food which are sold in the adhoc food stand which is referred to as ‘Yatai (屋台)’ in Japanese.
When and when not to visit Japan
While we guarantee that you wont regret visiting Japan, there are certain time periods where it is more favorable to go than others. Although eating out and shopping is cheap, getting there is fairly expensive so you want to make sure that you get the most out of your trip.
8 Japanese chain restaurants in LA serving authentic Japanese food
We have selected 8 Japanese Restaurant Chain that serves authentic Japanese food if you are thinking of going to a Japanese place in LA.
6 Japanese chain restaurants in New York City serving authentic Japanese food at reasonable prices
In comparison to their normal prices back in Japan, they might feel a bit pricey but if you want some proper Japanese food for relatively low prices, these are some of the restaurants that you should definitely consider visiting.
