What Do Foreigners in Japan Think of Japanese Food?
These days, Japanese food is so popular around the world that wherever you may travel, you can probably find a Japanese restaurant.
But what do foreign visitors think of Japanese food in Japan?
Well, a recent survey by the Good Luck Trip travel website asked 725 foreigners who had visited Japan if they were satisfied with the Japanese food they ate during their trip — and just over 90% said they were.
And although almost 40% said they also wanted to eat non-Japanese food during their trip, the reason most people gave for this was that they wanted some variety.
But what do most foreign visitors enjoy eating when they come to Japan?
To answer that question, we need to look at another survey by The Norinchukin Bank.
In this survey, 1,200 people from around the world who had visited Japan were asked what kind of Japanese food they ate during their stay. The top answer was sushi at 68%, followed by tempura at 47%, and meat dishes such as yakiniku barbecue, also at 47%.
When asked to name the most delicious Japanese food they had eaten, sushi came top again at 19%, followed by meat dishes at 9% and sukiyaki at 8%.
Participants were also asked what impressed them most about Japanese dining and dining manners.
Over 50% were impressed by the formal expressions itadakimasu and gochisosama deshita, which people use to give thanks before and after a meal.
The care taken to create healthy meals also impressed 44% of the participants, and 40% were impressed by the use of chopsticks.
When asked what surprised or moved them most about Japanese food, almost 46% of participants said it was the delicious taste, 43% said it was the beautiful presentation, and 42% said it was the wide variety of choices.
