A Taste of Japan

Donald Richie first went to Japan in 1947 as part of the American Occupation Forces. He soon fell in love with Japanese culture and decided to make Japan his home. Richie has lived in Japan for more than fifty years and is best known as the foremost Western critic of Japanese Cinema. Donald Richie has carved out a niche as the great "explainer" of Japanese culture. "A Taste of Japan" is Richie's attempt to explain Japanese food to a Western Audience. He dedicates chapters to such topics as Sushi, Tonkatsu, Fugu and Tempura. Each chapter tries to explain what each of these foods means to the Japanese. If you are looking for a cook book or an etiquette guide, this book is not for you. The value of this slim and entertaining volume is as guide to food and its relationship to the the Japanese people.

I was introduced to this book during a course that was an overview of Japanese food. I find it to be quite readable, and the photography to be incredibly helpful with the explantions. Some of the information is slightly dated at this point, especially in the sections on sushi and sashimi. This book was so helpful to me, that I gave it to my parents as reading material as they were convinced I would eat nothing but sushi while studying in Japan.

A long-time resident of Japan, Donald Richie fondly explores the relationship of Japanese foods to Japanese history and culture in a series of graceful, eminently readable essays. If you want to know how tempura came to Japan, why the Japanese play Russian roulette with fugu (blowfish), or why riceballs are standard picnic fare, this is the book for you. (Note: This book does not contain any recipes.)

This book is a great introduction to the culture of eating and drinking in Japan. The colour photographs are sensational and the text is clear and well laid out. By reading this book I have been able to get much greater pleasure from eating and preparing Japanese food.