London has more Japanese restaurants than ever. You can find superb sushi in Mayfair, ramen queues in Soho and izakaya right across Hackney. What you will struggle to find is the food a Japanese family actually eats on a Tuesday night.
Restaurant food vs home food
In Japan, just as in Britain, some food is mainly eaten out and some is mainly cooked at home. Most of the Japanese food that has become famous abroad falls into the first group.
| Mostly eaten out | Mostly cooked at home |
|---|---|
| Sushi and sashimi | Japanese curry |
| Ramen | Chicken teriyaki |
| Tempura | Tonkatsu and chicken katsu |
| Yakitori | Gyudon and other rice bowls |
| Kaiseki | Grilled fish, like miso glazed salmon |
| Omakase | Simmered dishes, like nikujaga |
Sushi, in particular, is a specialist craft. Most Japanese home cooks would no more make nigiri for dinner than most British home cooks would make a beef Wellington on a weeknight.
What a Japanese family meal looks like
Everyday Japanese home cooking is built around a bowl of rice, a main dish and some sides, often with a bowl of miso soup. The ideal is sometimes described as ichijū sansai: one soup, three dishes.
The main dish is usually one of a handful of well-loved classics:
- Japanese curry, thick and mild, one of the most-eaten dishes in Japanese homes
- Chicken teriyaki, glazed in soy, mirin and sake
- Tonkatsu or chicken katsu, with shredded cabbage
- Gyudon, beef and onion simmered in a light broth over rice
- Grilled fish, like miso glazed salmon
- Tofu dishes, like agedashi tofu or mapo tofu
Yōshoku: the Western dishes Japan made its own
Several of these, including curry and katsu, belong to a category called yōshoku, meaning Western-style food. They arrived in Japan from Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and were adapted so thoroughly that they are now thought of as Japanese comfort food. Curry reached Japan by way of the British, which is part of why it is so different from Indian curry. Our guide to Japanese curry versus Indian curry tells that story.
Why it is so hard to find in London
Restaurants cook what sells as a meal out, and what can be made to order quickly. Home dishes like curry and gyudon are cooked in batches, taste better the next day and are cheap to make, which is exactly what makes them good home food and awkward restaurant food.
The result is that London, for all its Japanese restaurants, has almost nowhere to get a fridge full of Japanese home cooking. That gap is why oishee exists.
Regional home cooking
Japanese home cooking also varies by region, in the way that a Sunday lunch in Yorkshire differs from one in Cornwall. Our chefs come from Kyushu, Tokyo and Okinawa, and each learned to cook in a family kitchen in the part of Japan they grew up in.
As Katsuhiro, who grew up in Kyushu, puts it on our chefs page, he wants to share "authentic Japanese regional home cooking" and "the comforting, traditional flavours I grew up with", rather than restaurant versions of them.
FAQ
Do Japanese people eat sushi at home?
Sometimes, but usually as a treat, and often bought rather than made. Everyday home cooking is much more likely to be curry, teriyaki or a rice bowl.
What do Japanese families eat for dinner?
Typically rice, a main dish such as curry, teriyaki, katsu, grilled fish or a simmered dish, and a side or two, often with miso soup.
Where can I get Japanese home cooking in London?
Very few restaurants serve it. oishee brings it to you instead: a Japanese chef cooks it in your kitchen and leaves it in your fridge for the week.