The traditional Japanese breakfast (和朝食, wa-chōshoku) surprises many visitors, because it looks a lot like dinner. There is a bowl of rice, a bowl of miso soup, a piece of grilled fish and several small savoury sides. It follows the same rules as any Japanese meal, and it is balanced, warm and filling. In busy modern homes, though, toast and coffee often take its place.
What is on the tray
A classic morning set is a small version of the ichijū-sansai meal, "one soup, three sides" with rice. In the centre sit a bowl of freshly cooked rice (gohan) and a bowl of miso soup (味噌汁, miso-shiru), often with tofu and seaweed. The sides gather around them. There is a piece of grilled fish, such as salted salmon or mackerel. There is a rolled, slightly sweet omelette (卵焼き, tamagoyaki), along with pickled vegetables (tsukemono) and sheets of dried seaweed (nori) to wrap around the rice. Very often there is also nattō (納豆). These fermented soybeans are sticky, stringy and strong-smelling. Even some Japanese people need time to like them, but for many, breakfast is not breakfast without nattō. Another simple morning favourite is tamago kake gohan, a raw egg stirred into hot rice.
From home to inn
On weekdays, most people now eat something quicker than this full spread. But the traditional breakfast lives on in two places. The first is a weekend or holiday breakfast at home. The second, and the most famous, is breakfast at a ryokan, a traditional inn. Here guests receive a tray of a dozen small local dishes, and some of them cook right at the table. For many travellers, the ryokan breakfast is the highlight of a stay in Japan. It is a quiet, generous meal, and it shows everyday Japanese cooking at its most careful.
Words & idioms to take away
Idioms & proverbs to carry away
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納豆 (nattō): sticky fermented soybeans, a classic breakfast food that people either love or hate. You stir them until they turn stringy and eat them over rice with soy sauce and mustard.
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卵焼き / 玉子焼き (tamagoyaki): a slightly sweet or savoury omelette. The cook rolls thin layers of beaten egg in a rectangular pan. It is a staple of breakfast and of bento boxes alike.