I just spend 8 days in Japan for a cultural exchange program through the Nara Institute of Science and Technology. 10 students from Davis met with 10 students from NAIST as well as 10 students from China to present our research. It was an amazing experience. Good conversation, beautiful scenery and historic monumets, and of course phenomical food.
I took pictures of everything I ate. There was a meal I didn’t like. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. Lucky for me, I eat almost anything. It would be almost impossible to be a vegetarian in Japan. There was meat or fish in every meal and very few veges. I ordered a “salad” at a fancy restraunt and got a side of pickled cucumbers and cocktail onions.
BREAKFAST
For the first four days of the trip we were housed at I&I Land in Osaka. Breakfast everyday was a buffet. There was everything from toast to salad, french fries to soba noodles. My favorite item was shrimp dumplings. I had them everyday along with green tea, toast, soba, miso, tofu, cabbage rolls, fried chicken, and sometimes fruit.
LUNCH
The lunches at I&I Land were fancy. Sadly, they were mostly “American” food. Burgers, fries, and a side of veges. The only difference was the teriyaki sauce the burger was drenched in.
After we left I&I Land, we stayed at the dorms at NAIST. That meant cafeteria food. Prices ranged anywhere from 5-10 dollars for lunch. I thought that was very reasonable for the quality and quantity of food.
Soba curry and fried rice.
Curry is very popular. I also had the same meal over rice.
And fast food lunch would not be complete without ramen. =)
It all looks so delicious, I’m still very jealous of you!