Japanese cuisine

Japanese food and culture is many ways different from other food cultures.

Besides different ways of preparing food, cooking (or not cooking) and eating the freshest food in its raw state.

The main difference that is accentuates Japan cuisine I think is the portion of food servings- la nouvelle cuisines. Small is considered satisfying. Hence a traditional meal is often made up of a variety of little portions.
Just as distinct as that of the French gourmet cuisine.

Portions of food are usually cut-up and served in bite-sized proportions, small enough to be picked up with a pair of chopsticks and right into your mouth.

The Japanese food culture is one that pays great attention to presentation of food and its appearance. Often, they resembles little pieces of art, to be ” good enough to eat“. A visual treat is paramount, to the effect of “what is pleasing to the eye should be as it is to the taste is to the tongue”. As with different food cultures, the Japanese have a different system to culinary aesthetics.

Color of food must be artfully contrasting. For example, a pink tuna sashimi ought to be contrasted with the light green of wasabi. (horseradish). The way food is placed in relation to the surface area and shape of the dish itself . There is a general law of opposites. Foods that have a roundish shape are served in dishes with straight lines. Square-sliced vegetables, blocks of tofu are always served in round dishes.y

Japanese has a unique attitude towards food. Food is introduced and eaten in varying degrees of rawness.
I’m pretty sure the first dish that would come to mind is sushi.

Nothing is overcooked. There are a whole set of ritual on how to prepare sushi (a seventeen step process!) presentation, freshness and natural way of preparing food.