Curry!

Most of you probably think of curry as a food from India.  And it is.  BUT, Japan has its' own version and it's one of the most popular dishes for both kids and adults.


If you ask any Japanese kid in elementary school what their favorite menu is for school lunch, most of them will tell you "curry".  It's my favorite lunch too! 

Japanese curry is pretty much a spicy stew (though with varying levels of spiciness) with meat and veggies.  There are many variations based on seasons and local specialties.  Usually it's eaten with rice (hence, being called in Japanese "kareraisu" - curry rice).  It's so different from Indian curry, you could really call it Japanese food!


You can find curry on the menu of many family-style restaurants, as well as curry-based restaurants.  I think the most famous is CoCo Ichibanya. 

Here is my daughter on our most recent visit.  She's got one of the kids' plates, featuring curry along with some french fries, chicken nuggets, corn, sausage, and some fruit jellies.  My favorite at this place is the "buta shabushabu" (sliced pork) curry with scrambled egg topping.  Yummy!!

For more info on how Japanese curry came to be, check out the Wikipedia entry.