Japan is considered by many to be homogenous but Chinatown in Kobe really highlights how multicultural it can be. With some fun entertainment and surprising things to eat, this is definitely an escape from everyday Japanese life.

The festive mood and vibrancy of the place was something extraordinary. Rows and rows of specialty shops, dim sum shops, and Chinese restaurants were flashing brilliantly to bring in the New Year.

Chuuka restaurants in Japan are excellent places to fill yourself with an affordable and delicious meal of pseudo-Chinese food. One of our writers, Jackson Lee has been writing a series on Chuuka restaurants. If you have missed out on the others, try and read them all. I bet it's a great read!

You can find restaurants of world-wide cuisines in Japan, and while they are all establishments doing business in Japan, there might be some cultural differences you can take advantage of, especially at the smaller family owned restaurants. Given my personal background and experiences, I’d like to share with you 5 tips you can try the next time you visit a Chinese, or more accurately, a Chuuka restaurant here in Japan.

The delicious wonders of the Japanese-Chinese restaurants, aka Chuuka restaurants, have been thoroughly explored in my previous article. There are many reasons why the foods don’t taste as authentic as the real Chinese cuisines, but the food is undeniably cheap and delicious. Today, let’s discover 8 of the common staples at the Chuuka establishments. The items here are all amazing items to choose. I listed in no particular order, so feel free to try them all!

In Japan, most “Chinese” restaurants are only as authentic as most Chinese food in western countries: which is not very much. No matter if they are labeled “Hong Kong cuisines”, “Shang-hai cuisine” or “Taiwan cuisine”, most of these restaurants are selling the same kind of thing called Chuuka cuisine.

When I think of the word genki (元気), two images spring to mind. First, the swimmers splashing around Zushi Beach one cold January morning, not a wetsuit in sight. Second, the man striding past me—shoeless—up Mount Fuji. Genki desu (元気です).

You have to go to Tokyo. But while you’re up that way it would be rude to ignore Kanagawa, the prefecture that sits underneath Tokyo and borders Shizuoka. Here is a 3-day itinerary to Kanagawa.

With a tagline like, fresh roasted coffee and worldwide finds, you might be fooled into thinking that it is a waste of time to stop by this store on a trip to Japan. With pockets of products from all regions in Japan, it is one of my favourite shops to browse, and dare I say, dig through. Kaldi Coffee Farm is here for you!

As a lover of tofu, I give it my seal of approval with confidence. The shop does get busy and they don’t take reservations on the weekends, so plan your travel if you’re visiting that area and give this place a try!

Here in Japan, Chinese restaurants usually do not have an exact highlighted dish unlike specialty restaurants such as a soba or curry restaurant. But they would most likely serve set meals (teishoku) and ramen. Let me share my three favorite Chinese restaurants in the neighbourhood of Minami Uonuma.