How Food Influenced my Experience in Japan

Kayla Romano, Japan: It’s People and Culture, Summer 2026

During my five weeks stay in Japan, food became an integral part of my day as it was not only used to provide me energy, but it connected me to the local culture and helped me make new Japanese friends.

One of the classes I took in Japan was the study of Japanese foodways, specifically the culture surrounding Japanese food and how it has evolved to the current day cuisine everyone knows and loves today. Because of this class, I learned right away how important both food and mealtime were to Japanese culture. In Japan, food is not entirely about fueling your body or tasting good as the entire presentation of the food and act of eating it is just, if not even more important.

Learning this was one thing, but actually experiencing it firsthand changed how I viewed my own meals. I started noticing details I would have overlooked if I was an ordinary tourist: the careful and purposeful arrangement of dishes on the table and food on its plate, the specific pairings of food and the order they were served in, even simple convenience store foods such as onigiri were carefully wrapped and presented. Eating slowly became less about finishing a meal, but more about appreciating the effort behind it, something that was completely different than how Americans ate their meals.

Mealtime also became the easiest way for me to connect with new people. Sharing food with classmates, whether it was trying new foods, restaurants, or going to eat comfort food, created conversation and helped me connect with them despite the language and cultural barrier between us. My three closest friendships actually started out over food and every time we got together outside of class, we always ended up trying a new restaurant or food stall together or even just grabbing a quick snack between classes from the convenience stores together.

By the end of my trip, food became much more than a way to provide myself with energy and satisfy my hunger as it became something that helped me understand Japanese values and culture, acting as a bridge that connected me to new people in a way conversation could not.