Why Don’t You Try Japanese Style Breakfast “Wa-Choushoku”?

What is Wa-Choushoku?

Wa means Japanese style and Choushoku means breakfast.
So Wa-Choushoku means Japanese style breakfast.
In western style breakfast, bread is usually a staple food, while  in Wa Choushoku, rice is the staple food.
Recently, more Japanese prefer western style breakfast.
(there is data that 60% of Japanese have western style breakfast.)
The reason why Japanese tend to have western breakfast is because it is easy to prepare and could finish the food quickly.
But when we have enough time to have breakfast like staying in a Hotel or a Ryokan (Japanese style hotel) during vacation on a holiday, more people prefer to have Wa Choushoku for breakfast. I am also one of them because it is tasty and healthy.

What is the typical Wa-Choushoku?

Typical Wa-Choushoku is consist of some ingredients as follows.

1. Rice
2. Baked fish (Boiled fish)
3. Miso soup
4. Kobachi（side Dish on a small bowl）
   There are variety of Kobachi as follows.
   • Boiled spinach
   • Hijiki（a kind of brown algae)
   • Cucumber in a sweetened vinegar
   • Kimpira gobo (sauteed burdock)
   • Nameko mushroom (slippery small mushroom) with grated radish
   • Onsen Tamago (hot spring egg)
5. Ingredients to be put on rice
   • Natto(fermented soybeans）
     Although this is a Japanese exotic food which do not taste good to some foreigners, please try it because it’s very healthy.
   • Raw egg
   • Nori(Seaweed Laver)
6. Oshinko(Japanese pickles)

Generally, Wa Choushoku doesn’t include oily food and its healthy.
It is placed on a tray in an organize way to look tidy and these Kobachi (small bowls) look beautiful if you stay in good Hotel or Ryokan(Japanese style hotel). 

So let’s try to enjoy Wa-Choushoku in Japan.