Super Sushi Ramen Express: One Family's Journey Through the Belly of Japan

by Michael Booth

Japan is the pre-eminent food nation on earth. The Japanese go to the most extraordinary lengths and expense to eat the finest, most delectable, and downright freakiest food imaginable. Their creativity, dedication and ingenuity, not to mention courage in the face of dishes such as cod sperm, whale penis and octopus ice cream, is only now beginning to be fully appreciated in the sushi-saturated West, as are the remarkable health benefits of the traditional Japanese diet.

Inspired by Shizuo Tsuji's classic book, Japanese Cooking, A Simple Art, food and travel writer Michael Booth sets off to take the culinary pulse of contemporary Japan, learning fascinating tips and recipes that few westerners have been privy to before. Accompanied by with two fussy eaters under the age of six, he and his wife travel the length of the country, from bear-infested, beer-loving Hokkaido to snake-infested, seaweed-loving Okinawa.

Along the way, they dine with - and score a surprising victory over - sumos; meet the indigenous Ainu; drink coffee at the dog café; pamper the world's most expensive cows with massage and beer; discover the secret of the Okinawan people's remarkable longevity; share a seaside lunch with free-diving, female abalone hunters; and meet the greatest chefs working in Japan today. Less happily, they trash a Zen garden, witness a mass fugu slaughter, are traumatised by an encounter with giant crabs, and attempt a calamitous cooking demonstration for the lunching ladies of Kyoto. They also ask, 'Who are you?' to the most famous TV stars in Japan.

What do the Japanese know about food? Perhaps more than anyone on else on earth, judging by this fascinating and funny journey through an extraordinary food-obsessed country.

Genres: Nonfiction, Japan, Travel, Food, Memoir, Cooking, Audiobook

318 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2009

About the author

Michael Booth is an English food and travel writer and journalist who writes regularly for a variety of newspapers and magazines including the Independent on Sunday, Condé Nast Traveller, Monocle and Time Out, among many other publications at home and abroad. He has a wife, Lissen, and two children, Asger and Emil.

In June 2010 Michael Booth won the Guild of Food Writers/Kate Whiteman Award for work in food and travel.

Reviews

[MsArdychan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first saw the description of this book, I got really excited. I lived in Japan for over three years, and I was eager to read about how another foreigner found the food of Japan (which is about so much more than sushi). I also wanted to read about Michael Booth's experience traveling with kids, as we have taken our four kids to Japan a few years ago. Although I would say I am very well versed in my knowledge of Japanese cuisine, I learned even more from this book. I found this book to be delightful but perhaps it is for a niche market.

What I liked:

This book is written by a journalist and it shows in his attention to detail. Michael Booth had contacts with artisanal producers of saki, tofu, and soy sauce. He was able to sort out the history of each product, how each was made, and their futures (or possibly their demises). As a "foodie", I loved these details.

Much of the book ponders the question of whether or not authentic Japanese cuisine is vanishing. Booth talks with respected chefs, food critics, and Japanese gourmands. Most would say that they have seen a rapid decline in the quality of the fundamentals of Japanese cooking, particularly in how chefs make dashi. Dashi is the basis of much of Japanese food from miso soup onward.

The author also seemed very keen on finding out if the traditional Japanese diet contributed to the nation's high life expectancy. He does a great job of sorting out myths from facts.

What I didn't like:

As much as I am raving about the attention to detail that went into this book, I feel it is also the book's downfall. Unless you are like me (a person heavily invested in the topic already), I doubt that the average reader will be enthralled by chapter upon chapter describing the minutia of Japanese cuisine.

I was also expecting more about the misadventures of traveling with young children. There are a few anecdotes about his kids being picky eaters, but that's about it. I know from my own experiences, kids can add an original perspective to an already strange situation.

With most of the emphasis on Japanese high cuisine, I think what was missing was a view of how the average Japanese actually eats. For me, I was fascinated by how my Japanese friends approached meals. I made friends with several Japanese women over my stay in Japan. I would get cooking lessons from my new friends, learning how to make tonkatsu and my favorite food: okinomiyaki! Each region (and each home cook) has their unique way of making the dish. I loved learning about new ingredients, and techniques from my friends. We bonded over our shared love of cooking.

I think if the author had found a better way to connect with the average reader, this book would have a more universal appeal.

If you are curious about the food scene in Japan, or are already obsessed, I think you will love this book. Because I fall into both categories, I am giving this book my highest rating. As much as I loved it, if you aren't really into all things Japan, I think this book will bore you.

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Argh. I love Japan. I love to travel. But the level of white privilege that saturated these pages made me cringe. Sure, aspects of different cultures can feel at odds with your own "norms" but a great traveller - and published writer - should recognise this as a reflection of their own limited experience. Instead Booth seems to delight in a judgemental and smug haughtiness about how backward, how weird, how strange, how disgusting, things are to his eye. And his poor children who have to contend with food that isn't American. When he and his children do manage to get past (rather small) hurdles, the self-congratulatory conceit made my eyes roll.

[Alex Givant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic voyage through Japan and it's cooking landscape. It shows you how little we know about real Japan cooking.

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a good overview of the various food cultures and regions of Japan, going much deeper than most occasional visitors can obtain. This is a combination of Michael Booth moving his family to the country for several months but also some very good fixers nailing down really big interviews and meals. It's almost unreal, from sumo kitchen to the current food culture war to a meal at Mibu. (Actually the author put some of that chapter in an article on the Independent about that experience, or vice versa. You can read it online to get a feel for his writing.)

My favorite chapters were those about the unique elements of Japanese cuisine, like texture, Kaiseki, to why slurping makes noodles taste better. It was nice to spend considerable time in Hokkaido and Okinawa since these areas can sometimes be ignored when looking at "Japanese" food or culture. It is definitely a good overview and made me think maybe I'd like to visit Japan after all. For recipes and photos, you would need a different resource.

The only complaint I have is one that I'm surprised to find I have - it's the language! Michael Booth is a grown man with two children but sometimes he writes like a teenaged YouTuber. Words like "moreish" and "umami-ey" grated on my nerves and pulled me out. He just doesn't need this fake casual language which doesn't seem true to who he is the rest of the time. There is also one unfortunate use of the word "tranny" which I'm hoping got edited out before the final version. There is some weird humor too, but I forgave it because he is from another country.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy through Edelweiss. I read it before other review copies because of the clever title.

[Julie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's something so soothing about reading a foodie book when the general vibe in the air is anxiety or contention. I cannot wait until this election is over. Until then I'll be touring Japanese cuisine with this family.

[Rainy Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is going to enter my list of "The Best Books I Ever Read in My Life". Like seriously! I love every inch of this book. This book covers the detailed story by Michael Booth, on his journey in searching, eating, evaluating and experiencing Japanese cuisines (and hospitality) throughout Japan. I find it quite entertaining and wished I can experience them too. I love Japanese food! Let me give you a warning, this book will make you seriously crave some Japanese food (I am currently craving some miso soup and sushi and I don't find any yet while reading throughout this book haha). Basically, this is the first book on food travelogue I ever read and it's quite good in my opinion (maybe because I love any book about food, I don't know? haha). Maybe I should find more books on food travelogue later.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I need a new shelf called "Books about Japan that annoy me."
First, is there an editor in the house? Shizuoka is spelled Shizvoka (just two lines below the correct spelling), his friend's name is the phonetically impossible Katsotoshi, and the sumo wrestler Balto changes from Estonian to Latvian halfway through the book. Second, a number of "facts" are just wrong (like the one that Japan imports most of its rice from the US). Finally, the "bumbling foreigner discovers Japan" trope is just old. It's 2009, so no, you are not the first Westerner to visit Yaizu.
Some of the writing is indeed funny, but I was left more annoyed than amused.

[Noah Weiser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got the chills when I finished it

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Michael Booth's writing for a while, as well as Ralph Lister's narration, so had high expectations here, which weren't disappointed. On occasion, things stray towards, if not into, the weeds on the foodie front, but nothing to cause one's ears to glaze over. His self-deprecating humor reminds me of American writer Eric Weiner (The Geography of Bliss), with a dash of Tim Moore. Lister's narration made audio an easy "win" here.

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

** Books 217 - 2016 **

I received a digital copy of this from Netgalley and publisher Picador in exchange for an honest review.

3,8 of 5 stars!

I am really excited and also feel relieved when i finished read this books! This is such a comprehensive books about Japan Culinary! At first, i thought read specific Japan Culinary such as Sushi and Ramen but i'm wrong since it is far away from those foods. It really broaden my knowledge there are so many things about Japan Culinary that i didn't know before!

I am really interest to try Nagashi Somen in deep of village in Kyoto. It is so unique! I never that the chef will cooked the noodles and throw it into the middle of opening bamboo and we have to catch it with our chopstik. I haven't found it in my country. It will be great experience!

The interesting one is if you wanna know more about Japan Culinary, you should read this books! I've got so many new knowledge about Sake, Sushi, Fugu's fish, Soy Sauce, Dashi, Kobe's meat, wasabi and King of Crab etc. I even gasped when i know SMAP doing cooking variety show almost twelve years!! Why i doesn't know about that before? =__=a.

Overall, This books is so enjoyable to read and it can makes you know more the deep meaning about Japan's Culinary.. I'm glad to have a chance to read this books first! ;)

[Chadwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasabi and miso and bears . . . oh my.

Michael Booth had me personally with sushi and ramen, but if he wants to throw in all of Japanese culture in this fun and fascinating culinary journey, then I was happy to be along for the ride.

Fair warning as you read: You. Will. Want. Food.

Booth travels the length and breadth of Japan with his wife and two small children, exploring its food, people, and natural beauty. Along the way, we meet Michelin-starred chefs, sumo wrestlers, seaweed farmers, and abalone hunters. And, yes, bears.

My advance copy didn't have a map (the final book will), so I used a map from an atlas while I read. It's that sort of book -- you constantly want to glance at a map, tracing his journey, learning about Japan and its geography as you go. It all makes for a diverse and intriguing exploration of a subject and a place I'm now very glad to know more about.

Booth's writing is witty, and many of his stories are charming. His touch may be light, but there's real substance in this thought-provoking book.

The publisher's promotional material mentions Bill Bryson and J. Maarten Troost. I'd agree with that and throw in a dollop of Anthony Bourdain for good measure: this book reads like a mashup of all three. Thoroughly enjoyable.

(Thanks to Picador for an advance e-galley. Receiving a free copy did not affect the content of my review.)

[Strona po stronie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something truly special about reading books on one of your favourite topics. Something comfortable :). I just love finding new tidbits of information and seeing how they connect with everything else that I know about… in this case – Japan :). That’s probably one of the reasons, why I enjoyed this book immensely.

It’s focused on the Japanese cuisine (there is lots about food, different cooking styles, the whole chains of production…), but there is also lots and lots about the Japanese culture. The variety of topics is stunning, but everything is neatly in order – which makes the whole reading experience very fluid. Moreover, I liked Booth’s writing style. It’s descriptive but not excessively so - very readable.

His sense of humour is very British and some people might not like it. I found some chapters a bit too melodramatic. Still, I like the fact that underneath it all he’s very respectful towards the other culture and open-minded to the Japanese people. It’s a mark of a great traveller :).

[Bookish_predator · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! I've read it over the past couple of weeks, dipping in and out of it, savouring it.

Michael Booth, along with his wife Lissen and their 2 children Asger and Emil, travel around Japan to see why it's the preeminent food nation on earth, along the way they try every food available and see how Japanese food should be prepared, cooked and eaten and see how their diet can be improved by learning from the Japanese.

Meeting Sumos, Ninja Warriors, the Ama divers, huge crabs and having more adventures as they eat their way across the country sounds like such an amazing experience and makes me want to visit Japan even more than I did before!

I will reread this over and over again and will be searching for Japanese cookbooks to try and change my diet and live a healthier life.

*Huge thanks to Michael Booth, Macmillan-Picador and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review*

[El desván del lector · Rating 4 out of 5]

No podemos negar que la gastronomía japonesa es una de las más amplias y exóticas del mundo. Desde comida rápida que se sirve en locales a pie de calle hasta platos más elaborados que requieren de una preparación minuciosa la cocina japonesa dispone de un amplio abanico de posibilidades gastronómicas para todos los gustos y públicos, y Michael Booth hace un amplio recorrido por la geografía nipona para mostrarnos los diferentes tipos de alimentos y platos que podemos encontrar dentro de la cocina japonesa.

Michael Booth y su familia emprenden un viaje de unos 3 meses al país del sol naciente para hacer un recorrido gastronómico, descubrir nuevos platos y saborear de primera mano todo lo que la cocina japonesa puede ofrecer. Desde la capital, Tokyo, pasando por Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka, Okinawa y llegando hasta la remota Sapporo en la isla de Hokkaidō, el autor nos mostrará los productos tradicionales de cada región así como la variedad de platos que podemos preparar con ellos.Y esa es una de las cosas que más destaco de este libro, ya que no solo veremos platos que nos harán la boca agua, si no que podremos ver el origen de muchos de esos productos y su tratamiento antes de llegar a las cocinas de las casas y restaurantes, como el cultivo de algas, la preparación del Sake, la cría de ganado para la famosa carne de Kobe, o el imperio creado alrededor del glutamato monosódico.

Otra de las cosas que destaco de este libro es que no solo es un viaje gastronómico, sino también un viaje cultural a través de las tradiciones de la cultura nipona, ya que muchas comidas están arraigadas a las creencias de la zona. Y es por eso que este libro va más allá de una simple obra sobre gastronomía, es toda una oda a la cultura japonesa en sí ya que el autor consigue transmitir la importancia que tiene la comida y su preparación para los japoneses.

Un libro muy ameno que he disfrutado muchísimo. Ideal para todo amante de la cultura japonesa. Es un libro que te dará mucha hambre, y también muchas ganas de viajar a Japón.

[Alec Rigdon · Rating 2 out of 5]

OKAY. So this is very hard for me to review. The travel and food aspect of this book was fun to read. The author paints great images of the dishes he experienced throughout Japan and the landscapes seen. I learned a lot about what I assume is accurate opinions/knowledge on Japanese cuisine, despite sometimes sounding merely regurgitated from other sources.

Every so often, however, the narration would include some incredibly ignorant and obsolete tidbit. In one instance the phrase "low rent tranny" is used to describe how he had to totter about in a pair of undersized house slippers. Why on earth was this relevant or needed, especially for a book written in the 21st century?

Other sections left me with an unsettling feeling of misogyny in regards to the treatment of his wife or other women along the road. I understand that gender politics in a foreign country may be vastly different, but to highlight the contrast, then turn around and reduce his life partner to being obsessed with shopping or simply writing her out of 95% of all the unique experiences because she is the only one capable of watching the children is lame.

I'm not sure what made me think this book would be much different than your typical "white person traveling a foreign land" narrative. While the author does try to infuse quite a bit of research throughout, I finished with a bitter taste of inauthenticity. Hopefully this writer continues to grow his world view as much as he claims on his travels in Japan and he can catch up with the rest of us.

[Kipp C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book from front to back. Japanese food is my favorite food, and I love how Michael Booth weaves the history and culture of Japan through it's food. It's also a breezy read with fun glimpses on how tofu, ramen, sushi, msg, soy sauce, miso, sake, etc., etc., came to being.

The only major problem I had with the book, and the only reason it didn't get five stars, was the insufficient description on the darker side of Japanese seafood and the hunting of ocean mammals. Japan is a major contributor to the over fishing of the oceans. The oceans are on track to be almost completely depleted of fish in a mere 30 years, and Japan has turned a blind eye to this reality. Michael Booth briefly mentions the shere amount fish that come into Japan's ports, but never addresses the sustainability of this practice. He also eats in a whale only restaurant. He barely glances at the immorality of hunting sentient and self aware mammals and how Japan skirts international laws to do so. It's really disturbing how he consumes a shark fin. 30,000 to 50,000 sharks are killed every day. Often, the dorsal fin is cut off a living shark, and the shark is thrown back into the ocean to die a slow and miserable death. So while it was fun to read about the ancient food traditions of Japan, it was disappointing to NOT read on the modern consumption practices that are destroying the planet. And don't get me wrong, the standard American diet is still the biggest contributor to the world's degrading environment. It's just that Japan is also playing a major role in terms of the destruction of the Pacific Ocean.

[quinnster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting a bit more of the story to be about traveling and eating in Japan with his family, but he didn't really talk about his family too much. Still, he talked about so many aspects of Japanese food and I was engrossed the whole time!

[Andrzej Grzegorski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uwaga!!! To nie jest książka dla głodnych ludzi!!!
To świetnie napisany kulinarno-podróżniczy reportaż. Autor, oprócz apetycznych opisów potraw przybliża nam samą japońską kulturę jedzenia a także zapoznaje nas z klasycznymi specjałami z Kraju Wschodzącego Słońca, a to wszystko okrasza odrobinką historii i geografii. Polecam.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant and hilarious romp through Japanese culinary arts and culture. Beyond Booth's entertaining journey, his exploration of Japanese cooking was highly informative.

[Mila · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Booth's The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia I wanted to read his other books. This was a great start in that quest. I like his list:

Great Things About Tokyo in Comparison to Paris, in the Order They Occurred to me:

There is no dog shit
No one expects a tip
There is no litter
Hold on, there are no litter bins either
I'm the tallest person here
People won't steal your stuff, try to cheat you, or be rude to you because you don't speak their language
How can so many restaurants make a living?
It really is great being taller than everyone for once
You can get a taxi
Even in the rain
You can be sure the driver will simply take you where you want to go without fuss or any funny business
People in shops act like they really want your business
I could probably have had quite a good basketball career in Japan

He's so funny. About sumo wrestlers:

If I wanted to sumo-size myself, how would I go about it? I had always assumed their diet was made up of fatty meats, ice cream, chips, and chocolate and heard that they slept after meals. It had been a strange source of comfort to know that someone, somewhere, had been living my dream life.

I liked his apology to MSG and discussion of umami.

His visits to the bonito processing town, wasabi and beef farms were fascinating.

I liked his observation that sushi rice is seasoned with sugar, salt, and vinegar, "essentially the same flavours that keep us coming back for Big Macs".

I have heard that sushi chefs in Japan train for years and his interview with a sushi chef confirmed it.

"When I was training to be a sushi chef, I had to spend a year just making rice before I was allowed near a fish," Eiji-san said, adding that the total period of his training had been six years, average for a sushi chef in Japan.

I was interested to learn that: "noren, the curtains that traditionally hang at the entrance to sushi restaurants, were originally there for customers to wipe their hands on as they hurried in and out, an especially filthy noren being a sign of a good restaurant".

Every chapter was a delight. And now, here is a Haiku using his chapter headings:

Healthy Salt, Seaweed
Miraculous Miso, Crabs
The Sake Crisis

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic write-up about different aspects of Japanese food with some travel/regional info mixed in. I'm a big fan of Japanese food, so this book really appealed and made me hungry...

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a reasonably entertaining look at Japanese food culture, though I would take everything in this book with a large grain of salt (no pun intended). Japan and the West have different food cultures, certainly, but it is very common to exaggerate these differences to the point of parody. Very often I've heard initial reports that some culture has some bizarre behavior or lacks some linguistic or cultural feature only to find that this may be technically true, the reality is much more mundane (e.g. "Eskimos have a hundred words for snow" turns out to be that Eskimos have an agglutinative language and thus have hundreds of words for everything). I think this phenomenon tends to be especially prevalent when looking at Japan, which is a modern economy that has, to a Western eye, many exotic cultural features (at least superficially). I suspect that (consciously or unconsciously) for the purpose of writing an entertaining book, Booth definitely does nothing to fight against the tendency to exoticize the other.

That said, the book was entertaining and covers a lot of interesting Japanese cuisine, some of which I hadn't heard about before. I was disappointed by the fact that despite saying how much he liked Sapporo (my favorite place in Japan), Booth spent very little time on the cuisine there - I don't think he even mentioned jingisukan! This is particularly strange to me because it seems to me that Sapporo has a particularly interesting food culture - there are several dishes that were invented or popularized there, and some (like jingisukan) that don't seem popular or even available in the rest of Japan.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best things about this book is that it points out how Japanese food is truly top tier in terms of elevation - how much respect there is for the ingredients (massaging cows pre-slaughter to reduce their anxiety), seasonality (an emphasis on the soil nutrients and freshness), and the art of cooking (training as long as a doctor to cut fish correctly). It’s definitely a philosophy we don’t have in the west. For instance the Ama divers chapter noted that while they could use modern scuba gear to stay down longer and collect more sea cucumbers and whatnot they choose the traditional way instead by holding their breath in order to prevent over-harvesting.

I also love that the author took a little swing at western celebrity chefs and by default western society’s idealization of individuality / celebrity culture: “If you go to eat at one of the great European or American chefs - Alain Ducasse or Thomas Keller, for instance, the food is generally a direct expression of the chef’s personality or ego...” and that rang especially true for me. Japanese culinary expression at its finest as you’ll discover throughout this foodie travelogue is an expression of their culture and their land. He closes the book with a sentence that while applicable to all he’s discussed regarding Japanese cuisine I felt was also reflective of Japanese culture: “to be a truly great chef... you must above all else have humility...” and he goes on to say “...humility especially towards the ingredients [without which] a chef is nothing.”

If you have any interest in Japan and/or Japanese cuisine you’ll surely enjoy this!

[Bookworm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Other writers have done it better. I enjoy travelogues and learning about food/food history in other cultures and countries so this sounded like a great book. Man takes his family around Japan and explores the culture, the food and the society. Years ago I had read 'Pretty Good Number One' by Matthew Amster-Burton and thought this would be in a similar type of book.
 
Unfortunately it's not. As some of the other reviews note, this book reads like a Westerner who has just discovered this *totally* foreign country and is *fascinated* by how "different" things are. It was a bit uncomfortable and I was disappointed that this book has such high ratings.
 
And honestly, most of the book isn't interesting. The more interesting bits include his family but they don't feature all that much and any information I previously did not know about. However, the author's writing style really gets in the way and I didn't think he was all that interesting in watching how he was exposed to all of this. Some of the chapters are also quite short (2-3 pages) and so it just seems like he jotted down thought about a particular subject without actually sitting down to write about this.
 
It was a pity. I had been wanting to read this book for quite awhile and had hoped my library would get it. But I found it as a bargain buy instead and bit the bullet. In retrospect I would have probably skipped this instead. Borrow from the library. If you're really interested in the food of Japan there are other books by much better authors out there.
 
 

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part family of 4 (with two kids under 6) travelogue and part detailed food history, Booth's Super Sushi Ramen Express (originally titled Sushi and Beyond) gives an extensive overview of Japanese cuisine divided by type and region. My expectations going in where much more on the fun travel with family aspects, but once I got into it, I found myself fascinated by the history and culture surrounding food in Japan. Even better than being interesting, it made me think. What must sushi chefs in the US, many who have trained for 6 - 10 years, think watching Americans, me included, eat sushi all wrong - with chopsticks, dipping it in soy sauce, and adding wasabi? This book's strengths are in the contrast between modern Japan and the historical food traditions - how modernization and Western influences are changing the way people eat. It also made me very hungry. This book also had many weaknesses, however, that keep me from rating it higher. The parts that were supposed to be funny just weren't. There were a few cute scenes with the kids, but mostly the humor fell flat. The author's sometimes superior attitude through sarcastic self deprecation grated by the end. Despite my lukewarm feelings about it, I would recommend this to anyone who is moving to or traveling extensively through Japan as a prequel to all the culinary history and innovation.

[Gabriella · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Japanese have a phrase for making the most of fleeting encounters: ichigo ichie. It means 'one encounter, one chance." p.94

I enjoyed reading this book so much: Booth savours meals of all kinds, eats authentic wasabi, massages cows and partaking in the traditional multi-course meal of kaiseki. The most entertaining parts involved his young children especially when they meet sumo wrestlers, eat snake, visit the Tsukiji fish market and go to a restaurant that involves catching your noodles as they travel downstream in a river. Really.

The charm of this bk is not only it's continuous humour & travel adventures but Booth's celebration of Japanese traditions. Many of these traditions are in decline as Western influence grows but Booth interviews people who have found a way to continue and adapt to the modern world. Their passion for their craft is clear here and truly inspiring.

So 'scuse me while I go eat some ramen, until I can get to Japan myself someday.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great romp through Japan's underbelly of cuisine, and I mean that in a good way. The author takes an extended trip (with his two small picky eating children and his wife) through many regions of Japan, researching and eating the various cuisines of each area. Along the way he reports on history, growing methods (the wasabi section was fascinating), and the differences in taste even with the same product, e.g. ramen. It was fascinating and even though I don't like sushi or sashimi, I was tempted to give them another try.

For anyone who loves Anthony Bourdain's food explorations without the language and content--although I never really mind.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really entertaining read that any expat living in Japan can immediately relate to. Booth's anecdotes of travelling through Japan with children were delightful, but it was really amazing how he was able to make the necessary connections to dine in some of the most exclusive establishments in the country in such a short time. The book had me both drooling with envy but also thankful that I live in a country that is so fanatical about food. It's one of the main reasons I stay in Japan!

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had its moments that I did enjoy, but it was disappointingly "Western man goes to strange foreign land and is amazed/disgusted/fascinated by what he finds". So much of the book was devoted to how weird or disturbing things were, how rambunctious his kids were compared to the social standards there, and how surprised he was that Japanese food was actually... good? Hard pass.

[Korie Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written but not as compelling as I had hoped.