Revised Edition of book "Japan Made Easy" by Boye Lafayette De Mente Provides Invaluable Insights for Travelers

Why the incredible number and variety of restaurants in Japan are one of the country's most important attractions for residents and visitors alike.

Tokyo, Japan (PRWEB) January 29, 2006 -- Americans who have not traveled abroad before can be especially skittish about both food and water—in part because of stories about visitors coming down with the tourist trot in countries where sanitary standards are low or virtually non-existent.
    
Those who are not familiar with Japan might assume that sanitation standards there may also be low, and that special care must be taken to avoid being exposed to unfriendly bacteria. There is no need for such concern, as author Boyé Lafayette De Mente points out in the latest edition of "Japan Made Easy—All You Need to Know to Enjoy Japan."
    
As it happens, the Japanese were among the first, if not the first, people to develop extraordinarily high standards of sanitation in all areas of their lives—something they owe to their native religion, Shinto (literally, “The Way of the Gods”).
    
De Mente notes that one of the primary tenets of Shinto is that cleanliness is an aspect of godliness, resulting in the Japanese being acutely concerned about cleanliness from the dawn of their history, and developing a lifestyle in which cleanliness was a moral value that became deeply engrained in their lifestyle.
    
He adds that long before Westerners ever equated bathing with good health and the advantages of keeping their homes and workplaces clean, the Japanese scrubbed themselves daily in hot water, then soaked in hot tubs as an added health measure. [When the first Westerners showed up in Japan, their body odor was such that the Japanese could not stand to be near them.]
    
“From the earliest times the Japanese also cleaned their homes daily. Cooking and eating utensils were washed after each use. People not only cleaned themselves and their houses daily, they also kept the area around their homes scrupulously clean,” De Mente writes.
    
“This virtual obsession with cleanliness has remained a key element in Japanese culture, and still today is one of the reasons why foreign visitors are so impressed with the people and the country. Visitors do not have to be concerned about the sanitation standards in Japanese restaurants, or anywhere else for that matter, including at street vendor stalls.”
    
This is good news, of course, but it is only half of the news where food and dining out are concerned. When it comes to food and restaurants, Japan is one of the most cosmopolitan and international countries in the world.
    
All of the major cuisines of the world—American, British, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Mexican, Russian, etc.—are available in Japan, in common, middle and upscale restaurants. Regional and local cuisines, from Indian, Indonesian, Korean, Malaysian and Thai to Tibetan are also available.
    
The number of Japanese restaurants that serve a variety of chicken, fish, meat and vegetable dishes that are Western in both appearance and taste is astounding. Western chain restaurants, particularly the fast food variety, are cheek-by-jowl in every city in the country.
    
Japanese restaurants serving traditional dishes, from sushi and noodles to combinations of rice, chicken, beef, eggs, pork and seafood—all of which, with the possible exception of raw fish, most Westerners like the very first time they try them—also abound throughout the country.
    
Office buildings typically have half a dozen or so restaurants in their basements. Newer, larger buildings have as many as fifty or sixty restaurants in their basements and on upper floors devoted entirely to upscale eateries, many of which offer panoramic views of the surrounding areas.
    
All of Japans major cities have what amounts to restaurant districts made up of dozens to hundreds of restaurants that attract diners as well as casual strollers who enjoy the sights, sounds and exotic ambiance.
    
Obviously, the Japanese are great diner outers—they have to be to support the incredible number and variety of restaurants. There are well over 800,000 restaurants in the small county, and people dine out with a sense of adventure. They flock to new restaurants that offer anything new in the way of style or food.
    
De Mente advises first-time visitors to Japan to make a point of having as many food experiences as possible. In addition to adding to their culinary knowledge and pleasuring the palate, it makes it possible for them to rub elbows with the Japanese and share in their daily life—one of the main benefits of visiting the country.
    
"Japan Made Easy" is filled with hundreds of other do’s and don’ts. It, along with some 60 other books on Japan, Korea and China by the author, is available from Amazon.com and bookstore chains.
    
A list of his titles may also be seen on his personal website: phoenixbookspublishers.com.

###