Burgers are also a popular food in Japan. In addition to international chains such as McDonald's and Burger King, Japan also has its own chain restaurants such as MOS Burger and Freshness Burger.
Japanese burger restaurants offer classic menu items such as cheeseburgers and fish burgers, and also uniquely Japanese items such as teriyaki burgers, tsukimi burgers (topped with a fried egg), chicken tatsuta (Japanese-style fried chicken), and rice burgers. Burger restaurants in Okinawa even offer items that are unique to the region, such as bitter gourd burgers. It can be fun to discover special Japanese flavors at Japanese burger restaurants.
In the main text, there was a dialog where the people stood in front of a meal ticket vending machine and chose their food. Many employee canteens and restaurants in Japan use the meal ticket system. In this system, you first buy the ticket for the food you want at a vending machine. How to use a meal ticket is shown below.
1
店の外、または、店に入ってすぐのところにある、食券の自動券売機に行きます。
Go to the meal ticket vending machine, which is usually outside the shop or just inside near the entrance.
2
券売機にお金を入れて、ほしいメニューのボタンを押します。出てきた食券を取ります。
Insert money and press the button for the item you want to order. Take the meal ticket you receive.
3
「おつり」ボタンを押すと（レバー式の場合もあります）、おつりが返ってきます。
Press the おつり (collect change) button (sometimes it is a lever instead of a button), and the machine will give you your change.
食券を買ったあとは、2つの方法があります。店によって違います。
After you have bought your meal tickets, there are two ways to get your food. This depends on the shop.
4
カウンターに食券を出します。
Show your meal ticket at the counter.
5
カウンターで商品を受け取ってから、席に座って食べます。
After getting your food at the counter, take a seat and enjoy the food.
または、
Or,
4
席に座ります。店員が来るので、店員に食券を渡します。
Take a seat. When the restaurant staff comes to your table, give them your meal ticket.
5
店員が商品を運んでくるので、受け取って食べます。
The restaurant staff will bring your meal. Enjoy it when it is served.
An izakaya is originally a place for people to drink alcoholic drinks. However, they can also be used for casual meals because you can choose from a wide range of food including meat, fish, and vegetables, at reasonable prices. Recently, many families eat at izakayas.
The waiter brings the wet towels and appetizers, and you start by ordering drinks. Those who do not drink alcohol can order soft drinks. At an izakaya, each customer must order at least one drink. When ordering drinks, you can also order a simple snack such as edamame.
After you finish the meal, call the restaurant staff and ask for the bill. The restaurant staff will bring a payment slip. Take this payment slip to the cashier, pay, and leave the restaurant.
Karaage is food that is deep-fried in a thin layer of wheat flour or starch. It usually means chicken karaage. When other ingredients are used, the name of the ingredient is usually included, such as tako no karaage (deep-fried octopus). Chicken karaage in Japan is usually made with boneless thigh meat. It is seasoned with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and other seasoning, and sometimes served with lemon juice or mayonnaise over it.
Small snacks that are eaten alongside alcoholic drinks are called otsumami. Edamame is a typical and popular otsumami. Other examples are shiokara (pickled seafood), hiya-yakko (cold tofu), hiyashi-tomato (chilled tomatoes), tsukemono / oshinko (pickles), tako-wasabi (raw octopus seasoned with Japanese horseradish), eihire (stingray fin), koon-bataa (buttered corn), and furaido-poteto (French fries).
The most popular alcoholic drink in Japan is beer. Some of the leading Japanese beer producers are Kirin, Asahi, Suntory, and Sapporo. They produce a wide variety of beers.
At an izakaya, many people first order beer. There are also people who will start with a glass of beer even if they will have other types of alcoholic drinks afterwards. There are also banquets and other events where everyone drinks beer for the first toast. So, in Japan, beer is considered the alcohol that you start a drinking session with.
In general, when drinking beer at a restaurant, the types are bin-biiru (bottled beer) and nama-biiru (draft beer). Bin-biiru is served in the bottle and comes with glasses. It is a convenient option when sharing the beer among several people. Nama-biiru is poured into a glass from a beer server. It is served in different sized glasses 大 (large), 中 (medium), or 小 (small). The amount depends on the izakaya, but a 中 is generally about 350 ml to 500 ml. If you order 中生 or 生中, it means that you are ordering a medium glass of nama-biiru.
When you enter a restaurant in Japan, it is common for the restaurant staff to bring the oshibori and water first. An oshibori is a small hand towel that has been made wet with hot water. (It can also be chilled in summer.) The customer will first wipe their hands with the oshibori.
Water is provided to customers for free in Japan. This is because tap water is safe to drink everywhere in Japan. This free water is sometimes called ohiya. Refills are free, and the waiter will bring more if you tell them お水、ください or お冷や、お願いします (Please bring me some water). At izakayas, water is not served when you first sit down because you are expected to order a drink. However, if you ask for it, you can also get it for free. In Japan, it is not common to have warm water or sparkling water with your meal. You may be able to get warm water if you ask for it. If you want to drink sparkling water, you will have to order and pay for it.
