RESTAURANTS

There are 5 principal kinds of Japanese restaurant in Japan — all specializing in a different type of Japanese cuisine. 

1. Sukiyaki: A nabe (hot pot) of thinly sliced beef, vegetables and noodles cooked in a special soup. It's dipped in raw eggs before being eaten.  
   
2. Izakaya: are essentially Japanese pubs. They serve a variety of popular drinking foods such as Japanese fried chicken, edamame, yakitori and sashimi. 
   
   
   
3.  Sushi: is perhaps more popular in Western countries than it is in Japan. Japanese sushi is very different form Western varieties.
   
4. Shabu-Shabu: Japanese hot pot restaurants. Patrons cook a variety of fresh ingredients in a hot pot at their table. 
   
5. Kaiseki: Traditional Japanese cuisine in multiple courses. Each course is small and esthetically pleasing. It's not unusual for Kaiseki meals to have 8 courses or more.