Japan in America

Telling a serious ramen shop from an approximation

• A short menu. Shops that do one broth well list four or five bowls, not thirty.
• Noodles specified by supplier or made in house, and mentioned somewhere.
• Firmness options offered — a sign the kitchen thinks about texture.
• Busy at odd hours, which usually indicates a regular local clientele rather than only a lunch rush.

Japanese grocery chains are the real find

Several Japanese supermarket chains operate in the US, mostly in metropolitan areas, and they change what is possible at home: proper dashi, fresh noodles, decent miso, prepared foods, and seasonal items that appear and disappear the way they do in Japan.

Larger pan-Asian supermarkets carry much of the same range at lower prices, with less depth in specifically Japanese products.

Festivals, gardens and events

Japanese cultural festivals run in many American cities, most commonly in spring around blossom season and in summer for obon. Cherry blossom plantings exist in a number of cities, some substantial and decades old. Japanese gardens attached to botanical gardens or museums are more common than most people realise and are frequently excellent.

[ADD YOUR OWN] Your actual local finds, named. This page is only worth reading if the recommendations are places you have been.