Japanese noodle: soba
A Japanese meal with rice normally includes vegetables and fish or meat with miso soup and pickled vegetables. Many suplementary dishes cooked in Western or Chinese styles are commonly found in Japanese meals.
In the Japanese food preparation the idea from ancient times has been to avoid waste. For instance concerning the consumption of fish the Japanese says : use the meat for sashimi (sliced raw) or to grill it, boil the lean parts of the meat, and use the other parts (except the inhards) for soup.
Also, preserved food have been used since long ago to make up for shortages in lean years; preservation methods include pickling for vegetables, and salting or drying for fish and meat.
Japanese food is generally eaten using wooden chopsticks.
