Japanese breakfast / “What do Japanese people traditionally eat for breakfast anyway?” I asked myself. Rice, miso soup and fish, right? I couldn’t see what was so special about that. Can’t you just grab that at Shirokiya or any izakaya? To my surprise this article proved to be more of a learning experience than any other subject I’ve approached. Breakfast, like many other aspects of Japanese culture, is a very particular ritual–more than just diving in, it’s also going through the motions of a well thought out meal.

First, there must be a bowl of steamed white rice and a piping hot bowl of miso soup. Traditionally the rice is placed on the left and the soup on the right. The fish, usually saba (mackerel) or ‘ahi (tuna), must be grilled. Natto, yakinori and an egg are always offered. As I stared at the Japanese spread of the breakfast buffet at Hakone at the Hawaii Prince Hotel, I realized I had no idea what to do with the latter three items. The natto came in a paper container packaged with a small packet of shoyu and another of mustard. I was to mix the items together with the rice. Natto, widely described as fermented soybeans, has an incredibly distinct taste and an extremely pungent smell that translates in your mouth while you’re eating it. In addition, its excessive stickiness makes any contact with it result in wisps of stickiness floating everywhere. Personally, I do not think it looks quite appetizing and the taste is somewhat of an acquired one. However, it’s staple Japanese food and is offered as part of the traditional breakfast set. I figured I could dip my sheets of nori in the miso but I later learned many Japanese like to swirl it in shoyu and wrap pieces of rice and fish in it. Some diners like to break pieces of the fish in to the rice and eat it combined.

The sign in front of the basket of boiled eggs explains the contents as “one minute boiled eggs.” My waiter said he’s seen many Japanese hotel guests eat it a number of ways. Some eat it raw with just a touch of shoyu. Some choose to shred pieces of the yakinori in it too, while many pour it over a hot bowl of rice–allowing the heat from the rice to cook the egg. Somtimes a different egg dish is offered–tamagoyaki, the sweetened rolled omelette usually found on sushi.

Other side dishes usually found in a Japanese breakfast include tsukemono (pickled vegetables) and an umeboshi (ume plum). I find the tartness of them helps clean the palate after all the salty dishes. The miso soup is comprised of tiny pieces of tofu, chopped green onions and seaweed. Tea is always served at such a breakfast.

After asking different Japanese restaurants mostly around tourist-packed hot spots like Waikiki and Ala Moana I learned most places serve the exact same items. The only problem I had was finding Japanese restaurants (usually open a couple hours for lunch a only to resume at dinner time) that were actually open for breakfast. I found two, the buffet at the Hawaii Prince Hotel (mentioned above) and Tsukasa at the Ala Moana Hotel.

The breakfast buffet is served at the Prince Court restaurant atop the hotel. At $20.50 per person you’ll see it’s a lot of bang for the buck once you lay eyes on the spread. The Japanese table serves all the familiar items plus a delicious quad offering of oshinko (seasoned cold vegetables), like ao shiso, wakame, seaweed and takuwan (daikon). In addition, you can help yourself to a colorful display of danishes, muffins, salads, cold cuts, fresh-cut fruits from papayas to honeydew, yogurt and a variety of cereals, hot dishes such as potaotes, scrambled eggs, pancakes, french toast, sausage and a super serving of carbs–breads and bagels, apple raisin crepes, and lilikoi or orange juice.

Tsukasa, which used to be open for breakfast, stopped taking in walk-ins as of last year January. “We used to be open for breakfast but nobody came because you know, the tourism is down and we’re not getting as many people as we used to now,” owner Arlene Kurihara said. Currently, she only opens Tsukasa in the morning for reservations of groups with 10 plus people, usually Japanese tour groups. Even so, she has served lunch and dinner for the past 23 years and still continues to welcome diners to sample her traditional menu item offerings of nabemono, soba and udon and teishoku.

Another locale worth mentioning is ‘Umeke Market. They offer “Japanese Style Breakfast” on their menu for $8.75. The meal includes grilled organic salmon belly, organic brown rice with furikake and a cup of miso soup. It may not be as comprehensive an offering as a buffet but it’s perfect for those on the go who don’t have time to spare.