Everybody loves sushi, and people in certain big cities around the world are starting to discover the small-dish pleasures of the izakaya, but there's so much more to Japanese cuisine that is mostly unknown outside Japan. Even when people with a strong culinary interest visit Japan, they can get stuck in a gourmet rut, searching for the best sushi or sampling high-priced entries from the Michelin Guide and thus missing out on discovering some very exciting specialty cuisines.

Restaurants in Japan have changed quite a bit in the past few decades, and What's What in Japanese Restaurants is modern in focus and up-to-date on the real dining scene in urban Japan. Izakayas have gone from quaint rustic drinking spots to architecturally adventurous design showcases with international-level cuisine to match. While the rest of the world has started discovering Kobe beef, Japanese gourmets have moved on to exotic breeds of pork. And while old-school hand-made soba shops are still keeping up their very respectable tradition, the ramen world is evolving quickly, with exciting innovations and a fanatically devoted audience.

Food writer and long-time Japan resident Robb Satterwhite of Bento.com shows you not only how to find restaurants, but also how and what to order to ensure that each restaurant visit will be a unique culinary experience. Without even speaking Japanese, you will be able to order with confidence in a variety of situations from the menus of sushi, tempura, and kaiseki restaurants, as well as off-the-cuff at informal izakaya pubs and street vendors. Furthermore, with more than thirty types of cuisines covered, you will know exactly what you're eating and how to savor it.

What's What in Japanese Restaurants, by Bento.com editor Robb Satterwhite, is an informative and entertaining introduction to Japanese cuisine. Online ordering information is at the bottom of this page.