Journalism student Salma Atta reports on the rising popularity of Japanese food in the UAE.
By Salma Atta
Sharjah- Following its global wave, Japanese food continues to increase in popularity in the United Arab Emirates.
The awareness of Japanese culture, including cuisines, is steadily growing in the UAE and MENA region.
The growing attention is influenced by the popular Japanese anime series and manga books, which have been locally popular since the 80s. The attractive and colorful animated food in anime managed to impress the viewers and pique their curiosity. The local popularity of East Asian music, TV programs, and movies also raised the popularity of Japanese food.
Japanese cuisines include many flavors and varieties, which makes it crowd-pleaser and appealing to everyone. Japanese seafood cuisines include sushi and nigiri, vegetarian cuisines include ramen, and poultry cuisines include katsu chicken and teriyaki.
Japanese restaurants stand out for having hotpots, which is a steamboat, and teppanyaki, which is a live cooking experience where you see your food being cooked.
The UAE has a selection of luxurious and authentic international Japanese restaurants such as Zuma, Fujiya, and Nobu.
