Why You Should Watch Japanese Food-Centric Dramas On Netflix

Provocative visual stimulation

True food lovers know that the thrill of food partly lies in the chase. In these dramas, food scenes are shot up-close and in smooth slow-motion. The tantalising wait while the camera zooms in indulgently on food preparation builds up the anticipation, with the final act of eating culminating into an exciting climax.

In Episode 3 of Samurai Gourmet, the main protagonist, 60-year-old retiree Takeshi Kasumi, spends a night at an unassuming Japanese bed-and-breakfast after he misses his train back home. The next morning, he wakes up to a simple yet hearty breakfast of grilled dried mackerel, rice and pickled seaweed.

Time seems to stop as the scene focuses idly on the food that is being served to Kasumi. Oil glistens on the mackerel and fluffy white rice is carefully scooped.

Viewers hold their breath while waiting for Kasumi to take a bite of the fish. After he slowly savours all the side dishes and affirms his satisfaction with a gleeful "umai" ("delicious"), he tenderly takes a piece of the mackerel with his chopsticks and breaks out into a blissful smile that crinkles his eyes.

Aji no hiraki, sun-dried grilled mackerel

Episode 7 is another exemplary visual temptation. Kasumi chances upon a traditional izakaya (pub) after a doctor’s appointment and orders a large Japanese beer to start off the meal. While he waits with child-like eagerness, we see golden-hued beer sloshing delightfully into the mug and a zoom-up of fizzing bubbles. Kasumi welcomes the beer with a rapturous grin, takes a long gulp and lets out an, "Ahhh, amazing! This is the best!"

The act of eating itself has become an art form. (Photo from: jcomp via Freepik)

Connecting food to memories

Food is more than just a culinary enjoyment, it is about people, human connections, and the memories it evokes. Midnight Diner does a superb job at this.

Set in the dark alleys of Tokyo, the charismatic chef of the late-night diner provides refuge to a slew of diners from all walks of life. Every episode tells the personal story of one diner, revolving around each of their food of preference and the memory that is associated with it. One fine example can be found in Season 3, Episode 6 of Midnight Diner. 

Late-night food found in the streets of Japan (Photo from: binmassam via Pixabay)

Master lovingly hand-makes delicious boiled cabbage rolls as the weather turns colder. Everyone at his diner digs into these delightful steaming-hot rolls happily except for Marilyn, a popular Shinjuku stripper. This enigmatic lady then reveals cabbage rolls remind her of the times her mother abandoned her when she was young.

Fortunately, it ends on a good note. Marilyn realised her mother still loves her through the simple gesture of imparting her personal cabbage roll recipe to Master so that she can always have a taste of home even though her mom is always not around. It is a poignant tale that draws on the empathy of viewers and triggers us to look back at times when we feel rejected, and finally find acceptance.

Japanese-Style Cabbage Rolls are usually stuffed with meat and onions, and simmered in a dashi broth.

Engages the imagination

Do you remember the exciting feeling of when you first tried a new dish? The moment of joy becomes a personal connection that stays in your memory for a long time, doesn't it?

Unlike food documentaries that show the host enthusiastically describing a dish down to its smell and taste, these two Japanese food dramas leave room for imagination rather than just spoon-feeding information. With that, we are left to wonder, get curious, and crave to seek it out.

According to an article on Straits Times, Naoto Takenaka, the actor who plays Kasumi, summed it up perfectly. "The person who's eating explains the texture and I don't like that. I think it's too much, you don't want it explained because you want to imagine it and try it yourself," he said in Japanese through a translator.

In the case of Samurai Gourmet, Kasumi’s intense facial expression is all that is enough to send viewers into a food frenzy. No words are needed. The way he gulps down a mug of refreshing cold beer, the look of excitement as he gazes lovingly at the food on his table and that burst of joy when he finally gets to savour the anticipated dish.

We may have no idea what he just tasted but we know we want to try it too.