Value Village
600 questions for when you are stuck or curious on a trip to Japan
What people who come to or live in Japan usually misunderstand. 600 questions, all with sources. If reading does not settle your question, you can send a request to people on the ground.
Everything here is a draft (before legal review; sources not yet verified). Answers on beauty and health will not be published until checks under Japan's Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act are complete.
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The 600 questions start with what is most often misunderstood. If your question is not here yet, it becomes the next one. Requests that need on-site photos or a look at how things are right now are accepted at the same place.100 questions
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about batch cooking? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about using the fridge? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about making dashi? Food & daily life
- Q. What do people get wrong about looking after frying pans? Food & daily life
- Q. What do people get wrong about using a microwave oven? Food & daily life
- Q. What do people get wrong about seasonal food (shun)? Food & daily life
- Q. What do people get wrong about Japan's regional cuisine (kyōdo ryōri)? Food & daily life
- Q. What do people get wrong about brewing coffee? Food & daily life
- Q. What do people get wrong about storing rice in Japan? Food & daily life
- Q. What do people get wrong about storing bread? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about storing vegetables? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about storing eggs? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about freezing food? Food & daily life
- Q. What do people get wrong about defrosting food? Food & daily life
- Q. What do people get wrong about sharpening kitchen knives? Food & daily life
- Q. What do people get wrong about Japan's "best before" dates? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about use-by dates (消費期限)? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about food waste in Japan? Food & daily life
- Q. In what order should I do my food prep (下ごしらえ)? Food & daily life
- Q. In what order should I plan my meals (献立)? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about keeping a packed lunch (bento) safe? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about looking after a reusable water bottle? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about reusing and disposing of frying oil? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about storing miso? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about storing soy sauce? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about eating natto? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about Japanese pickles (tsukemono)? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about washing and cooking Japanese rice? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about brewing Japanese green tea? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about keeping barley tea and other cold-brewed drinks safe? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about choosing food storage containers? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about when to use cling film and when to use aluminium foil? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about looking after a cutting board? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about looking after a donabe (clay pot)? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about looking after an iron frying pan? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about fridge ice-makers and ice hygiene? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about storing fruit? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about storing meat? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about storing fish? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about storing spices and condiments after opening? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about storing tofu? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about storing yoghurt and using it after opening? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about choosing cooking oil? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about mirin and cooking sake? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about which vinegar to use? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about umeboshi (pickled plums)? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about oil splatter and fire when deep-frying? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about using a toaster oven? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about food poisoning from retained-heat cooking and stews? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about safe cooking at a campsite? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about storing garlic and ginger? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about storing cheese? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about storing salt and sugar? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about kitchen-cloth and paper-towel hygiene? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about choosing pot and pan materials? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about using a rice cooker and its keep-warm function? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about heat levels for stir-frying? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about using and cleaning the fish grill? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about using an oven in Japan? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about osechi (Japanese New Year food)? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about brewing black tea? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about how often to shop and food waste? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about cooking for one? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about steaming and simmering (nimono)? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about making miso soup? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about grilling fish at home? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about using and storing fresh and dried herbs? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about Japanese festival foods (Setsubun, Hinamatsuri, Tanabata, the winter solstice and more)? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about handling takeaway and delivery food? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about handling and storing kitchen knives safely? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about cleaning the fridge? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about caring for electric kettles and hot-water pots? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about handling frozen foods? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about canned and retort-pouch foods, their dates and what to do after opening? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about dashi packs and granulated dashi? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about storing dried foods (kombu, dried shiitake, seaweed, beans)? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about washing vegetables (soil, pesticide residues, eating raw)? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about washing up and dishwashers? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about cleaning the kitchen drain? Food & daily life
- Q. What are the common misunderstandings about dealing with kitchen-waste smells? Food & daily life
- Q. Where should I keep potatoes and onions so they last? Can I eat a potato that has sprouted? Food & daily life
- Q. If food has gone mouldy, can I cut off the mouldy part and eat the rest? Food & daily life
- Q. Is it safe to eat raw eggs in Japan — tamago-kake-gohan, sukiyaki dip? Why do foreigners find it surprising? Food & daily life
- Q. Wooden chopping boards, cooking chopsticks and rice paddles: can I still use them once they darken? How do I care for them? Food & daily life
- Q. Does curry or stew really taste better the next day? Is leaving it out overnight dangerous? Food & daily life
- Q. How often should I replace my kitchen sponge, and how do I sanitise it? Food & daily life
- Q. Are brown rice and mixed grains better for you than white rice? How to cook them, and what to watch for Food & daily life
- Q. Should I wash mushrooms or not? How to store them, and the danger of wild mushrooms Food & daily life
- Q. How do I store wakame, kombu, hijiki and nori? Is there such a thing as eating too much seaweed? Food & daily life
- Q. What should I watch for when eating sashimi at home? How do I avoid Anisakis? Food & daily life
- Q. Cooked rice: keep it warm or freeze it? How many days does it last? Food & daily life
- Q. Is it true that babies under one must not be given honey? Food & daily life
- Q. When should I eat the fruit I bought? Judging ripeness and storing fruit well Food & daily life
- Q. Bagged cut vegetables and bean sprouts: can I eat them as they are? Should I wash them? Food & daily life
- Q. How long do home-made jam and preserves keep? Is a sealed jar fine at room temperature? Food & daily life
- Q. Why do New Year mochi accidents happen every year? How older people and children should eat it Food & daily life
- Q. Eating wild plants or garden greens in Japan: which poisonous plants are easy to confuse? Food & daily life
- Q. Are pressure cookers and electric pressure cookers dangerous? The rules for using them safely Food & daily life
- Q. Are raw oysters safe in winter? What is the difference between "for raw consumption" and "for cooking"? Food & daily life
- Q. How many days does milk keep once opened? What about yoghurt and cheese? Food & daily life