Japanese Culture Overview

       Video games are one of my ultimate passions in life, so I wanted to circle back to video games and talk about some of my favorite video games that aren't JRPGs. There are a lot of interesting video games that come from Japan that have some super interesting ideas, execution, and stories that stem from some of the differences between Japanese culture and American culture.      One of the main examples of a weird Japanese video game would be something like LSD Dream Emulator. The game is a walking simulator on the original Playstation where the main character walks around lots of dream spaces with randomly generated textures, music and soundscapes. There are many layers, and there isn't really an objective to strive for necessarily. The game is kind of a cult classic with many people being aware of its existence, but few people who have actually played it. It is just generally interesting, because it's so bizarre and there are so many events that happen that not many

 Japan is well known for their unique and tasty food offerings. From many different kinds of seafood to things like fried pork, they carry a deep history with food, as well as a lot of variety in their offerings. Many people, myself included, find Japanese food to be of a certain quality and a very distinct taste and flavor profile compared to most other cuisines. For most forms of plating, the different parts of the dish will be separated , rather than all together. This is taken from the Chinese way of serving food in the time around the 12th-14th century. To me, this allows the different flavors to all shine in their own way, with many foods own distinct flavors becoming able to shine in their separation. Sushi restaurants even use ginger as a palate cleanser to be used between the different sushi rolls you end up eating. Japan also has some very interesting noodle and soup dishes that they tend to have available, like ramen, udon, soba, miso soup, and other things that are all rea