When traveling, eating as the locals do is a quintessential truism. Repeated ad nauseam, however, the mantra can become mere lip service. In Japan, you really should make an effort to dine on the same ingredients as the cook making your meal — which is where the makanai (staff meal) comes in.
Simple, seasonal and nourishing, these dishes vary as much as menus do and often incorporate the very same ingredients, minus the pretense of the dining room.
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