Black/African palette in Japan – I was wondering if any current JETS who are black especially those from an African or Caribbean county could let me know how it was adjusting to a japanese palette? Was it hard to grocery shop for seasonings? I’m an incoming Jamaican so a bit worried about this.

8 comments

1. Anything the grocery misses you should be able to order on Amazon Japan.

2. Not black but Puerto Rican. I brought packs of seasonings with me. Buy seeds for things like cilantro and other fresh herbs you can grow in your place asap when you land (not sure if you can bring those with you?)

3. Jamaican-American here. You’re either going to want to bring ingredients yourself or have someone back home send them to you. Sadly, getting a lot of the things you need will be a challenge in Japan. It’s better to save yourself the headache and bring them yourself (or have a loved one send you some). I’m not sure how much luggage you guys can bring compared to those of us who came in 2021, but if you can bring a lot of stuff to Japan with you. I’d suggest prioritizing seasoning.

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   I personally didn’t have space to bring stuff myself, so my mother (in America) send me a package to last me a good amount of time! Of course its’ not cheap to send packages, but prices on amazon are out of this world or they just straight up don’t have the product.

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   I think when it comes to meats, you’ll be good, oxtail is a bit expensive, but I saw it even in my countryside town; so it’s likely you’ll find it as well. 🙂 I have seen jerk seasoning at the international supermarket (which is quite small, but its’ something), but they only had “mild.” Depending on your placement, you might be able to get more seasonings ‘n spices.

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   Japanese food is pretty good, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. They aren’t as keen on spice, but the flavor is good. I quite like Japanese food. It won’t be the same as eating food from back home though. It’s always nice to make food from your own culture every so often to deal with culture shock ‘n home sickness, but try to be as open as you can to trying new things. 🙂

   Japanese curry is different from Jamaican curry, but it’s quite tasty, if you need a curry fix. Also, there are many Indian restaurants, where the curry tastes more homey, in my opinion, with a spice level we’re used to.

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   Best of luck and welcome to Japan.

4. I buy janes crazy salt and onion powder at the supermarket. There are international supermarkets here like KALDEEs. Don’t worry about food though. The heat is more arduous.

   And no, Japanese seasonings aren’t like Jamaica generally.

5. Hi, I’m an incoming Jamaican JET as well but I plan to take some seasoning with me.

6. Not Jamaican, but I’ve found jerk chicken in Japan before (at this random restaurant in rural Fukui prefecture: [https://goo.gl/maps/VLT9vAHVs3sXGjfM6](https://goo.gl/maps/VLT9vAHVs3sXGjfM6))
   Of course it’s probably not as good as it tastes in Jamaica, but esp. some larger cities like Osaka or Tokyo, you might be able to find some Caribbean cuisine restaurants.

7. Trini here, and had a lot of friends from Africa where I lived in Japan. Something a lot of people brought were big tins or boxes of Maggi powdered seasonings. You can find curry powders and other seasonings without much difficulty, especially if there’s any Indian or Nepali specialty groceries or restaurants around.

   I’d say if there’s a particular seasoning native to home that you can’t do without, bring it along in a dried, powdered or prepackaged form. This includes anything you like boiling to drink (for me, that would be sorrel).

   And Japanese food is delicious. Honestly, don’t buy into all the gas about “Eh, no seasonings??? It must be bland or inedible!” I say this as someone who regularly went out for Japanese barbeque with my African friends, and would grill raw meat and vegetables, and eat them just like that, even with no added salt or pepper. Your taste buds will adjust, and depending on where you’re going, meat and fish can be very delicious and fresh and tasty as is.

   Also just a word to the wise: make sure that you don’t just pick up any old red beans off the shelves for stewing! I had a buddy who didn’t realise red beans in Japan are sweetened to use as dessert fillings. He made something truly inedible that day lol.

   You will always miss home cooking, but don’t let that hinder a true food adventure.

8. There is a store here called Kaldi which is pretty common; It has an incredible range of genuine international groceries. My closest one is an hour away, but the trip is very much worth it.

   I’m not sure how similar they are, but there is a surprising amount of Nepalese restaurants in Japan and a lot of them sell spice mixes made in-house. Sorry if they are completely different to African spices, but they will at least break up the monotony of Japanese flavours.