The Japanese cuisine offers a very large variety of dishes and regional specialties. The traditional food of Japan is based on rice with miso soup and other dishes. The word for “meal” in Japanese is gohan. This word literally means steamed rice, but rice is such an important food to the Japanese that gohan has come to mean all sorts of meals. A traditional Japanese meal consists of a serving of plain, white rice, along with a main dish (fish or meat), some kind of side dish (often cooked vegetables), soup (often miso soup), and pickled vegetables. There are three fundamental types of traditional full course Japanese cuisine, they are called honzen ryori, an assembly of dishes served on legged trays at formal dinner; another is chakaiseki ryori, a series of dishes sometimes served before tea ceremony, and kaiseki ryori, a series of dishes for parties. The main ingredients in Japanese cooking are seafood, vegetable and rice. In preparing foods for serving one arranges them in a manner that harmonizes colors and textures. Japanese dishes are decorated very beautifully like an art; they look very pleasing to the eyes and the taste of the food is really delicious. Sushi, tempura, sukiyaki, sashimi, ramen, soba, onigiri are amongst the most famous Japanese foods. Japanese today eat many dishes from around the world, particularly from Europe, North America, and Asia. In addition to rice, Japanese people eat bread, noodles, and pasta and enjoy a wide array of meats, fishes, vegetables, and fruits. Japanese cuisine has in recent years become much more familiar and appreciated around the world. Before eating, Japanese people say “itadakimasu,” a polite phrase meaning “I receive this food.” This expresses thanks to whoever worked to prepare the meal. After eating, people again express their thanks by saying “gochiso sama deshita,” which literally means “It was quite a feast.”