A gas oven, often an essential part of the kitchen in many American and European houses, never made it into most Japanese households because dishes requiring cooking in an oven, such as roasted chicken and baked pies, became popular only much later. Instead of an oven, a smaller fish oven was fitted into a gas stove.
Many Japanese houses aren't equipped with large ovens for baking and grilling. You could get a microwave-oven that will function as both.
It is also less common in Japan to bake things like pies, cookies, and breads at home. So it just hasn't been as necessary to have a large oven like those found in America. A few more homes now have a small counter size convection oven or microwave.
Kitchens in Japan don't usually have inbuilt ovens, which can come as a shock to new expats! Most Japanese dishes can be made with a stovetop, grill, and rice-cooker, so ovens aren't considered a necessity.
Home baking isn't as popular over here, and oven-use in general isn't central to Japanese home cooking, which tends to use stove-tops, grills, toaster-ovens, rice cookers and pickling to prepare food.
Toaster ovens and convection microwaves
If you are planning to do a lot of baking in Japan, perhaps you might want to consider investing in a toaster oven for baking. This is probably the obvious choice if it's available to you since a toaster oven is the closest you'll get to a big built-in oven.
A kamado (竈, 竃 or 灶) is a traditional Japanese wood- or charcoal-fueled cook stove.
In general, homes do not have central heating in Japan, because many Japanese believe it is better to keep yourself warm than heating a whole house. In old times people had one hearth in a central place called an irori (いろり). This hearth would also be used to cook and smoke food.
Individual room heating is still common in Japan.
It is common in Europe and the United States to heat the entire house with a central heating system. In Japan, it has been common to use a individual room heating, that is, to heat only the living room, bedrooms, and other areas as needed.
While restaurant portion sizes in Western countries have birthed a custom of taking leftovers home for a second meal, this is not the case in Japan. If you are considering asking for a take-home container, the answer, unfortunately, will almost always be no.
The absence of dishwashers
If you're used to having a dishwasher, it's time to remind yourself how to do the dishes manually—that's right, dishwashers are practically nonexistent at Japanese kitchens unless you are living in a deluxe apartment.
According to a survey conducted in Japan in March 2022, the majority of consumers in Japan prepared home-cooked meals at least once per week. Around one-third of respondents stated that they cooked meals almost ever day, while close to 20 percent admitted that they cooked only once a month or less.
Always finish your meal!
The Japanese consider it rude to leave food on your plate, and even more so to order more food when you haven't finished everything you've already got.
Maintaining cleanliness is important in Japan for both practical and spiritual reasons. Regular cleaning helps prevent the spread of bacteria and disease, which can be a concern in a humid country like Japan. It is one of the reasons why mask-wearing is so common.
Cleanliness is a part of Japanese culture
One of the reasons they feel this strongly about cleanliness is because they believe visitors will judge them poorly if they don't keep a clean home. Because of this, the Japanese will try to avoid letting people inside their homes if they haven't cleaned up.
Non-insulating building materials
For centuries, Japanese houses have been built with the country's sweltering, steamy summers in mind. Airflow and ventilation have, we are told, been prioritised over any kind of comfort in the colder months to prevent both the building and its occupants perishing in the humid heat.
Kotatsu is used by many people in Japan to stay warm at home during winter. With the exception of Hokkaido, homes in Japan generally lack central heating and can get very cold during the winter.
Unlike buildings in large parts of the United States, Europe and even neighboring South Korea, Japanese houses, apartments and office blocks typically do not have any form of central or underfloor heat. They are as chilly as cellars from November through to March.
The Japanese government recommends 82 degrees to save energy and also because it's thought to be unhealthy to move between temperature extremes, an idea that has roots in Chinese medicine. For some Japanese, American air conditioning culture can be surprising.
In both modern and traditional Japanese houses, walls tend to be quite thin [a 9.8 inches (25 cm) thick wall is used in our sample]. Traditional Japanese ceiling height used to be 7.2 ft (2.2 meters).
Some areas are colder because Siberian winds blow in from the Sea of Japan. On the other hand, the south-western areas of Honshu tend to experience milder winters. Therefore, major cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto tend to have winters with average temperatures ranging from 4 – 5°C (39.2 – 41.0°F).
Teppanyaki grills are found in many Japanese restaurants as long, flat grills around which guests are seated. The chefs grill the food that is ordered in front of the guests, wowing them with their culinary talents and excellent knife skills.
Finally, the main dishes would often be meat or fish. Though Japanese home-cooked dishes have changed throughout time, this concept still remains widely accepted among many Japanese households.