Guangzhou cuisine is really famous in Japan. Many popular Chinese restaurants are serving different types of Guangzhou cuisines, according to Ishizuka Hideki, Consul General of Japan in Guangzhou.

Hideki said that in Japanese, there is a word called "シュマイ," a homonym from the Cantonese word siu mai. The consul general added that siu mai is also the first Guangzhou food he had tasted. When he was in Japan, he occasionally went to the Chinese street in Yokohama to taste Cantonese cuisine and after he arrived in Guangzhou, he especially liked the vegetarian dishes of the Great Buddha Temple in Guangzhou.

Ishizuka Hideki, Consul General of Japan in Guangzhou. [Photo/Guangzhou Daily]

After arriving in Guangzhou, Hideki has seen many innovative Japanese dishes in Guangzhou. For example, the introduction of some drinks containing matcha, which are creative in his eyes. In addition, the fusion of ramen culture is also very interesting to him.

"In the beginning, we learned to make ramen from China. Later, Japanese ramen noodles were exported to China, and now new ramen noodles are being developed in China," he said. 

During the upcoming Asian Cuisine Festival in Guangzhou, Japan will also participate and display its food culture. The Japanese consul general said that he is looking forward to seeing the food culture communication between the Japanese restaurants and their Chinese counterparts. 

In his view, a core part of food culture is that delicious food always helps to boost the exchanges and understanding between people from different areas.

Tasty Guangzhou cuisine has left a deep impression on the Japanese consul general. [Photo/Guangzhou Daily]  

"Because everyone likes to try tasty food and then they try to explore the cultural characteristics behind it; it is particularly meaningful to promote exchanges and mutual understanding between Asian people in a wide range of fields through such food festivals."

Hideki also recommend that Guangzhou residents try sushi, which he thinks is the most typical and easiest Japanese food  to find in Guangzhou. The rice, fresh fish, and hospitality of Japanese chefs are three key parts to bring out the tastiest sushi, according to him.

Sushi will be a highlight for Japanese restaurants to showcase their food culture at the upcoming Asian Cuisine Festival. [Photo/Guangzhou Daily]