Japanese Chinese Cuisine - Dim Sum in Japan

Dim Sum in Japan

Dim sum (点心 tenshin or 飲茶 yamucha in Japanese) in Japan is often very different from that which has been popularized in Chinatowns in the United States and Canada. In Japan's Chinatown areas, restaurants in which numerous dishes are brought around to diner's tables on carts do exist. But, in general, Dim sum items have only recently begun to gain popularity around Japan. Instead of carrying full menus of authentic, Chinese-oriented items such as stewed chicken's feet or tripe, Japanese dim sum restaurants, now found in larger cities such as Osaka and Tokyo seem to promote a cafe-like atmosphere. At these cafes, tea and snacks often become the focus, instead of full meals. In general, the menus seem to focus on cafe items, such as Shumai (minced pork or shrimp dumplings,) sho lon po (steamed dumplings with juicy meat inside) and the like. These are usually served alongside of pots of oolong or jasmine tea.