Major difference between Japanese and Chinese cuisines is that Japanese eat raw food which Chinese hardly eat. Major raw foods are sashimi and sushi but Japanese do not eat just raw seafood.
Another common raw food is raw egg. Raw egg is not consumed alone but eaten together with other food which are cooked. There are two popular ways to eat raw egg. The first one is when eating sukiyaki. Sukiyaki is very popular hot pot with sliced beef, tofu and various vegetables. Cooked beef, tofu and vegetables are dipped into a beaten raw egg in a small bowl.
Although sukiyaki is a signature dish in Japan, it is not eaten weekly or monthly, probably eaten several times per year. The second way to eat raw egg is with white rice. Raw egg is placed on the rice, but this time the egg is not beaten. On the other hand, not like nothing is added to raw egg for sukiyaki, usually soy sauce is poured on the egg when eaten with the rice.
Rice with raw egg is usually eaten in the morning and therefore hotels and inns offer raw eggs for their breakfast. Therefore if you see eggs placed near a rice cooker, do not think the eggs are boiled eggs. These are raw eggs!
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