Rice, Noodle, Fish

Deep Travels Through Japan's Food Culture

By: Matt Goulding

Narrated by: Will Damron

An innovative new take on the travel guide, Rice, Noodle, Fish decodes Japan's extraordinary food culture through a mix of in-depth narrative and insider advice. In this 5,000-mile journey through the noodle shops, tempura temples, and teahouses of Japan, Matt Goulding, cocreator of the enormously popular Eat This, Not That! book series, navigates the intersection between food, history, and culture, creating one of the most ambitious and complete books ever written about Japanese culinary culture from the Western perspective.

Written in the same evocative voice that drives the award-winning magazine Roads & Kingdoms, Rice, Noodle, Fish explores Japan's most intriguing culinary disciplines in seven key regions, from the kaiseki tradition of Kyoto and the sushi masters of Tokyo to the street food of Osaka and the ramen culture of Fukuoka. You won't find hotel recommendations or bus schedules; you will find a brilliant narrative that interweaves immersive food journalism with intimate portraits of the cities and the people who shape Japan's food culture.

Rice, Noodle, Fish is a rare blend of inspiration and information, perfect for the intrepid and armchair traveler alike. Combining literary storytelling and indispensable insider information, the end result is the first ever guidebook for the new age of culinary tourism.

©2015 Matt Goulding and Nathan Thornburgh (P)2020 Tantor

Japan and its food

I was intrigued by the approach by region and then examining the best foods of each. Now I need to find the book to remember all the details.

Eat this book!

A fun, quick listen where Goulding provided an in depth look at several regions of Japan, their cuisines and how those cuisines have shaped the region/Japan and the world beyond Japan. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on okonomiyaki (team Osaka) and the ways in which gaijin can have an impact through their own cuisines. Especially enjoyed his time with the families in each region and the quest for the perfect kaiseki in Kyoto. Good read, but you will be hungry after.

Read it, don’t listen

The prose in this book is fantastic. The coverage of the history and variety of Japanese food culture is exceptional. I appreciate that the author goes beyond what Westerners think of when we think of Japanese food. That said, the narrator is TERRIBLE. He cannot pronounce any Japanese words or names correctly. He always putting the emphasis on the wrong syllable. It becomes really grating really quickly. Buy this in hard copy or on Kindle, the experience will be so much more enjoyable.

Amazing Food Stories and History

Great book, but read it - don’t listen to the audio version. The reader has no idea how to pronounce Japanese words, and the book is filled with Japanese terminology and locations. The mispronunciations were distracting and confusing.

A journey for the ages

this book was an excellent insight on the incredible food culture of Japan. it looks at so many things with respect and praise. it can inspire at times and leave you hungry at others.
the performance was also very good, generally pronouncing things well and the whole time felt like a friend telling their story. though, I do recommend listening at higher speed.