The idea is to vary the textures and taste so that there is variety in each meal. The meal may, however, be made up of very few ingredients, just prepared in different ways. When eating in Japan or in a Japanese restaurant, expect to have many courses with small portions presented on different plates. The food is most often in bite-sized pieces so that picking them up with chop sticks is easy. Each course will have different tastes and by the end of the meal, you will note having a feeling of abundance rather than be focused on the small portions.
Japanese cooking is mild and sauces are usually served on the side for dipping.
You can always substitute cooked shrimp, cooked salmon or tuna, or any small slices of cooked chicken for the raw ingredients suggested. By the way, if you ve never made sushi, we suggest you visit a Japanese sushi bar, sit at the counter, and watch the chefs. You ll get the hang of it in no time. We will set our table with chop sticks and the lovely lacquer trays that are springing up in import shops and cooking supply stores. Make sure to have enough serving trays to serve each type of sushi in the order you wish.