# <center>**Explore everyday life in Japan**</center>
<center>*Otsumami*</center>
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<center>*Toast, Dried Figs, and Cheese*</center>
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### If you have ever never been to Japan, you might not know this, but Japan has a very strong culture built up around drinking alcohol.

From something called a *Nomihodai* (A limited time all you can drink option that most restaurants and izakaya offer.) to *Ukon*(turmeric infusions that many people drink in an attempt to ward off hangovers) to the practice of not pouring one’s own drink and the habit of ending a long night of heavy drinking with a bowl of hot, oily ramen noodles, there are many unique aspects of drinking in Japan. Today I want to talk about one aspect known as *Otsumami*. 

*Otsumami* is one of many words used to describe a variety of foods that are served with alcohol in Japan. While *Otsumami* is a kind of *Shukoo* like *Otooshi* and *Tsukidashi*, what makes it different from these other two kinds of alcohol accompaniments is that *Otsumami* is generally a type of food or snack that is eaten with one’s hands. The very term derives from the verb *tsumamu*, which means to hold or pick up.
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### Go to any supermarket or convenience store in Japan and you will find an *Otsumami* section.

This section typically includes small packages of sliced cheese, smoky sausages, dried tangy strips of squid, small candied fish, and a variety of nuts and rice crackers usually priced between 100 and 200 yen. Have a drink at a friend’s house and chances are a bowl of edamame will be put on the table in front of you. Go out for a drink and you may find that it comes with a small plate of cured meats and cheeses, or slices of crisp daikon radish served with a side of miso-flavored mayonnaise. Depending on the kind of place you go and its quality, you may find a dish of macaroni salad served with your beer or a delicately flavored sashimi salad. Then again, you may just get a bowl of peanuts (the cost of which is included on your bill, of course).
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### While you may not be able to predict what you will be served with your first beer, cocktail, glass of wine, or carafe of sake in Japan, you can be sure that some kind of food will accompany your drink. And if that food happens to be something you can pick up with your hand and pop into your mouth, it is most likely thought of as *Otsumami* in Japanese.

In your country, when you sit down to have a drink at home, or when you’re putting a few back with your friends, what do you like to snack on? Please feel free to leave a comment below, or better yet, enter next week’s Steemit Culinary Challenge, provided to you by @woman-on the-wing, and try to wow me, the judge, with your original *Otsumami* creations. 

Bonus points will be provided for those who use local and/or seasonal ingredients and make *Otsumami*/alcohol pairings.

Please note that your *Otsumami* doesn’t have to be related to Japanese cuisine. It just needs to be a finger food that you would like to snack on while have a drink.
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<center>*Blue Cheese, Prosciutto, and Olive Oil Bruschetta*</center>
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## <center>I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!</center>
 

<br><center>***Image Credits:*** *All images in this post are original.*</center>

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*This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting regular updates about life in Japan, please consider following me at @boxcarblue. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.*
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<center>**If you missed my last post, you can find it here [Onsen Getaway]( https://steemit.com/japan/@boxcarblue/this-is-japan-onsen-getaway).**</center><br>