Japanese curry is the Japanese interpretation of British curry, which the British adapted from Indian curry. This game of culinary telephone gave us a Japanese curry that tastes nothing like the British or Indian versions of the dish. Curry was introduced to Japan in the Meiji Era (1868-1912, under Emperor Meiji), when its isolation from Western culture ended with the arrival of of the British. (The information about when curry was introduced to Japan comes to me from the article "The Origins of Japanese Curry" from Metropolis Magazine Japan, written by James Krick on October 20th, 2024.)
I tried two of the most popular types of curry available in Japan: the basic curry, and katsu (cutlet) curry. Katsu curry is the basic curry with some kind of cutlet, usually chicken or pork, served on top. The crunch of the cutlet serves as a nice contrast to the soft, stewed vegetables. Not pictured here is curry udon (thick cut wheat noodles) and curry bread. Curry udon consists of udon noodles served in a thinner curry sauce, usually without any vegetables or meat. Curry bread is a bread bun with some basic curry inside it, covered in bread crumbs and deep fried.
