The Japanese Origins of Modern Fine Dining
I spent quite a few years growing up in Japan back several decades ago, and my experience is that Japan is about efficiency. Most common foods were served in a bowl, not in smaller, highly decorate plates, and more of them.  Food was always served prepared, meaning one did not need a knife or fork. One had to learn to use chopsticks, and for rice as well.<p>There were establishments that look close to the pictures if one searches the usual search engines, but I observed most food was eaten in the home, or packed in lunch boxes.