The book consists of a Japanese-English section, an English-Japanese section, and seventeen appendices. Each entry in the Japanese-English section includes the Japanese term in Roman script; the term in kana or kanji or both; a Latin name where appropriate; an English definition; and, for most entries, a short annotation. The English-Japanese section defines important English food terms in Japanese and annotates those needing explanation. The appendices focus on important elements of Japanese cuisine, from the making of miso and sake to vegetarianism and the tea ceremony. One hundred line drawings depict everything from the delicate mitsuba leaf to the dreadful okoze fish.