A recent article from LA Weekly compared what American people in LA think Japanese eat. I have no idea what LA people are, let alone what they would think about what Japanese eat, but it is an insightful article.
Having lived in Japan over 26 years we get asked all the time what we eat in Japan. Some people seem to have an exaggerated understanding of what Japanese eat. Their impressions are usually the things that people would consider inedible or strange to eat.
While we are in the US we normally don’t eat Japanese food because we have missed many US favorites since we were gone. Unless my wife prepares it usually we pass on Japanese food in the US. It is not as good and is usually on the high end. I am pretty right in guessing that the best sushi in the world is not in the American Midwest. We would probably only venture into a restaurant that was frequented by Japanese nationals, as they know what authentic is.
It seems the people in LA have more exposure to Japanese culture and have a better understanding of normal Japanese eating habits. I was delighted to see 3 of my top 6 favorite Japanese foods on what Japanese commonly eat. Not one was on the list that LA people think Japanese eat. Proves I am not from LA, I guess. The article is at http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2012/01/japanese_venn_food_diagram.php