When the state of the economy is this relentlessly depressing and you know the next time you’ll be able to afford to go to a decent restaurant is probably sometime in 2020, it’s always nice to be able to lose yourself in some unashamedly escapist foodie TV – the more foreign the location, the better. And there’s certainly plenty to choose from on the box at the moment – although some of it is not quite as escapist as perhaps intended.

In the latest episode of No Reservations (Sky Atlantic), edgy US chef-turned-writer presenter Anthony Bourdain headed to Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, just a few weeks before the devastating earthquake and tsunami in March. Although the region was not affected, your knowledge of what was to come elsewhere inevitably made you view the snowswept landscape, upbeat people and fantastic food in a different light, making everything seem more ephemeral and unreal somehow.

Not that the food needed any help on the unreal score. Even for those who’ve lived in Japan, as I did for two years, the seafood can be challenging. There is no part of a fish the Japanese won’t eat, as Bourdain discovered much to his delight as he prepared to “do serious damage to the world’s supply of sea urchin and salmon roe” in a Sapporo restaurant. Later, at an izakaya, he tucked into fish sperm sacs (soft roe), which he claimed tasted good – although the prospect of anyone seeking it out here after he declared, “I don’t like the way they’re grinning at me. Look at the married guy, he got a facial and he likes it”, I’d say was slim.

They’re likely to find more palatable some of the other Japanese fare that’s barely seen in the UK outside London, like yakitori – grilled and skewered chicken. I’ve had some fantastic yakitori in my time but this stuff looked amazing – no surprise when the cook’s been behind the grill for 29 years.

And that’s the secret of Japanese food. There’s no “I learnt how to make pasta in an hour”. These people spend lifetimes perfecting their art. The soba noodles guy took three years just to learn how to make the dough and roll it out right!

The upshot? Food that tastes a lot better than it looks. Shame the opposite tends to apply over here.