For 2004, Japanese is the new French. Japanese cooking in New York now is where French cooking was in the mid-1970's: on the verge of a major breakthrough in quality and authenticity. Why Japanese? A weakening dollar and active recruiting of Japanese students by New York art schools like the School of Visual Arts have brought a large, trendsetting, young Japanese community to Manhattan. NEW YORKERS have long believed that a credit card, an open mind and the wit to put yourself in the hands of a great sushi master are a sure route to understanding Japanese cuisine. But with a burst of restaurant openings that began last fall and shows no sign of abating, New York is undergoing a crash course in Japanese flavors that goes well beyond sushi and soba. Learning to choose among maguro, chutoro and otoro grades of tuna is, it turns out, the tip of the iceberg. We now live in a world of sansho and shishito peppers, griddled takoyaki (octopus balls), crisp okonomiyaki (vegetable fritters), fine aged sakes with the richness of oloroso sherry, handmade gyoza dumplings and organic artisanal tofu. Japanese cooking in New York now is where French cooking was in the mid-1970's: on the verge of a major breakthrough in quality and authenticity. Thirty years ago, French restaurants in New York all served pretty much the same menu - onion soup, fillet of sole and chocolate mousse - and as far as most of us knew, that was French cooking. For 2004, Japanese is the new French. In New York's top restaurants, it's no longer possible to ignore Japanese ingredients like miso and ponzu: they pop up as often as mustard and parsley. Japanese cuisine is revealing its true scope; regional specialties, obscure ingredients, unexpected influences and restaurant options, from street food to superdeluxe. Why Japanese, why now? "The food has always been here," said Yuriko Kuchiki, a Japanese journalist who has lived in New York for 13 years. "The change is that Americans are eating more like the Japanese - seasonal ingredients, small plates, more fish and vegetables." Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit, whose first new venture in years is Riingo, a Japanese-American experiment expected to open next week, said: "The New York chefs I know have always been obsessed with Japanese food. It's a challenge, because it's so different." read full NY Times article and watch/listen to Audio guide to "Beyond Sushi - new japanese food in NYC" Browse guide to NYC Sushi restaurants