(Note: I refer to real Japanese and Chinese food, not the bastardized versions found in America and Europe)

This question is a tough one to answer because China is huge and its cuisine can differ from area to area.

For the most part, because of Japan's geography, it's primary source of meat is fish (from the sea) and pork (from the mountains). On the other hand, the main source of meat in China is Pork. Due to its large amounts of land, the fish eaten in china is also more often freshwater fish than saltwater fish. Raw fish (sashimi) is eaten extensively in Japan. While it is not unheard of in China, it is not eaten nearly as often as it is in Japan, and is often reserved for special occasions. For example, Yu Sheng, a Chinese fish salad, is often enjoyed during the Lunar New Year.

Japanese cuisine tends to have more subtle flavours which enhance the natural flavours of the ingredients while Chinese cuisine tends to have stronger flavours. The exception is cantonese cuisine which tends to have lighter flavours. This is most evident in the cultures' choice of condiments. In Japan, the five basic condiments, from which most Japanese sauces are made, are salt, sake, mirin, shoyu (soy sauce) and dashi (fish or kelp stock), all of which are light in flavour. Chinese condiments on the other hand can range from lightly flavoured ones similar to the Japanese ones to stronger condiments like bean paste, oyster sauce (a Chinese brown sauce) and fermented beancurd paste. Also, while citrus flavours are more prevalant in Japanese cooking, they are rarely present in Chinese cooking. Both cultures, however, use citrus fruits in candies and dessert.

The Chinese were the first to create noodles. While in Japan, there are only 3 main types of noodles (udon, soba and ramen), there are as many types noodles in China. The Chinese have a category of foods known as Main Shi, or dough foods, meaning food made from dough. This type of food is thought to have originated from northern China and is termed as such because the same type of dough is used to make a variety of noodles and dumplings which form the staple diet of northern China. While gyoza dumplings or potstickers (known as jiaozi(if boiled) or guo tie(when pan fried) in China) can also be found in Japan, the Japanese do not categorise it together with its noodles. You could think of Mian Shi as the Chinese equivalent of pasta.

Foreign influence has also played a part in both countries' cuisines. In Japan, a lot of its food was brought in by foreigners. Some examples are Tempura (from the Portuguese), Korokke (or croquettes, from the french), ramen (from the Chinese) and curry (from the british). The Japanese have also adapted other cuisines to suit their taste, creating dishes like Mentaiko (Cod roe) pasta, and Unagi (eel) pizza. The popularity of beef in Japan is also the result of foreign influence. The Chinese on the other hand, have been more resilient to foreign influence though influence from middle eastern and mongolian cuisine can be found in some parts of china, mostly due to its proximity to other countries in some of its areas.

Japanese cuisine can be designed to be eaten alone(Bento for example) or communally(Shabu Shabu hotpot). Chinese cuisine on the other hand, with the exception of 1 dish meals (like noodle soup or fried rice) is almost always eaten communally. Individual plating in Chinese cuisine was almost unheard of until recently.

Formalities and etiquette wise, there are some minor differences in Japanese and Chinese Cuisine. Chopsticks in China for example are placed perpendicular to the edge of the table while Chopsticks in Japan are placed parallel to the edge of the table. In Japan, slurping of noodles is a sign of appreciation for the chef whereas in China, slurping is frowned upon. In Japan, many will shout "itadakimasu" (thanking the origin of the food, the Shinto equivalent of saying grace, while in China, it is customary to ask ones elders to eat first before one eats.

There are many more differences between both cuisines. I encourage you to try both to find out.

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It is quite hard to distinguish a Japanese and Chinese foods, since there are lots of similarity between the two. They both are rice based and usually uses tofu and soy sauce. But, Japanese foods are light in stomach.

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