Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

@comicsan They kind of try to describe the difference on the site: http://www.americurry.com/what-is-japanese-curry/
To be honest my palate is not refined enough to describe the flavors, but like the site says, it's a bit sweeter, thicker, and not as spicy than some of the coconut milk based curries I've tried at Indian restaurants. I think of it as just homey and comforting brown sauce on rice. You should try it at least once! :)

Having grown up on Japanese curry, it took me a bit to get accustomed to Thai, Vietnamese, and Indian curries -- Thai and Vietnamese were easier than Indian due to the spices and sweetness.

Japanese curry is a lot cheaper to get at a restaurant too, compared to Indian in Hawaii. It costs ~$30/person to eat Indian curry at a restaurant 20 years ago, but I could eat a plate of curry rice and chuck the tonkatsu in the trash or to a friend for $5-6.

I have passed up going to Beat Takeshi's curry house in Waikiki for years, along with CoCo Ichibanya. No time. One of these days...