Ok, you’re in Japan, now what do you need to eat? Honestly, the food in Japan is the best I’ve ever had anywhere in the world. If I could choose anywhere to go right now to have something to eat, it would be Japan. And one of the best things about food in Japan is that, for the most part, it doesn’t break the bank. So many of the most iconic Japanese meals, you can eat WELL under $10!
It’s almost impossible to make this bucket list short. There is just too much good stuff. But I’ve gone ahead and listed my TOP TEN and then added the rest of the items after that. So if you’re only in Japan for a short time, be sure you at least check off those top ten items. But if you’re a foodie and want to be sure to get everything out of your once-in-a-lifetime trip to Japan, but sure to download my Japan Food Bucket list and see if you can eat it all!
#1 Ramen
Ramen is a Japanese adaptation of a classic Chinese wheat noodles dish brought to Japan in 1859. But since its adoption, Japanese chefs have changed the recipes considerably and really made it their own! Other dishes on this list might make the #1 spot on other blogs, but for me, ramen is the best thing you can eat in Japan! It’s rich, complex while still being simple and best of all, it’s cheap and filling!
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different ramen variations to suit any palette. And you can find a new ramen shop almost on every corner. The most traditional type of ramen is made with soy sauce and miso in a pork bone broth. Then it’s topped with a slice of tender pork, spring onions, bamboo shoots and a lovely soft boiled egg (always add the egg!)
Whereas sushi comes in a wide range of prices, ramen is reliably the same price everywhere you. Of course, there is the occasional upscale version but those you really have to seek out. You can get it dirt cheap from the konbini, but for the most part, ramen restaurants around the city will serve you up a hot bowl of noodle soup for less than $10. Suppose you love ramen as much as me. In that case, you HAVE to check out the ramen museum in Yokohama! Here you can sample recipes and dishes from all over Japan in one easy-to-access spot just an hour outside Tokyo!
#2 Sushi
Even people who have never been to Japan associate Sushi as its National dish. And while it might seem like a common response to what to eat in Japan, it’s up there for a reason. Sushi in Japan really is just that good! The word ‘sushi’ means “sour-tasting”. It is named because of the sushi rice, which is always seasoned with “sour” rice vinegar. Japan is the 5th largest island nation and is surrounded by water, and therefore, by fish! But it’s not just proximity to the waters which is important. It is the legacy of the craft and the care taken in preparing the sushi.
While you might think that sushi all about the fish, most sushi chefs will tell you it’s actually all about the rice! Chefs will spend years developing the perfect relationship with their rice farmers to get the best product possible. They ensure it is cooked at the ideal temperature so that the fish almost melts onto and in your mouth.
Another great thing about sushi is that it can be eaten as inexpensively as possible, either from Japanese convenience stores (konbinis) or conveyor belt sushi restaurants. But it also can be one of the most upscale and almost performative meals of your entire life. At high-end sushi restaurants, the chef takes you on a journey with the creations he hands over the bar. You’ve never tasted fish like this before.
And while there is something truly special about those expensive Michelin starred restaurants, the cheap sushi you can get at the corner izakaya is still made from high-quality fish which tastes as fresh as anything you’ve had before.
#3 Konbini Egg Salad Sandwich
I know, I know, an egg salad sandwich sounds like a CRAZY recommendation. I can hear you yelling now, “I came all the way to Japan to eat an egg salad sandwich?! No way!” And I implore you to prove me wrong. I have an entire post dedicated to my love of these sandwiches. Which maybe tells you a little more about my I suppose… But I’m not alone! Famed chef and TV personality Anthony Bourdain touted the sando’s magnificence too!
The combination of that oh-so-perfectly soft bread, cut without the crusts and the creamy soft boiled egg salad inside is heaven. Japan doesn’t do the typical North American breakfast (and rightly so), but if you’re looking to eat your egg in the morning, this is a great way to do it.
#4 Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki is probably the food I have the most fun with! Okonomiyaki is a dish made from a thick savoury batter that is poured over a hot cooktop. Add into the batter you add shredded cabbage and your choice of ingredients. The classic is filled with pork belly and topped with dried bonito flakes, kewpie mayo (the best mayo in the world) and a sweet brown sauce. The customization of this dish is one reasons I love it since you can get a different mixture every time. There is also a regional variety which includes noodles served on top! Extra yummy 🙂
But what makes okonomiyaki so fun is that in many restaurants, you make it yourself! You sit at a table with the hot cooktop, and the waiter will bring over the ingredients. Then, you mix it all up and cook right there on the table in front of you. You can add as much or as little of the condiments as you like to top it off. While some people aren’t fans of cooking your own meal at a restaurant, I LOVE it! It’s such a great way to learn more about the food you’re eating and a great activity to enjoy with your fellow travellers. Don’t worry at all if you don’t know what you’re doing. The waiters are ALWAYS so helpful and will even do it all for you if you really feel like you’re mucking it up.
#5 Bento Box / Ekiben
Bento Boxes and Ekiben are perfectly curated boxes of brightly coloured foods. Each item is placed together to create a complimentary meal to satisfy your every craving. The reason I love them so much is that they look almost too pretty to eat. Every item is carefully tucked away into its own section. “Bento” translates into the English word for “boxed-lunch.” These meals were designed to be eaten on the go. The invention of the bento box dates back to the Kamakura period (1185 to 1333). Back then, they were pretty simple and made mostly to carry rice.
It wasn’t until the late 16th century that the boxes evolved into a more luxurious design during the Edo period. Beautiful lacquered wooden boxes were made to display bite-sized food within. These fancy bento boxes were called the ‘Makunouchi.’ This translates into “between acts” as the lacquered boxes were designed to be sold inside Kabuki theatres and eaten during the intermission. You buy simple bento boxes at every konbini, but you can also buy more specialty ones at shops around Japan.
Ekiben comes from the words “eki,” which means railway station. These bento boxes were designed exclusively for travellers on the railway. Sometimes people needed to travel long distances into big cities for work, so this was an excellent solution for people who needed to eat their dinner on the train. But who didn’t have time to prepare a healthy meal themselves. Ekibens are traditionally meant to be enjoyed on the train from one city to another. If you don’t have any long train journey scheduled, don’t like that stop you! Go to your local train station and pick up one of these gorgeous ekibens. They make for a great picnic outside or even just eaten on your bed in the hotel.
#6 Soba Noodles
Soba noodles are such a simple dish but one that is truly unbelievable to eat. The meaning of ‘Soba’ refers to the buckwheat used to make the noodles. Soba can be eaten both cold and warm. The cold version is actually my favourite. The buckwheat adds a slightly nuttier flavour to the noodles, which I feel like you can taste better in the cold version. They are generally served on a little bamboo tray.
If you ordered the cold version then you can dip the noodles into the sauce provided. The warm noodles are served directly into the bowl of hot dashi broth. Soba is generally served with spring onions, nori (seaweed), as well as a bit of wasabi. Some of my best restaurant experiences have been at soba shops. I don’t know what it is about soba shops but they seem to be run by the kindest people! It makes dining inside a true joy.
#7 Sukiyaki and Shabu-Shabu
I felt I needed to group together Sukiyaki and Shabu-Shabu together as they are very similar, and I couldn’t choose between them both. Each of these consists of cooking your own meat in a hot pot on your own table.
Sukiyaki
The word ‘Sukiyaki’ means ‘cook what you like‘. And this is pretty much exactly what you do. They bring you all the ingredients and appliances and you choose the rest. You can cook the meat as much or as little as you prefer. Or add in tons of veggies or skip them altogether.
The meal is prepared using a shallow pan set on top of a hot fire. You add the meat and veggies into the hot pan first and then top it with the Sukiyaki sauce. The sauce flavours all the ingredients inside the pot as they cook. Once the meat is done cooking you can enjoy it out of the pot or over some rice. One way in which Sukiyaki is traditionally eaten is with a raw egg. When you get to the table you’ll find an egg and a bowl on the side. Crack the egg and beat it in the small bowl. Then dip the hot meat inside before eating. While eating raw egg sounds scary, the meat is so hot it cooks down the egg slightly and gives it almost a buttery taste.
Shabu-Shabu
Whereas Sukiyaki is made in a shallow pot, Shabu-Shabu is made using a deep bot. The word ‘shabu-shabu’ is s an onomatopoeia word for the noise the meat makes when you add the meat and swish it around in the broth. The hot pot is filled with a boiling broth, rather than the rich sauce used in sukiyaki. Into this pot, you once more can add your own ingredients. You add in all your veggies first. Once they have started cooking, you dip the paper-thin shreds of beef into the pot. The water is so hot, the meat cooks within seconds. Once your meat is cooked, you can dip it into a Ponzo sauce to deepen the flavour.
As you add more and more to the pot, the broth gets more and more flavourful. At the end of the meal, you can spoon it out and drink it like soup! In both Sukiyaki and Shabu-shabu restaurants, the atmosphere inside is always so boisterous and fun! Like you were crashing a party already in full swing. These kind of meals are best eaten with large groups but even if it’s just the two of you, you’ll still have a wonderful time.
#8 Curry
Curry was originally introduced to Japan by the British in the late 19th century. But over the years, the recipe has been adapted to the Japanese palette. Their version of curry is completely unique. It is much sweeter than Indian curry and doesn’t have any of Thai curries’ coconut milk. Japanese curry is prepared more like a rich stew with a thick and sweet sauce. Japanese curry is served with rice and topped with any combination of ingredients. Everything from deep-fried pork katsu, crispy chicken to shrimp tempura and assorted vegetables.
Curry shops are everywhere. And the meal is so filling at such a low price. My favourite place to go is CoCo Curry, this shop just seems to add that extra something special which makes their version absolutely addictive. On the table, you’ll find a small jar of pickles. Throw these on as a little savoury crunch needed to cut the grease of the curry.
#9 Yakitori
Yakitori restaurant can generally be found by the smoke and steam billowing out of their doors. Yakitori was invented in Japan in 1682 when it was introduced to the population via a cookbook called “Gouruinichiyo Ryourisho.” In its simplest form, Yakitori is a bite-sized piece of meat skewered on a bamboo stick. The meat is then grilled over a charcoal fire give it that smokey flavour. After being cooked, it is seasoned with either tare sauce or salt. Tare sauce is made of mirin rice wine, soy sauce, sake and sugar. It adds an amazing kick to the fatty meat.
One of the most extraordinary things about Yakitori is that each piece costs about 120 yen. At that price, it’s an excellent opportunity for you to try different items you might have never had before. We ate everything from hearts to livers and even chicken skin! And it was all delicious (well, maybe the liver just wasn’t for me, but that’s a personal preferenced). Yakitori restaurants, unless they are super upscale, are tiny and crammed full of people. Most of the time you’ll eat at the bar facing the chefs cooking the tiny skewers. He places them on the long grill which stretches almost across the entire restaurant! The atmosphere is terrific, and salarymen come in from the bars late at night to fill up on greasy to prevent an early morning hangover. It’s really a party!
#10 Mochi
I had to end the top ten list off with a dessert. And the dessert which still calls my name to this day is Daifuku Mochi. Daifukumochi, or daifuku, is a Japanese sweet made of mochi paste. Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made from glutinous rice, water, sugar and cornstarch. The mixture is pounded into a paste until it can be moulded into the desired shape. The mochi is wrapped around a sweet filling, most commonly sweetened red bean paste. During the springtime, they have my favourite flavour; Ichigo (strawberry). This version is usually only on sale during the spring when the strawberries are in season. But the blend of the rich paste with the tart and sweet strawberry is stupendeous!
Now that we’ve outlined the best of the best, I’ve broken up the rest of the items on the bucket list into different categories. So depending on the time of day or what you’re feeling, you can find what you’re looking for. Feel free to download my Japanese Food Bucket List to take on your trip! See if you can find them all!
Drinks
Coffee
While Japan might not be the first country that comes to mind when you think of rich coffee culture, you might find yourself to be ultimately in awe of it once you discover it. Unlike the long history of espresso in Italy or Australia’s complex latte culture, Japan has been slowly and quietly assembling some of the best roasters worldwide. Like everything in Japan, they took making the best coffee cup to the extreme. Firstly, Japanese service is the best in the world so their baristas are top-notch. Secondly, they take such care in presenting even a simple cup of coffee. Pour-over coffee is definitely the most popular form of elegant coffee in Japan so if you see a cafe that does the pour-over, head right inside! It’s mesmerizing to watch the baristas take SUCH care to create your morning brew for you.
Macha Tea
Macha is made from the finely ground powder of specialty Japanese-grown green tea leaves. This type of tea is another example of things that can be on the high and low end of the price spectrum. It can be drunk out of a vending machine or in an elaborate tea ceremony using only ceremonial-grade tea leaves. Macha tea is so prevalent in Japan that often in restaurants, you’ll find a small bowl of macha powder right on the table. This is free of charge, and you can have as much as you want! For them, a meal without tea just isn’t a meal.
My favourite way to enjoy a cup of macha is in a tea house, preferably in the middle of a zen garden. The bamboo and tatami-covered rooms have open windows that look out onto the landscape around you. You can sit and enjoy the tea, surrounded by some of the most beautiful sights. In tea rooms, you will also be served Wagashi with your macha tea. Wagashi is a traditional Japanese sweet that provides a beautiful contrast to the bitter tea and mellows out the flavour.
Sake
Sake is one of the most popular alcoholic drinks enjoyed in Japan. The key ingredient in good sake is high-quality rice. The rice is processed with water, koji mould and yeast and fermented until the mixture reaches its optimal flavour. Then it is filtered and ready to be drunk. Sake is known to pair exceptionally well with the umami flavours used in Japanese cuisine. So it’s the best drunk along with a meal. While sake might seem like a luxury drink, you can find sake as cheap as a few hundred yen a glass. At the most expensive restaurant we ate at in Japan, I treated myself to a glass of their specialty sake. And I was shocked to find it only cost 900 yen! The joys of local production.
Umeshu
Umeshu is one of the most incredible liquors I drank in Japan! It is plum wine made from soaking Japanese plums in shochu, sugar and water for years at a time. The result is this almost thick, sweet drink that retains the tang of the plums. Since the liquor is so potent, it is usually served mixed with a bit of soda water. It is very similar to icewine, and since I’m Canadian, I think I really was drawn to the flavour.
Breakfast
Tamagoyaki
Tamagoyaki translates literally to “cooked egg,” which is precisely what it is. This dish is essentially a rolled-up omelette. It is served either on its own, over rice or skewered on a large bamboo stick to be eaten on the go. The egg is whipped into this light and fluffy texture and cooked on a special pan. As each layered cooks, it is rolled over itself. Once it is done, the Tamagoyaki is covered in a light soy sauce. Despite the egg containing no sugar, it tastes so sweet! This dish surprises you at first, as you don’t expect eggs to be so sweet. But the taste is buttery, light and delicious. Most people eat this for breakfast, but it is also a popular item added to bento boxes or chirashi bowls.
Onigiri
The classic breakfast food for many Japanese people is Onigiri. Onigiri is a rice ball formed into a triangle and wrapped in nori (seaweed). The nori wrapping provides a great cover, so your hands don’t get covered in sticky rice. The rice ball is filled with various flavours—everything from tuna, mayo and shrimp, egg and pickled plum. The pickled plum flavour is meatless and an excellent option for vegans. While being vegan in Japan might be more difficult, it’s definitely not impossible. My personal favourite variety is the Mentaiko. Mentaiko means “spicy cod roe.” It’s not too spicy but has the perfect salty kick to get things started in the morning.
Chirashi
Chirashi is one of the most lovely ways to enjoy fresh fish straight from the market. If you visit a local fish market, directly outside you’ll usually find a series of little restaurants, and one of the most commonly served meals is Chirashi. The word ‘chirashi’ means ‘to scatter’. Chirashi contains various bits of sashimi (raw fish), scattered on top of a warm bed of vinegared rice. The dish was invented to use up pieces of the fish that weren’t “pretty” enough to be served as straight-up sashimi.
Many of the fish market workers eat a bowl as their breakfast. In fact, breakfast time is when the fish, which has just been brought out the market floor, will actually be the freshest! So don’t be scared to have a bowl of rice and raw fish for breakfast!
Melon Pan
Melon pan is a sweet bread sold in bakeries and konbinis all over Japan. And despite the name, it actually doesn’t have any melon in it. It’s named as such because its outer later, once baked, resembles a melon’s skin texture. This soft bun is that perfect level of sweetness which makes it great for breakfast.
Snacks
Nikuman
A great side dish for lunch is the Chinese steamed buns, called Nikuman, which you can find inside konbinis right near the counter. These come with fillings like pork, spicy curry, bean paste, Thai shrimp, even pizza! Pizza might sound weird but trust me, the Frankenstein creation is surprisingly delicious! These are little hot pockets of heaven and make for a great lunch on the go. Despite being such a ubiquitous creation they are unbelievable delicious, so don’t let the low price fool you!
Miso Soup
If you have a meal in a traditional Japanese restaurant, almost regardless of the time of day, more often than not, it will start with a warm bowl of miso soup. You might think you’ve had miso soup before, but REAL Japanese miso soup is unreal! Miso soup is made from, surprise surprise, miso paste! Miso paste is made from fermented soybeans.
It might interest you to know that in Japan, there are more miso flavours almost than there are types of soft drinks. The grocery aisles filled with miso paste seem to go on forever. While miso soup is made up of the same ingredients every time; miso paste, dashi broth, tofus, green onions and seaweed, each chef makes it his own. Since the miso soup is what you start the meal off with, it acts almost as an introduction to what’s to come from the cook.
Gyoza
Gyoza was a recipe that Japanese soldiers wanted to recreate for themselves when they got home from China post-World War II. Gyoza is made from thinly rolled dough and filled with pork, cabbage, green onions and mushroom. It is then formed into moon-shaped dumplings. The true test of good gyoza is that hard, crispy bottom and a soft and moist interior. Gyoza shops are everywhere in Japan. You can hop inside and just chow down! These are such great snack options to tide you over throughout the day.
Yakisoba
Yakisoba, for me, feels like a day out at the ballpark. When coming to a baseball game in Japan, you can bring in as much food as you want. Outside the stadiums, there are usually dozens of local vendors selling to-go meals. When we went, we were sure to pick up some fresh Yakisoba. Yakisoba feels like an event-type food. It is ALWAYS present during the summer festivals that pop up all over Japan. Served up on huge cooktops, piled a mile high!
Yakisoba means “cooked soba”. And yet these noodles don’t contain any buckwheat as other soba noodles usually do. The dish was inspired by Chinese fried noodles. When it originally came to Japan, wheat was very expensive. So thinly shredded cabbage was added to fill out the dish, creating a new iconic recipe. Today, Yakisoba is made by stir-frying the cooked noodles, cabbage, carrots, and pork, then topped with the pickled ginger and traditional yakisoba sauce. They are addictive and the best sports game food I’ve ever had!
Kushikatsu
‘Kushi’ translates to “skewers,” and ‘katsu’ means deep-fried, so together Kushikatsu means “deep-fried skewers”. This dish is originally from Osaka but can be found all over Japan. These are served in little izakayas close to the train stations. Kushikatsu makes for a great snack before dinner instead of an entire meal (although you can definitely opt to make it your whole meal as well). You can order pretty much anything deep-friend here, everything from; beef, chicken gizzard, chicken eggs, pork, sausages, shrimp, scallops, octopus, onions, sweet potatoes, lotus roots and lots, lots more!
Like Yakitori, each one of these skewers is relatively inexpensive. So you have an excellent opportunity to try out a bunch of different items you might be curious about. After getting the Kushikatsu dolled out to your table or at the counter, you can dip the sticks into the sweet sauce provided. Or just into some plain salt to really taste the depth of flavour of the item.
Curry Bread
Curry Bread is crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. The dish is made from fried bread filled with different flavours of Japanese curry. You can choose spicy or non-spicy, although my preference and recommendation would undoubtedly be the spicy version. The bread frys up so nicely that these incredible puffs of fried dough dot the exterior of the treat. These are especially good if you’re visiting on a cold day!
Age Manju
“Age” means deep-fried, and “Manju” is a Japanese steamed bun with various fillings. The Age Manju is a deep friend variety of this long-loved treat. The Manju is dipped in a batter coating and fried, warming up the filling inside. These delicious little hot pockets are indeed something that can’t be missed!
Oden
As the perfect entry to your dinner at the konbini, start off with traditional Japanese comfort food, Oden. Oden originated as Japanese-style street food during the Edo period. The dish starts with a richly flavoured soup, and different ingredients are added to it. This adds more flavour and texture to the soup. Unlike other soups, you can actually pick and choose what items are added into your oden, making it a personalized experience. You can choose from things like fish cakes, grilled meat, daikon rashies, hard-boiled eggs, deep-fried tofu coin purses and seasonal veggies. Oden is a favourite food to eat during the colder winter months, but it is on offer all year round.
Karaage
Karaage (aka deep-fried chicken) is a classic Japanese dish you’ll find at convenience stores. Although you can get karaage everywhere, Lawson’s does it best! They serve their Karaage in both regular and spicy nuggets, but let’s face it, if you want the premium version, you go for the spicy! Lawson’s brand is not only the most delicious (in my personal opinion), but their packaging with that cute little chick is adorable!
Senbei
Senbei are round crackers made from rice and mixed with sugar and syrup. The dough is flattened and cut into perfect circles. The crackers are then cooked over a grill of burning coals, giving them a distinct roasted flavour. There are dozens of different flavours of crackers, from sweet, to savoury to super spicy. My favourite was the sweetened seaweed, which had a lovely taste and a beautiful colour from the crispy seaweed.
Takoyaki
Takoyaki is one of the most famous street foods that first originated in Osaka. When translated, Takoyaki means ‘octopus balls’. The dish consists of spherical dumplings made from a savoury batter filled with a bite-sized piece of tako (octopus). Once the batter is cooked, the dumplings are covered in a sweet and savoury sauce, kewpie mayo, seaweed and bonito flakes. The dish tastes very similar to okonomiyaki but with the addition of the tako.
Meals
Kaiseki
Kaiseki or kaiseki-ryōri is a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner. These are often served in Ryokans as your dinner included in your stay. If you aren’t staying at a Ryokan, you can also find Kaiseki meals at specialty restaurants around Japan. One reason why some Ryokans are so expensive is that the fancy meal is included in the price. During the Kaiseki, you will be served a dozen or more dishes, each one featuring local and seasonal specialties.
These are served in small, beautiful ceramic dishes, each one made to compliment the food on top. The plating is thought to enhance the flavour of the food as well. This is one of those meals that is more than the sum of its parts. It is an art form all of its own. This is perhaps one of Japan’s few meals that cannot be found for a low price. But the splurge is definitely worth it. I would advise you to stay in a Ryokan to enjoy the complete experience.
Udon
Like Ramen, which was brought to Japan from China, the origins of Udon also lie in China. Thick wheat noodles served inside a hot soup broth was a meal brought to Japan’s shores in the 700s. Still, it wasn’t until the dish was refined and changed into a uniquely Japanese meal that it gained popularity in the 1700s. Udon’s modern version is thick noodles that are served in a dashi broth, topped with scallions and seaweed. Udon noodles are definitely the chewiest of all the noodles you can find in Japan. I find a bowl of Udon to be the most filling! To add a little bit more oomph to your bowl, top the udon with some freshly made tempura or grilled mochi cakes!
Tempura
Although tempura is often served alongside other dishes, like mentioned above with the udon, it can easily be a meal all of its own. Tempura has been enjoyed in Japan since the mid-16th century. It was one of the favourite dishes of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo era. Although traditional tempura is simply deep-fried shrimp, there are also other fish and vegetable varieties you can sample as well. This is a great way to try out new items from daikon to mushrooms, eel, lotus root and sweet potato. Tempura is often served atop a bowl of rice with a side of warm miso soup. The key to eating fresh tempura is not to let it sit for too long, as this will cause the tempura to get soggy. And no one wants that!
Gyūdon
Gyūdon might be considered “fast food”, often eaten by salarymen on their lunchbreak trying to rush back to work. But I actually think there is something charmingly delicious about this meal. Gyūdon consists of a bowl of beef and onion simmered in a sweet dashi sauce. It is served on top of rice or noodles along with a raw or soft boiled egg and many green onions. The egg yolk adds a creamy, salty, umami flavour to the dish. So much more complex than just a hamburger we get in our fast-food restaurants.
Gyūdon is available at many chain restaurants like Yoshinoya, Matsuya or Sukiya. But you can also find superior Gyudon in restaurants around Japan made with high-quality beef and sometimes even Wagu! Whether you get the high-end experience or an affordable version, you are in for a treat.
Unagi
Unagi is Japanese for “freshwater eel”. I actually think eel might be my favourite kind of fish to have in Japan. Unagi is a dish that dates back to the Edo period in Japan when it was customary to eat at summer festivals. It was thought to help with stamina in the hot weather. When the eel is prepared, the fillets are covered in a sweet soy sauce and broiled over a charcoal grill. The broiling almost caramelizes the sauce and creates this slightly crispy texture to the fish. It is generally served on a bed of rice to make a full meal.
Tonkatsu
Tonkatsu is the ultimate in crispy, fried pork. It is considered “yoshoku,” which refers to a style of food influenced by western cooking. But this isn’t a new invention; the word originates from the Meiji Restoration time in 1898. Like most other yoshoku foods, the Japanese took the original tonkatsu recipe and made it their own. Today, tonkatsu is made by coating pork chops in crisp panko breadcrumbs and deep-frying them until they are golden brown in colour. They are normally served with a large pile of shredded cabbage. The reason for the pairing is that the vitamin inside cabbage balances the gastric reaction that the fats inside the fried pork creates in your body. Just another example of how cuisine in Japan is more than just making things taste good. It thinks ahead and wants to take care of your body as well!
Uni Ikura Don
Although this dish is native to Hokkaido, anywhere you can find a local fish market with fresh uni, you can find Uni Ikura Don. Uni Ikura Don is much like chirashi, but instead of a variety of fish, it contains only uni (sea urchin) and a heaping scoop of salmon roe. If you’ve never had uni before, you definitely should give it a try! Uni does indeed have a strong taste of the ocean and is creamy and buttery in texture. The salmon roe’s crunchy texture is a wonderful contrast to the uni and is what makes this dish such a great combo! While it’s not the cheapest option, you can easily share one bowl between two people as it’s pretty rich.
Wagyu Beef
While Wagyu beef might be a huge splurge at home, since Wagyu comes from Japan, you can eat it here in a much more affordable way. Don’t get me wrong. It’s still costly and not a budget option, but eating local foods is always more affordable; than when they are shipped internationally. Wagyu beef is actually a class of meat made from a variety of Japanese cattle. There are different grades of Wagyu, each of which is progressively more expensive.
Wagyu beef is so good because the meat contains lots of marbled ribbons of fat, making it almost buttery soft to eat. It even has a slightly sweet flavour derived from the fat. Like other types of meat, the Wagyu is served in many different cuts, which also have different prices. Suppose you’re looking to taste some Wagyu at the most low-cost option. In that case, many shabu-shabu or sukiyaki restaurants offer thin slices of Wagyu as meal sets. Because the meat is sliced so thin, you can sample a little bit without it being prohibitively expensive.
Desserts
Taiyaki
Taiyaki is a popular Japanese treat made with a pancake-like batter poured into a mould in the shape of a cute fish. It’s then filled with various fillings like chocolate, vanilla custard or the best of them all, matcha! These are too cute to pass up but also taste delicious. You can also get taiyaki served with ice cream in the centre and the blend of the hot cake with the cold ice cream is fantastical!
Kakigōri
If you’re in Japan during their hot summer, you need to get yourself a Kakigōri stat! Kakigōri is shaved iced, covered in condensed milk or flavoured syrup and sometimes topped with fruits and other little sweets. Although electric shavers have been invented, many local street vendors still use traditional hand-crank machines to serve up their Kakigōri. A massive block of ice is placed inside, and the crank spins around to carefully shave the ice into thin ribbons into the bowl below. Unlike snow cones we have in North America which are dense and crunchy, Kakigōri is as soft as freshly fallen snow and feels like eating a cloud! The perfect way to cool down after a day in the heat!
Creative Ice Cream Flavours
Japan has an obsession with soft-serve ice cream. I don’t know what they do to make it impossibly creamy, but it’s definitely the best soft-serve I’ve had in my life. But what is the best part are the flavours. You can get more than just chocolate or vanilla swirl. There is everything from taro (sweet potato), chestnut, macha, sesame, soda and melon! Never pass up a new flavour to try as some are regional specialties.
Japanese Cakes
Although cakes don’t seem synonymous with Japanese cuisine, Japan has truly made them their own. Japanese people seem to really like their desserts less sweet than we might take them in North America, and I far prefer it that way. Instead of traditional icing, they prefer to use thick, whipped cream to cover their cakes. But what really makes their cakes stand out are the colours, the incredible designs and the sheer artistry poured into a simple slice of cake. Whether it’s at a konbini or a grocery store or even in a cafe, you’ll be amazed at how many flavours there are!
Is there anything not worth eating?!
The one thing which I think gets over-hyped in Japan is KFC. Famously eating a KFC Christmas dinner has become one of the top viral news stories which reappear every December. While Japanese people might love it, I found it was the same, if not slightly worse than the KFC anywhere else in the world. I guess I was expecting it to be somehow different. Somehow deserving of the huge hubbub. But no, it just tastes the same. I would definitely give this one a miss.
I hope this gives you a ton of ideas as to what to eat on your next trip to Japan. There is honestly so much to try, and this city always leaves you wanting more! Don’t hesitate to try new things, ask questions and look for recommendations. Don’t let a restaurant with no English menu put you off. People in Japan are I think the most helpful and generous in the world and anyone you ask will be more than willing to help you interpret menu, even if they don’t speak English themselves. You’d be surprised how much can be communicated with just gestures and the internet!
Let me know in the comments what your favourite Japanese dish is or what you’re looking forward to trying more!
Happy Travels, Adventurers!
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