Food

Best Fried Foods

1. Tempura – Lightly battered seafood or vegetables, crispy but not greasy; commonly shrimp, squid, lotus root, pumpkin, or white fish.

2. Karaage – Japanese fried chicken marinated in soy sauce, ginger, and garlic; crispy outside, juicy inside.

3. Tonkatsu – Breaded pork cutlet fried to golden perfection, usually served with pickles and miso soup.

Must-Try Japanese Hot Pots

4. Shabu Shabu – Thinly sliced beef or pork cooked briefly in a kombu broth, dipped in sesame or ponzu sauce.

5. Sukiyaki – Thin beef and vegetables simmered in sweet soy sauce-based broth, eaten with raw egg for dipping.

Amazing Meat Dishes

6. Sashimi & Sushi – Fresh raw fish (salmon, tuna, snapper) served as slices or atop vinegared rice (nigiri, maki, gunkan).

7. Yakiniku – Japanese BBQ with high-quality beef, pork, or chicken grilled at the table, dipped in sauces like BBQ, wasabi, or lemon.

Best Rice & Noodles

8. Donburi – Rice bowls topped with meat simmered in a sweet-savory sauce.

9. Ramen – Noodles in rich broth (miso, shio, shoyu, tonkotsu) with toppings like pork, seaweed, and scallions.

10. Udon – Thick wheat noodles served hot in broth with tempura or cold with dipping sauce.

11. Soba – Thin buckwheat noodles; served cold with dipping sauce or in hot broth.

12. Okinawa Soba – Chewy wheat noodles in pork-based broth with pork belly, fish cake, and pickled ginger.

Best Traditional & Specialty Dishes

13. Yakitori – Skewered grilled chicken with soy glaze; also available in pork, beef, or vegetables.

14. Kaiseki – Multi-course seasonal meals emphasizing presentation, originating from tea ceremonies.

15. Nanban – Fried chicken marinated in sweet-sour sauce, served with tartar sauce; Miyazaki specialty.

16. Okonomiyaki – Savory Japanese pancake with cabbage, meat, or seafood, topped with sauce, mayo, and seaweed flakes.

17. Japanese Curry – Thick, mild curry served over rice, often with fried pork or chicken.

Famous Street Foods

• Takoyaki – Octopus-filled balls, crispy outside, soft inside; topped with sauce, mayo, bonito flakes, and seaweed.

• Dorayaki – Sweet red bean paste sandwiched between fluffy pancakes.

• Tamagoyaki – Rolled omelet, sweet and savory, often found in bento boxes.

Convenience Store Favorites

• Nikuman – Steamed pork buns with bamboo shoots and onions.

• Taiyaki – Fish-shaped cake filled with red bean paste.

• Croquette – Mashed potato mixed with meat, breaded and fried.

• Natto – Fermented soybeans with sticky texture, eaten with rice.

City-Specific Food Highlights

• Kyoto: Kaiseki (Tofu Cuisine Higashiyama Yu-to, Kappo Sen Hiro), Uji matcha desserts (Gochou Café, Yumecha Café)

• Osaka: Street food paradise – takoyaki (Takoyaki Wanaka), okonomiyaki (Fukutaro), tempura (Tempura Makino Nanbasen’nichimae)

• Tokyo: Sushi & sashimi (Tsukiji Market, Sushi Yoshino), ramen (Ichiran, Nakiryu, Kagari)

• Nara: Traditional sushi – Kakinoha sushi (Nakatani Shokuhin), kudzu-based desserts (Tenkyokudo Nara Honten)