9 Must-Try Foods When Travelling to Japan

Japan was the country I was most excited to try the food for. I booked the trip specifically to try the food. I loved Japanese food and going to Japanese restaurants in the UK. And as we all know, food tastes even better in the actual country. Japan did not disappoint. Some days, we would eat five meals just to try new foods and revisit our favorites. There were also regular trips to 7/11, Family Mart, or Lawsons to try all the convenience store snacks and get our hit of egg salad sandwiches (honestly the best in the world - don’t miss out on this!).

The best thing about Japan is the ease of ordering food whilst you are there. They have vending machines where you can select which food you want and hand the ticket in. This helps so much with the language barrier, as they will have photos or you can use Google Translate without the awkward interaction with the waiter. Some restaurants will also have electronic tablets where you can translate to English and order straight from the tablet. To top it all off, Japanese people are super friendly and will always want to help you out, so overall it makes ordering food very easy!

Dishes To Try In Japan

In this blog I will discuss some dishes that I fell in love with whilst visiting Japan and what you should definitely try during your travels. 

Ramen

This was the ultimate comfort food whilst we were in Japan, as we went during Autumn so it was getting fairly cold. We easily had this nearly every day during our two-week stay in Japan. The great thing about ramen is that there are different kinds, making each one unique and special to the restaurant. You will have ramens which will have a light broth flavor, some that will be quite deep in depth and umami flavor, and some with special style flavorings like miso. Our favorite ramen was by far in Kyoto, in a small ramen shop that you wouldn't even notice if you walked past it in the street. The broth was tantanmen style, there was a beautiful piece of braised pork belly, soy-marinated egg, and a charred leek. The best part was you could pick yuzu noodles which added another flavor profile. There was SO much flavor in this ramen and I never wanted it to end. The majority of ramen restaurants will have a vending machine operation, where you select your ramen, insert your money, and hand the token to the staff member. A lot of ramen restaurants are a quick in-and-out operation. You eat your ramen and leave, there isn't really time to sit and socialize, as usually there is someone waiting for your seat.

Tsukemen

This is a different style of ramen and one that is definitely going to get a bit messy. This was my partner's absolute favorite and a unique dish that I haven't seen so far in the UK. The noodles are thicker, cold, and served on their own. The broth is usually a lot richer and packed with more flavor. You then dip each mouthful of noodles into the broth and slurp it that way. Don’t put all your noodles into the broth as it will make the broth cold and lose its flavor. You then have jugs of clear broth to top up your remaining broth and drink at the end. It’s a very cool dish to try and you should make sure you have at least one when in Japan.

Tempura

You have probably seen and/or eaten tempura back home in the UK. In your head, you are probably thinking that it’s nothing special. But honestly, tempura is something else in Japan. It’s so light, perfectly salted, and extremely crisp. I definitely recommend an assortment platter where you can taste lots of different kinds of tempura. Tempura prawn is definitely the star of the show, as the prawns are huge in Japan and incredibly sweet. Then the rest will usually be different kinds of vegetables like pumpkin, aubergine, and asparagus. In some restaurants, you’ll also find different kinds of salts served with the tempura. For example matcha, yuzu, and curry salt. These are the perfect accompaniment to dip your tempura in. You will typically find that udon noodles are served as well as tempura in restaurants, with sometimes the tempura served on top of the udon.

Okonomiyaki

This is such a tasty dish and enjoyed best with a group of friends over a few beers. Most okonomiyaki restaurants will have a huge grill in the middle of the table. The waiters/chefs will then come over with the mix, cook it for you on your grill, and then you eat it straight off the grill. It is essentially like a thick cabbage pancake and then you can pick different toppings to go into it. The most classic one is pork but can also get seafood ones as well. On top is an amazing sticky yet sweet sauce, kewpie mayonnaise, seaweed, pickled ginger, and bonito flakes (dried fish). It’s a great social dinner to try a few different varieties and the grill in the center of the table creates an immersive experience. If you are going to Osaka then you should definitely try it there as it's believed it's the birthplace of this amazing dish.

Monjayaki

A distant cousin of okonomiyaki is monjayaki, this is mainly found in Tokyo and a great place to try it is Tamatoya near Ueno station. It is the same concept of okonomiyaki where you have a big grill in the middle of the table and the staff will come cook it for you. The difference is rather than being in a pancake shape and having some structure. It will be more liquified and eventually go sticky from the heat of the grill. The way they prepare the dish on the grill is by chopping the filling mixture finely with two spatulas directly on the grill. Then they pour a batter straight over the top. You are given little tiny spatulas where you can scoop the mix up and eat straight off the spatula. It doesn’t sound appealing but it’s honestly heavenly. Again you usually pick your style and we choose both times is beef tendon curry with cheese which was so delicious packed with flavor. It’s a gooey mess but the best part is the crispy bits as it cooks further. Again a great social dish to share with friends over a few beers.

Mochi

Now I wasn’t a big fan of mochi back in England, it was usually quite dense. But the mochi in Japan literally changed my life. I became obsessed with it and ended up eating it every single day. It was soft, bouncy, and just melted in your mouth. I have two mochis I would recommend. One is the fruit-stuffed mochi with bean paste, the best one I tried was in Nishi market in Kyoto. It was mandarin stuffed mochi with a white bean paste, it was just DELICIOUS. I could have eaten about 20 of them. The second was a regular purchase of mine from the convenience store Family Mart, I probably bought this about 10 times. It was mochi stuffed with a matcha whipped cream and in the center a brown sugar syrup. It was to die for and a perfect end to a long day of eating!

Sashimi

Now obviously eating sushi is going to be high up on the list when visiting Japan. This might be controversial of me but I MUCH preferred the sashimi in Japan over the nigiri or sushi rolls. I always felt the rice just took away from the flavor of the fish. The fish in Japan is so fresh and just melted in your mouth, so I just wanted the maximum amount of fish rather than wasting it on rice. My number one tip for you out of all the information in this blog is DO NOT buy your sushi from the tourist markets or tourist restaurants. They are going to massively overcharge and it’s not going to taste as good. The best place that we had sushi was just outside the Osaka market, it was a tiny restaurant and we ordered the chef's pick sashimi board. It was huge. The slices were thick. And the fish was the freshest fish I’ve ever had in my entire life. I could have cried whilst eating it. The best part was it was a fifth of the price of what we would have paid in the market. To top it off there was so much fatty tuna on the plate, which is the number one type of fish you need to try in Japan. It’s the wagyu of fish. It literally melts in your mouth. I would also recommend if your budget can afford it, shopping around to find a decent priced omakase, as that’s an amazing experience where the chef specially prepares you different kinds of sushi. If you are on a budget, there is also so many decent prepared to order buffet sushi to try some different kinds of sushi.

Takoyaki

This dish is absolutely heavenly but be careful when biting into it because it’s guaranteed to burn your tongue, as it’s like molten lava inside. They are basically balls of batter with bits of octopus stuffed inside. On top will be Japan's version of BBQ sauce, kewpie mayonnaise, seaweed, pickled ginger, and bonito flakes. They typically come as 8 in a portion. If you’ve had these in the UK you’ll notice they are a lot different in Japan and in my personal opinion a lot better. They are a lot more gooey which makes them quite creamy. They also originate in Osaka but you’ll find them everywhere in Japan. They will be mainly in food markets or food stalls as they are a great snack to share.

Kushikatsu

Now this dish isn’t going to have you calling home and raving about it. BUT it’s a great dish to experience with a few friends over a few beers. It’s basically different vegetables, cheeses, and meats on a skewer covered in breading and then deep-fried. It’s served with a vinegary soy sauce. Usually, in restaurants, it’s a communal sauce so the rule is no double dipping. But they do have bits of white cabbage that you can use as a vessel to pour over your skewer and then eat as a palate cleanser. It’s great with some edamame beans too. It originates in Osaka, so when you go though you’ll see multiple places serving it, with huge 3D billboard signs of kushikatsu.

Conclusion

The one thing I would note is Japanese love to queue, you’ll regularly see queues coming out of restaurants. Some of them can be hours long! If you have the time and really want to try the restaurant then go for it. But otherwise, there are plenty of restaurants that have amazing food, where you don’t have to wait as long.

One final tip, a technique for finding great restaurants is typing into Google what food you want to try and find a restaurant that way. Pay attention to the Google reviews. But be mindful if they have TOO many good reviews they are probably forcing them. Also, pick a restaurant that only serves one food item because they are usually the best. I would also recommend downloading the Ramen Beast app for all the best ramen spots.

After writing this blog, I already want to go back to Japan and experience the food all over again. I hope this blog has tempted you to book that flight to Japan and try all the amazing food. If you did like this blog make sure to send it to your friends and family, so it can help them with their foodie adventures as well!