Food
Japanese food to try
39 dishes and drinks, from ramen to wagashi. Each has notes on what it is, where to try it and when it's in season, with the posts and photos we've shared since 2008.
Tried one? Open the dish and tap the orange stamp at the top right of the page (or Tried it) to collect it in your stamp book.
In season now
Noodles 麺
Ramen, soba, udon and yakisoba, and the regional styles worth travelling for.
Ramen ラーメン4 postsWheat noodles in a hot soup with toppings such as sliced pork and green onions. It came from China and is now one of Japan's most popular everyday dishes.
Udon うどん3 postsThick, white, chewy noodles made from wheat flour. They are served hot in broth or cold with a dipping sauce.
Soba 蕎麦1 postThin noodles made from buckwheat flour, often mixed with some wheat flour. They are eaten cold with a dipping sauce or hot in broth.
Yakisoba 焼きそば1 postFried noodles cooked on a griddle with cabbage and pork and a thick sauce. Despite the name, the noodles are not made from buckwheat.
Rice, sushi and bento 米
Sushi, rice balls, lunch boxes for the train, and rice cakes.
Bento and ekiben 弁当・駅弁5 postsA bento is a boxed meal, usually rice with side dishes of meat, fish or vegetables, made to eat away from home. An ekiben is a bento sold at a railway station for eating on the train.
Mochi 餅2 posts · All year, but above all at New YearMochi is a soft, stretchy rice cake made by pounding steamed glutinous rice. It has been eaten in Japan since ancient times.
Onigiri おにぎり2 postsRice balls made from plain rice, usually shaped into triangles and often wrapped in nori seaweed. They are also called omusubi.
Ochazuke お茶漬け1 postCooked rice with green tea, dashi or hot water poured over it, topped with savoury bits. It is a simple, comforting dish.
Sushi 寿司1 postVinegared rice with fish, seafood or other toppings. In Japan it is often a meal for celebrations, while conveyor-belt shops make it an everyday treat.
Street food and izakaya 屋台
What you find at festival stalls, yatai and izakaya counters.
Okonomiyaki お好み焼き4 postsA savoury pancake of batter, cabbage, egg and meat or seafood, cooked on a flat griddle. The name means roughly "grilled as you like it".
Dango 団子3 postsDango are small, chewy dumplings made from rice flour, usually served three to five to a skewer.
Oden おでん2 posts · Winter, though sold in some places all yearA winter one-pot dish of daikon, eggs, konnyaku, fish cakes and more, simmered for a long time in a light soy-flavoured dashi.
Taiyaki たい焼き2 postsA fish-shaped cake of pancake-like batter, baked in a mould and usually filled with sweet red bean paste. The name means "baked sea bream".
Nikuman 肉まん1 post · Autumn and winter, from around SeptemberA soft, steamed wheat bun filled with seasoned minced pork. The Japanese take on the Chinese steamed pork bun.- Takoyaki たこ焼き1 postSmall balls of dashi-based batter with pieces of octopus inside, cooked in a pan with round moulds. A classic Osaka street food.
Yakitori 焼き鳥1 postBite-sized pieces of chicken on skewers, grilled over charcoal. The name means "grilled bird".- 餃子Gyoza 餃子Still to tryDumplings filled with minced pork, cabbage and nira chives, usually pan-fried until crisp underneath. They came from Chinese jiaozi and became popular in Japan after the Second World War.
Yoshoku and katsu 洋食
Western-style dishes that became Japanese classics.
Doria ドリア1 postA rice gratin: buttered rice topped with a creamy sauce and cheese, then baked. It is a Japanese Western-style dish.
Tonkatsu とんかつ1 postA thick pork cutlet coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. It is usually served as a set meal with shredded cabbage, rice and miso soup.- カレーライスJapanese curry カレーライスStill to tryA thick, mild curry sauce with meat, potatoes, carrots and onions, served with rice. It is one of Japan's most popular home and restaurant meals.
- 唐揚げKaraage 唐揚げStill to tryKaraage is Japanese fried chicken: bite-sized pieces marinated, coated in starch and deep-fried.
At the table 和食
Home cooking and the dishes for a special dinner.
Miso soup 味噌汁1 postA simple soup of miso paste dissolved in dashi stock, with tofu, seaweed or seasonal vegetables. It comes with rice at most traditional Japanese meals.- すき焼きSukiyaki すき焼きStill to try · Winter, and year-end partiesA hot pot of thinly sliced beef, tofu and vegetables cooked at the table in a sweet soy sauce mixture.
- 天ぷらTempura 天ぷらStill to trySeafood and vegetables dipped in a light batter and deep-fried. It is eaten on its own, over rice or with noodles.
- 鰻Unagi 鰻Still to try · All year, especially on the midsummer Day of the OxFreshwater eel, usually grilled and basted with a sweet soy-based tare as kabayaki and served over rice.
Sweets 甘味
Wagashi, seasonal treats and bakery favourites.
Dorayaki どら焼き4 postsTwo soft, round sponge cakes sandwiched around sweet red bean paste. One of the best-known wagashi, and Doraemon's favourite food.
Purin プリン3 postsPurin is Japanese custard pudding with a thin layer of bittersweet caramel on top. The name comes from the English word "pudding".
Sakuramochi 桜餅3 posts · Spring, around Hinamatsuri and cherry blossom seasonA pink rice-cake sweet filled with red bean paste and wrapped in a salted cherry leaf. One of the best-known spring wagashi.
Anpan あんパン2 postsAnpan is a soft baked bun filled with sweet red bean paste. The name joins an (sweet bean paste) and pan (bread).
Christmas cake クリスマスケーキ1 post · Christmas Eve, 24 DecemberThe Japanese Christmas cake is a light sponge layered with whipped cream and topped with strawberries. It is the usual dessert on Christmas Eve.
Kakigori かき氷1 post · Summer, from late June to late AugustKakigori is Japanese shaved ice, fluffier than a snow cone, topped with syrup and often condensed milk. It is eaten with a spoon.
Umegae mochi 梅ヶ枝餅1 postA thin rice-flour cake filled with sweet red bean paste and grilled in an iron mould, sold along the approach to Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine in Fukuoka.
Warabi mochi わらび餅1 post · SummerA soft, jelly-like sweet made from bracken starch and dusted with kinako (toasted soybean flour).
Yatsuhashi 八ツ橋1 postKyoto's best-known souvenir sweet, made from rice flour, sugar and cinnamon. It comes baked and crunchy or soft and unbaked (nama).
Drinks 飲
Tea, sake, beer and the drinks of the seasons.
Amazake 甘酒2 posts · Winter and New Year; also chilled in summerAmazake is a sweet, thick drink made from fermented rice. Its name means "sweet sake", but the koji type contains no alcohol.
Green tea お茶2 postsGreen tea is Japan's everyday drink, from loose-leaf sencha and powdered matcha to bottled tea from vending machines.
Japanese beer ビール1 postBeer is one of Japan's most popular drinks. Big brewers make crisp lagers, and a large craft scene has grown up alongside them.
Sake 日本酒1 postSake, called nihonshu in Japan, is brewed from rice and water. Good water and good rice shape the character of each brewing region.
Umeshu 梅酒1 postUmeshu is a sweet liqueur made by steeping ume fruit in alcohol with sugar. It is often called plum wine, though it is not wine and ume are closer to apricots.
Regional specialities
Where in Japan each dish is a local favourite.
- KyotoOchazuke Known locally as bubuzuke · Dango Mitarashi dango, linked to Shimogamo Shrine · Miso soup Sweet, light shiro (white) miso · Warabi mochi Long-loved sweet, also in matcha versions · Yatsuhashi The city's signature souvenir sweet · Kakigori Ujikintoki, with Uji green tea and red beans · Green tea Uji, known for matcha and gyokuro · Sake Fushimi, known for its spring water
- OsakaRamen Ikeda, birthplace of instant ramen · Udon Birthplace of kitsune udon · Okonomiyaki Osaka style, ingredients mixed into the batter then grilled · Takoyaki Birthplace of takoyaki, sold at street stalls across the city · Sukiyaki Kansai style, beef seared first with sugar and soy sauce · Sakuramochi Kansai domyoji style, linked to Domyoji Temple
- TokyoYakitori Yokocho alleys of tiny yakitori counters, such as around Shinjuku Station · Sukiyaki Kanto style, cooked in warishita sauce · Sakuramochi Kanto style, linked to Chomeiji Temple in Mukojima · Anpan Created in Ginza in the Meiji era · Dorayaki The sandwich form began in Ueno in 1914
- ShizuokaOden Dark broth, skewers, black hanpen, aonori and fish powder on top · Gyoza Hamamatsu gyoza, in a circle with bean sprouts · Unagi Hamamatsu and Lake Hamana, long known for eel farming · Green tea Japan's largest green tea producer
- HokkaidoRamen Sapporo miso ramen · Karaage Zangi, with a spicy dipping sauce · Japanese beer Sapporo brewery, opened 1876
- KanagawaDoria Said to have been created in Yokohama · Nikuman Yokohama Chinatown, steamed buns to eat while walking · Japanese beer Early brewery in Yokohama, 1870
- FukuokaRamen Hakata tonkotsu ramen, eaten at yatai stalls · Umegae mochi Dazaifu, on the approach to Dazaifu Tenmangu
- KagoshimaKakigori Shirokuma, with condensed milk and fruit · Green tea Second-largest region, earliest first harvest
- NaraWarabi mochi Known for its bracken starch · Dorayaki Known as mikasa in Kansai
- NiigataDango Sasa dango · Sake Smooth, clear sake from soft mountain water
- AichiUnagi Nagoya's hitsumabushi
- AkitaYakisoba Yokote yakisoba, with fried egg and fukujinzuke
- HiroshimaOkonomiyaki Layered with noodles, egg and plenty of cabbage
- HyogoSake Nada district, Japan's top producing area
- IwateSoba Wanko soba, refilled bite by bite
- KagawaUdon Sanuki udon, firm and chewy
- NaganoSoba Togakushi soba
- OitaKaraage Nakatsu and Usa, home of specialist karaage shops
- OkayamaDango Kibi dango
- OkinawaJapanese beer Home of Orion beer
- SaitamaKakigori Natural ice in Nagatoro
- ShimaneSoba Izumo soba, served in stacked warigo dishes
- TochigiGyoza Utsunomiya gyoza
- WakayamaUmeshu About two-thirds of Japan's ume, Nanko variety
33 of these dishes have our own posts and photos; the rest are on our list. The notes are about the food, not particular restaurants, and are checked every quarter against tourism and food-guide sources.