What To Eat in Japan
Yes, there needs to be a whole separate post on what to eat in Japan when you visit, because I loved the food SO much. And after two visits, there’s still things I want to try, believe it or not!
When people think about food in Japan, I can bet that their minds mostly go to sushi - sometimes ramen. Well, I’m here to share some of the not-so-commonly known foods that I absolutely loved. I really don’t think there was anything that comes to mind that I didn’t like; I’ll try anything at least once and usually enjoy most that I try.
If you plan on visiting Japan in the future, here's your list of other delicious options other than the most popular:
Taiyaki - If you're a fan of anime, you might have seen this dessert before (as well as many other Japanese foods that I might list below). You might have even seen this little guy make his way over to the States served in a trendy fashion of taiyaki ice cream where the fish is used as an ice cream cone, but this is the more traditional version. In Japan, it's commonly filled with red bean paste or custard, but can also be filled with chocolate, sweet potato or matcha like the one pictured - and my favorite of the fillings. I tried this on my first trip to Japan and loved it so much that I just had to get more on my second trip.
A place to get Taiyaki in Baton Rouge: Sweet Society! They serve is cone style (but in a bowl), as well as tradtionally, but unfortunately do not yet have a matcha filling.
Udon (and tempura) - Another favorite, but then again, a lot of these will be favorites; I wouldn't suggest something I didn't care for, no matter how popular it is. Best eaten with a side of tempura fried veggies of choice (I loveeeee tempura sweet potato and lotus root), udon is something I regretted not trying on my first trip, so I made up for it the second time around... (There’s going to be a lot of that) It's obviously a thicker noodle soup, which you can get plain, with beef (as shown below), or (depending on the place and what is offered) with whatever you would like! I personally prefer mine plain or with beef.
I’ve found quite a few places that have served udon here in the U.S. over the years, but my favorite is Sushi Yama so far. I even randomly stumbled upon a place in London that was actually set up very much like my favorite udon restaurant in Japan. It was quite the pleasant surprise.
Onigiri - I know I said this already, but this is my number one favorite. For real. I crave these all the time. They're rice balls wrapped in seaweed and can be had with various fillings, my favorite being salted salmon or tuna with Japanese mayo. You can find these everywhere honestly in Japan; convenience stores, fish markets, there are even restaurants for them specifically. I prefer to get mine from 7/Eleven just because I'm familiar with the packaging and how the flavor that I like most looks at those locations. Consider using your phone to translate the kanji to figure out the flavor you would like best. I also absolutely love the packaging and how it opens; the seaweed is kept separate from the rice to keep it fresh and crisp, so follow the numbered steps to open correctly.
While I only just this year found a pop-up/food truck type that specializes in onigiri in Baton Rouge, I had yet to find onigiri in the States other than in NYC and Los Angeles. I have even found onigiri at a convenience store in Switzerland of all places!
Tuna Belly or Toro - Seafood in Japan is sooooo fresh, understandably because they're an island and well known for their sushi. It only makes sense that anything seafood related is fresh and delicious - and very cheap without compromising quality. This dish in particular, is minced tuna belly over rice. Heavenly if you love fatty tuna and something simple, but I will take it in any form that I can.
Chirashi Bowl - More deliciously fresh seafood. Think of this like a poke bowl of sorts, but with strictly rice, a fresh assortment of fish cut sashimi style, and hints of soy sauce and wasabi. And just like poke, it's customizable, or as customizable as you can get in Japan.
Yakitori - Ignore the fried tofu at the top of the photo and instead focus your attention on the skewers below. It translates to skewered chicken but I'm sure you can find other meat types served in this style.
Soba - Soba noodles are a signature Japanese dish, known for its thin noodles (similar to spaghetti noodles) and can be served cold with a dipping sauce or served hot. They're the opposite of udon's thick wheat noodles by being made of buckwheat. I only tried them cold, which was strange having to dip my noodles but it was still deliciously different.
Curry - Most people probably don't think of curry as something they would eat in Japan, not to mention find. But believe it or not, Japanese curry is pretty popular and freaking good; I would place it in my top five. It's hard to miss it since there are so many restaurant chains that sell it, so you have plenty of options to choose where you want to get it from, a chain called CoCo Ichibanya being one of the most popular spots, which they apparently have locations in California that I only drove past much to my chagrin.
A place that I have found Japanese curry: Boru Ramen in Baton Rouge. It immediately took me right back to Japan, tasting just like the real stuff. Other than that, I have tried my hand a few times making it home but it’s honestly been years since I last made it…
Don Buri - Don Buri, although not quite one of my favorites, is barbeque eel over a bed of rice, and is actually pretty popular and quite simple.
Dango - Dango is made from rice flour and not quite the same as mochi. It has a slightly sweet taste but mostly taste like rice and is firm in texture. You can also get them with a type of sweet soy sauce on them. They're a simple sweet but make for a nice photo. Not to mention you see these in a lot of anime.
Wagashi - Or Namagashi, is a traditional Japanese confection served with tea. They are super sweet (that's why it makes such a great combination with tea) and have a cute design or shape. I absolutely loved the Year of the Rooster one I found, even if it had bean paste inside.
Ramen - One of the most known things about Japan other than sushi: ramen. It’s an extremely popular dish worldwide. There are plenty of other options for ramen other than Ichiran, so take your pick, whether it's a mom-and-pop shop or a well-known chain like Ichiran; I didn't go the first time to Japan but made sure to make it happen on the second trip.
I have been to the U.S. location of Ichiran, while also visiting countless other ramen shops here in the U.S., but you can never go wrong with a local spot over the chains. My favorite ramen in Baton Rouge: Born (that I mentioned above already). One of the chefs actually went to Japan to train on how to make the ramen noodles properly.
Shabu Shabu - A Japanese type of hot pot served with thinly sliced beef and an array of other meats and vegetables. In this photo, I got a split pot to try out two different style of broths, one creamy and one spicy. Hot pots like shabu shabu are very customizable, so what you see below is just what I chose to order.
I’ve found a great shabu shabu place in Boston called Shabuzen.
Matcha - In every single form. Tea, lattes, ice cream, inside taiyaki, to name a few. It’s essentially their vanilla. If you love matcha, trying every food, dessert and drink made with it is a must. One of my top favorites that I can’t find here? Matcha Oreos.
KitKats - I’m begging you to try every flavor that you can get your hands on. That has been my mission on both of my trips that I will continue to do in the future. I had a Japanese box subscription for the longest solely for the unique flavors of KitKats they featured each month. One particular flavor that I tried in the summer of 2015, that you might recall from the blog, was butter. And it honestly wasn't terrible.
Sushi - Last but not certainly not least, the most famous of all. Japan is the land of sushi, so it only makes sense that it's so popular, just know that it's certainly not how you can order it here in the States. Think more simple rolls and raw fish. You're out of luck if you only eat cooked, deep-fried, covered in sauce type rolls, because cooked options are limited, very limited. But if you like raw sushi, I highly recommend toro - tuna belly. Sushi restaurants are everywhere, but try out a conveyor belt sushi restaurant if you visit or visit sushi restaurants at the fish market for the freshest of fish.
Some other things that I tried and recommend:
Melonpan
Crepes
sakura mochi
Beef bowls/Gyudon
Okonomiyaki
Unique flavors of ice cream, i.e. sake, black sesame or sakura
Sake!
Japanese beer
Kobe beef (although I want to try it differently on my next visit)
Don't be afraid to branch out. If you only eat sushi, you're missing out on so many other amazing foods that make up the Japanese cuisine and culture. It's like visiting New Orleans and not trying gumbo or crawfish, only eating jambalaya.
Now this isn't every single food item known to the country of Japan of course, just some of my favorites that I made sure to try on my two visits; there's plenty more that I still haven't tried that's on my list down below:
McDonalds. I know…but apparently its really good in Japan and they have unique items that you can’t get in the U.S.
Takoyaki. Octopus balls! Not what you think. I not surprisingly didn’t get these on my second trip, because I was trying to frolic in Universal Studios but instead just waited in the longest line, cold and wet.
Oden. It’s a popular winter dish that you can easily get from the convenience store.
Sakura ice cream. Honestly, anything sakura flavored is on my list when I manage to visit in the spring.
Kakigori, or shaved ice.
Egg sandwiches from 7/Eleven, Family Mart and Lawson. These weren’t as popular when I visited as they are now and I regret not trying them. There’s also a strawberry one sold around the spring time that I’d also love to try. And yes, you have to try them from the three main convenience stores and judge the victor.
I hope this gives you more of an idea of what to expect food-wise in Japan and that it persuades you to eat more than sushi on your visit. I promise you'll love so much of it and will want to move there just to get the amazing food everyday. Now don't get me started on Japanese Starbucks and 7/Elevens...
Where to next?
