Most people think of sushi and ramen when they think about Japanese food and for good reasons. Both Japanese dishes are popular around the world, they’re relatively healthy and they taste great. But they’re not the only tasty Japanese foods.
Discover a dozen Japanese food favorites that you’ll love eating in Japan or at your favorite local Japanese restaurant. Start with sushi and ramen but don’t stop there!
1. Sushi
Sushi is simply sliced raw fish served atop a mound of steamed rice that’s been seasoned with vinegar. You don’t have to look hard to find this traditional food in Japan. Instead, it’s easy to find sushi at 7-11 convenience stores, markets and restaurants. On the low end, sushi is affordable and accessible to all. On the high end, it’s a three-star, life-changing experience.
2. Ramen
For the uninitiated, typical bowls of ramen have savory broth, toothy wheat noodles, chāsū (pork), nori (seaweed), scallions and a softly boiled egg. Broth variations include miso, shoyo (soy sauce), shio (salt) and tonkotsu (pork bone). If this all sounds confusing, the best way to think of ramen is as a delicious soup that doubles as a meal.
Discover more global soups
3. Tempura
Although tempura is deep fried, it doesn’t taste greasy and it’s not messy to eat. Japanese chefs prepare tempura by precisely cutting ingredients like shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, lotus roots and shishito peppers before lightly coating them with batter and frying them in oil.
4. Yakitori
Yakitori became part of Japanese cuisine in the 19th century when street stalls starting grilling skewered chicken pieces over charcoal. Not limited to thighs and breasts, modern Japanese chefs grill skewered chicken hearts and cartilage, among other parts, over white binchotan charcoal to various levels of doneness.
5. Udon
Udon noodles are thicker in size and whiter in appearance compared to ramen. They’re often served in a simple dashi broth, though other various iterations, both hot and cold, feature eggs, stewed meat, curry and even shrimp tempura.
6. Soba
Simultaneously earthy and nutty, soba proves that ramen and udon aren’t the only noodles worth eating in Japan. Made with buckwheat flour, soba noodles are both longer and thinner than ramen and udon noodles. Japanese restaurants serve soba noodles both hot and chilled, often with tsuyu dipping sauce.
7. Gyoza Dumplings
Typically filled with a ground pork mixture, gyoza dumplings can be boiled or deep fried. However, pan frying is the most popular preparation with ramen shops and izakayas serving crispy pan fried dumplings across the country.
8. Takoyaki
Literally translating to ‘octopus balls’, takoyaki are little treats filled with octopus meat that vendors have been frying in special pans for almost a century. Originally a street food in Osaka, takoyaki are now available throughout Japan and in Asian cities like Hong Kong and Taipei.
9. Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki is a pancake that’s different from American pancakes. Made with wheat flour batter, julienned cabbage and bacon, this Japanese pancake is typically topped with bonito flakes, seaweed flakes, mayonnaise and pickled ginger. Savory sauce completes the dish.
10. Katsu Sando
A katsu sando is a fried cutlet sandwich that’s often but not always made with pork. Other katsu sando varieties like chicken can be equally tasty while variations like fried wagyu elevate the katsu sando to luxury status.
Discover more global sandwiches.
11. Dorayaki
The dorayaki is a wagashi pastry that connects two pancakes with red bean paste filling. While it could be technically called a sandwich, it’s actually a dessert.
Discover more global desserts.
12. Kit-Kats
Kit-Kat bars in Japan are similar to Kit-Kats sold around the world except that the variety of flavors goes way beyond milk, white and dark chocolate. In fact, Japan has more than 300 flavors! Some like cherry blossom are seasonal while others like matcha are available year round.
Discover the best candies in America and the UK.
Read Next: Must-Eat Thai Foods
Now that you’ve discovered 12 must-eat Japanese foods, take some time to explore must-eat Thai foods. Even if you’re not planning a trip to Thailand this year, you should be able to find them at a Thai restaurant in your hometown.
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About the Authors
Daryl and Mindi Hirsch
Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on the 2foodtrippers website. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers a unique taste of the world.