What to Eat in Japan – More Than Sushi
If you visit Japan and just stick to eating sushi or ramen, you are doing it wrong.
Japan is a foodie’s delight, with a plethora of food options that will please all tastes. Fresh seafood, flavoursome soups and delicious street food are just a small selection of the food options for travellers to Japan. I was fortunate enough to spend a week exploring Osaka, Sakai and Kobe and found myself looking forward to each meal along the way. Here is a small selection of dishes you should try when visiting Japan:
Okonomiyaki
This might be my favourite dish when I visited Japan in 2016. To describe it best, it’s a mix between a pancake or fritter, with its main ingredient being cabbage. Okonomiyaki is a popular dish in Osaka, however other regions also have their own take on the simple-but-satisfying dish.
My first introduction to Okonomiyaki was during my first day in Japan. After a long 10 hour flight, and bus trip to the hotel, we were ushered straight to lunch at Fugetsu in Universal City. They prepare the Okonomiyaki in the Osaka style, however they top it with noodles (which is technically not the traditional way of doing it in Osaka, but nevertheless, I loved it!). What really makes this dish is the mix of the okonomiyaki sauce (similar to oyster sauce) and Japanese mayonnaise.
Takoyaki
I’m still on the fence with this one, as I’m not a fan of octopus, but am quite prone to gooey balls of batter and cheese. Takoyaki is a popular street food in Osaka, however Takomasa restaurant in Sakai have turned this common snack into a locally loved dish, served as a course with rice, salad and crumbed oysters. If you don’t mind the texture of octopus (rubbery, for the uninitiated), then takoyaki is a great on-the-go snack.
Feeling pinspired? Hover and click on the images to save them to your Pinterest boards!
Udonsuki
Udon noodles are one of my favourite types of noodles. Who am I kidding, I love all noodles! But, udon noodles have got a unique texture and are delicious in Udonsuki – a soupy mix of broth, vegetables, meat, seafood and, of course, udon noodles. Japanese eating culture is quite sociable and the art of sharing a large, communal Udonsuki is a great example of that.
If you want to read more from my visit to Japan, read my posts Highlights of Osaka & Day Trips from Osaka at Mapping Megan.
Shabu Shabu
Another hot pot dish, this is a fun, social way to eat. You essentially order the type of meat you want (in our case, we had delicately thin slices of beef, pork and chicken) and the type of ‘soup’ you want. There are choices from a soy-based soup (which tastes nicer than it sounds), or your standard clear soups. Then, you pretty much cook your own meal, adding whatever vegetables and noodles you want to the bubbling liquid. Condiments are also provided, so you can add extra spice and flavour to your own individual bowl.
Kobe Beef
I am a carnivore, through and through and love my red meat. After spending a week politely avoiding fish (which is harder than you think in Japan!), I was so happy to find out we were going to Kobe Plaisir, a restaurant that specialises in Kobe Beef on our final night. Perfectly marbled and seasoned just right, Kobe Beef is cooked in front of us by an experienced chef. Served with salad and rice, the beef is definitely the highlight, which just melts in the mouth. For our carnivorous readers, this is a must!
Katsu Curry & Rice
This is one of my favourite comfort foods. It turns out it’s also a favourite for the Japanese Navy where (I’m told) every Friday is ‘Curry and Rice’ day. Typically Katsu is a thin, crumbed, pork or chicken cutlet, but with the deliciously rich curry sauce and rice, it brings the flavour to a whole new level. Although curry isn’t technically a traditional dish of Japan, they have certainly made it their own (and, in my opinion, made it better!).
Bento Boxes
Bento Boxes are extremely popular in Japan, with an assortment of meat, rice and vegetables, all beautifully presented in cute individual dishes in a box. Kinda like a happy meal, but for grown ups (and a lot healthier!).
Chawan Mushi
When you think of egg custard, you think of a sweet, creamy dessert, right? Think again. Chawan Mushi is an egg custard dish, but savoury. It has a similar consistency of custard, but mixed with soy sauce, dashi and mirin, it is served as a dish with mushrooms and a meat. We had it at Kani Douraku (see below) as one of the crab dishes, and whilst a bit strange at first (as you expect it to be sweet), it is really delicious and smooth.
Amazake pudding
Whilst ‘fermented’ isn’t a word that brings deliciousness to mind, Amazake Pudding really is that (delicious). It’s essentially a fermented rice pudding, where the carbohydrates in the rice turn to simple sugars. It’s actually similar to the first stages of making sake. The result is a sweet, smooth and creamy pudding, often served with sweetened beans and jelly. This was one of my favourite dishes during my tour of Japan.
Delicious Crab at Kani Douraku
If you happen to be visiting Osaka and love crab, treat yourself to a 5-course meal at Kani Douraku, the most famous crab restaurant in Japan. Kani Douraku is a very popular restaurant chain (with multiple restaurants found around Japan, with Osaka being the original and their main one). You can order individual crab dishes, or set menus. We had a 5-course set menu, and, let me tell you, each course was delicious.
You can find store locations on their website. Reservations are recommended.
And, of course, Sushi
The sushi in Japan is fresh and delicious. If you are like me, and are a bit of a wuss when it comes to spice, they put wasabi INSIDE the sushi, so don’t overload on the sauce before you have a taste. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! If you are a fan of sushi, a sushi-making-course is a fun and delicious way to pass a couple of hours!
We can’t wait to return to Japan in June and continue our food journey.
What Japanese dishes do you like and think we should try?
Tell us below!
Latest posts by Kim-Ling (see all)
- 9 Gifts for the Traveller at Home in 2020 - November 27, 2020
- Tropicfeel Shoes – The Travel Shoe for Everywhere, Every Day - June 22, 2020
- Light to Light Camps – The best way to do the Light to Light Walk - July 30, 2019
I never even heard of some of this food. This gives me more options as I am a fussy eater and hope to visit Japan very soon. Great post
I’m a bit fussy at times too, but loved most of the stuff I tried there!
This is such an eclectic mix of food, and your photos make them so appetising. I think it is the kobe beef that would be my favourite, although the Okonomiyaki does sound good. I think I would like them better with the noodles than the cabbage. As for gooey cheese balls, I’ll pass. Oh, and for me, lots of sushi too.
Oh, the Kobe Beef was just wonderful! I think that might have been my favourite as well 🙂
I’m drooling as I read this post! All are my favourtie Japanese dishes! Especially the okonomiyaki and takoyaki!! I need to go on a Japan trip soon!
Haha I’m drooling just remembering about it! We are planning our trip back and I can’t wait to eat more yummy Japanese food 🙂
I met a guy in Bangkok who said Japan is super expensive. I wonder how much does eating out cost there.
I’d say it’s more expensive than South East Asia. It depends where you go to eat as well.
We hope to visit Japan very soon and this food looks really tasty. We have always been partial to Katsu Curry. Okonomiyaki sounds good too.
How exciting! I’m sure you’ll find even more yummy dishes to try when you are there! Definitely get some Okonomiyaki 🙂
So glad that you’ve highlighted Japanese cuisine beyond sushi – really is one of the most diverse food scenes! I traveled in 2003, which was far too long ago now, so I do need to head back. Okonomiyaki is my favorite too 🙂
If only there was a good place in Canberra we could get some Okonomiyaki! I’ve tried making my own, and whilst it’s not bad, it’s definitely not as good as the stuff I had when we were there!
Chawan Mushi is one of my favorite dishes and hard to find anywhere outside of Japan, at least in my hometown of San Diego, unless you’re in the finest dining and most authentic Japanese restaurants.
Yeah, I haven’t seen it anywhere else either! Most of our local Japanese restaurants just serve the more common dishes. It’d be great if they could bring some of these yummy dishes abroad!
That’s an amazing variety of Japanese. I am not a great foodie but the sight of all these photos is making me hungry! Okonomiyaki and egg custard sound interesting. Must try sometime.
Thanks Nisha! Hopefully you can try some and enjoy them!
Ahh you are making me want to go back to Japan right now! All of this food looks amazing and I found a few things on your list that we will definitely have to try on our next trip. I wanted to try Okonomiyaki on our last visit but we didn’t end up fitting it into our schedule unfortunately. My favorites were Katsu Curry, Shabu Shabu, Ramen and of course the sushi!
Katsu Curry is my favourite too! Although I do love Okonomiyaki now! Hopefully you can try that next time you are there!
Honestly, I didn’t have much idea about Japanese cuisine except sushi, ramen, Kobe and udon, I had no idea about the other delicacies that Japan has to offer. This article is quite a taste bud opener for me!
And that’s just a small selection! I hope to do a follow-up post when we visit in June and find more delicacies! 🙂
Hey Kim, nice share. This list of Japanese foods is great. All of these foods are taste great. I love Japanese Sushi a lot.
Thanks Nina, glad that you enjoyed it. Who doesn’t like sushi, right? I got hooked on Okonomiyaki when visiting Japan last time and it continues to be my favourite. Have you tried many of the other Japanese foods?