After having an amazing trip to Japan, I thought about doing an overview of the country as I did with Italy, but truthfully, I went there for the food, so firstly, I'm going to talk about the food.
Before going forward, I will be posting tons of pictures of food. If you're like me and part of the reasons why you love watching K- and J-Dramas is for the gratuitous food scenes, you may want to grab a snack beforehand. This food may make you very hungry and that means you'll have to fly to Japan to actually try this food. If you have the time and the means, then do it!!!! But if you don't, eat something first to that you can survive this. You've been warned!
Where You Can Get Food
That's a silly statement, isn't it?
Actually, in Japan, it's really not.
Most people would assume that you're going to get food by going to store, restaurants, and delivery apps. Yes, that is all available here.
However, there are other options out there that isn't as common as in the States or even the European countries I have been to. Here's some other methods of getting food in Japan.
Convenience Stores
Wait, what?
Yes, convenience stores! There are 7-11s everywhere, and they are beyond anything you can find in the States. If you don't see a 7-11 nearby, you will instead see a Family Mart, or a Lawson. All three of them can be found on every other street corner, and not one of them carries the same items, so if you don't see what you're looking for at one, you can likely find it at another!
So, what exactly are you looking for?
The convenience stores do have tons of snacks and sodas just like convenience stores everywhere else. The Japanese convenience stores carry good quality food! After passing aisles full of sundries and snacks, you'll find packaged chicken sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, dried squid, cooked fish, healthier-type ramen bowls that the employees can add water to so you can eat it right away, pork buns, chicken kabobs, bento boxes, and various types of onigiri, or rice rolls. You can grab a handful of these items if you didn't pack a lunch and pay less than ¥1000 for the whole thing!
And then there's the sweet stuff. They have the expected donuts, muffins, and milk buns, but they also have waffles, filled pancakes, souffle-types pancakes, yogurt, mochi, and small cakes. And all of this stuff is good quality!
Of course, like other convenience stores, they sell various drinks and alcohol, and they have ATM machines that charge a minimal fee if you need to withdraw any yen. This may be a little off topic because we're here to discuss food, but it's still a helpful tidbit of info.
Back to the subject of drinks...
Vending Machines
Do you know how many vending machines are in Japan?
According to multiple sources, over 5 MILLION.
The vending machines in Japan can be found in parking lots, alleys, remote shrines, and even on hiking trails. Many of them only accept card payments, such as standard payment cards or the Pasmo or Suica cards that tourists can purchase at train stations, but there are plenty that accept coin and up to ¥1000 bills. And they're not just for drinks!
The most common type of vending machine you will find is the drink machine. These machines are usually stocked with water, soda, energy drinks, tea, coffee drinks, hot chocolate, and juices. The price tags will be highlighted in blue, indicating that the drink is cold, or red, to serve a piping hot drink!
And with the option of purchasing a hot drink, some of these machines will also have hot soup available. In Osaka, I found a vending machine that had nothing but soju, the main alcohol of Korea, for purchase! Alcohol vending machines are common as well.
And guess what?
There are food vending machines all over the place too. Sometimes you can even find small shops full of vending machines with multiple options for food! I didn't see nearly as many as I would have liked to, but I was able to see some cool ones. Here's the ones I came across.
Standard Snacks
This is the type that you would expect to see across the States. It had chips, candy, and other snackable items. These are mainly found in hotels and hostels for people who don't want to walk across the street to the nearest convenience store.
There are others that are full of nothing but sweets, and not just candy. They can include mochi, flavored gel packs, brownies, and candied strawberries. The options looked refreshing!
Pastries
Yes, this machine is full of pastries! As you can see, it's about halfway full, indicating that it was pretty popular throughout the day. There's cookies, muffins, pie and tarts, and whatever those small packaged items are (I would guess truffles or macarons). I wish I'd come across more of these.
This next one is momiji manju, a cake-like, maple-flavored bun filled with red bean paste, matcha, chocolate, or other type of sweet filling. These were created on Miyajima island and can mostly found in the Hiroshima area.
Cake in a Can
Also called okashi gaku, it's a cake, similar to a parfait, served in a recyclable can and with a plastic spoon included. The one I came across only had 10 options, some of which were doubles of another, and I had to try it.
Ultimately, I wasn't too impressed with it, but it may also have had to do with the one I selected. But if you've ever wanted to try something like this, here you are!
Meat Dishes
One I wish I'd tried, but this one served beef and pork dishes. They're also a little pricey here too, but it would appear that they are served hot.
I've heard that sometimes they are served cold so that the buyer can cook it at home, but I can't verify that for myself.
Steamed Buns
Why did I pass these up???? They looked so yummy.
Insects
Excuse me?
Yup, this exists. Flies, worms, crickets. Hey, don't knock it till you try it! I didn't, by the way.
Foreign Foods
I came across several in one place, with foods from France, the US, Germany, and what was labeled as "Asian Cuisine," among others. I'm sure they all had good options!
Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
No further description necessary.
Types I Didn't Come Across
Here's a listing of other types of vending machines that do exist throughout the country:
Fruits and vegetables
Broth
Pizza
Ramen
Eggs
Popcorn
(Sourced from this site)
There are vending machines for other items that aren't edible, so feel free to have a look for yourself what you can find if you plan of going. You can even use Google Maps to locate these specific vending machines if you want! Here's a link from 2023 citing the 5 million vending machines.
High Rise Shopping Centers
At multi-level shopping centers like the Shibuya Scramble Square and Daimaru, the lowest levels usually have the to-go foods, usually pastries and desserts. And Lord, you could gave 2 pounds just by looking at what they have to offer! These places are great for grabbing breakfast foods that will last a few days, or even just to indulge your sweet tooth.
The upper levels tend to have restaurants as well, but these restaurants tend to be more expensive for food that isn't much more quality than any other. Feel free to check them out, though!
Food Marketplaces
Is this a fancy term for food court? No. Street food is readily available in certain areas of the major cities where you can browse for servings of types of seafood, meats, appetizers, desserts, and sometimes even shots of sake.
My favorite place in particular was the Nishiki Market in Kyoto where there was so much food to try that my brain nearly blew up trying to pick something. Most of this food is single serving, though some of the bigger stalls will offer full meals or bowls of their delicious foods along with seating.
Then there are others where the street food and restaurants are side-by-side, but you will usually find people lining up for nearly a block for a single serving. That's how you know the food is good.
Another marketplace that I found and isn't listed among the popular websites I've been checking is Ohatsutenjin Urasando. Not only did this area have a plethora of street food and restaurants, it also had karaoke, bowling, and arcades! I was surprised when I found that it's not a popular tourist area. But guess what? That means that it caters more to locals, and you'll get better quality and deals!
Here's a listing of some of the best food marketplaces in Japan.
Try it all!
Restaurants don't just do it here in Japan. You have to try food options all from all the sources. You would be severely missing out if you only sought out sit-down restaurants. There's so much to offer if you're adventurous!
Main Dishes
Let's face it, most of us who want to go to Japan for the food are really there for the sushi.
Well, sushi is actually different that what we are served in the States, and even then, the sushi joints aren't always on every street corner, either! There are many incredible dishes in Japan that are there for the tasting, and here's some of the ones to look for when you go over there.
For the record, some of these I didn't get a chance to sample, so these dishes will have a (NT) for "not tried."
Ramen
If you're a fan of J-Dramas or anime, odds are you will be very familiar with ramen. These delicious noodle dishes are often filled with meat, seafood, and/or vegetables. You will normally be served this dish in a large bowl, but the contents are enough to fill you up without being stuffed.
Udon Noodles
Udon noodles are thicker noodles that are made from egg and also served with either meats or vegetables. Sometimes, they can be served with a single uncooked egg on top. This is a more filling dish that pairs well with other side dishes.
Okonomiyaki
These are savory pancakes with a crepe base, noodles, a variety of vegetables, and a meat of some kind, usually bacon.
Another form is made with a potato base, and can have cheese added. There are other variations out there, but despite how large they are, they won't leave you feeling overfed afterwards. It's a great main dish!
Tempura
This fried dish is popular at Japanese restaurants throughout the world as an appetizer, but out here, it's often served as a full meal!
Meat, vegetables, and even cheese is slathered in a batter and fried to perfection (my personal recommendation would be to try the pumpkin tempura). It is common to be served with rice to complete the meal.
Hida Beef
This incredibly flavorful beef from the Takayama region is served rare and needs no sauces or rubs. It is grilled flawlessly and makes for a tremendous main dish.
It is also served as a nigiri-type sushi in some places barely seared but with full flavor.
Wagyu Steak
This is another flavorful slice of cow that is bred to have the fat marbled into it, giving it a very rich flavor. One of the ways it is served is sliced thinly and added to ramen or soup to allow for its final cooking.
The slow boil of the broth helps to both bring out the flavor of the meat and to make the remaining broth afterwards taste extra yummy.
Sushi
You know you've been waiting for this one. We love the sushi, but out here, it's not always in the rolls we expect. Most sushi is mostly pieces of seafood and/or vegetables served nigiri style.
Yes, there are sushi rolls, but there aren't as many on most menus as you would expect. But surprisingly, a common topping was also cheese!
Yakisoba (NT)
This stir fry dish is made with soba noodles and pan cooked with sauce and veggies. After seeing it on Aggretsuko, I tried to make it at home. I was unable to have this in Japan, so I'll assume it's absolutely incredible there (though mine wasn't too bad).
Kobe Beef (NT)
Kobe beef was introduced to me in my nutrition/cooking class from when I was in junior college, and I've been trying to taste it ever since. It is considered one of the most flavorful steaks in existence, but HOLY GUACAMOLE, is it expensive!!!! The cheapest one I could find was ¥5000. Next time I'll save up for it!
Pork Katsu (NT)
These pork cutlets are pan friend and served in strips, usually with ramen or with rice and vegetables. Another flavorful cut of meat, it also does tend to run a bit pricey. This dish was highly recommended by my trip leader, so I am disappointed that I was unable to find any before I left.
Burgers
Yes, there are burgers out here. The main burger venues you will come across are the expected McDonald's, and the local Mos Burger. Mos Burger had burgers about the size of In-and-Out Burgers, but they were just as tasty, and had a wide variety of toppings and condiments. The one I picked? It had gouda cheese. Better than expected!
These are some of the main dishes you will find throughout Japan. If these don't have you salivating yet, then let me introduce you to...
Street Food and Appetizers
I've already mentioned the food markets and given you an idea of what you can find there. But it isn't just markets where you can find the following, you can often find these on street corners and in restaurant districts. And brother, are they worth a try!
Takoyaki
Easily one of my favorite small dishes, takoyaki is essentially octopus balls.
Get your minds out of the gutter, people!
These are made in small round griddles where batter is poured, and the octopus meat is added as the cook turns the balls on the griddle.
They are then topped with sauces, onions, and other toppings, which also include cheese. Make sure you let them cool first, those suckers are hot in the inside!
Squid on a Stick
No further explanation required. It's exactly as it says. Depending on the vender, they may season it a little, but the meat itself has enough flavor to be eaten as it is.
Fish on a Stick
I couldn't find the exact name for this dish, but it's not to be confused with fish sticks. This street food is made of seafood blends that are then formed into shapes like rectangles, or more of a scone shape.
They can be ordered as is, or they can be filled with shrimp, potatoes, onions, or cheese! Be careful though, they can easily fall off the stick if you aren't careful.
Taiyaki
These are fish-shaped pastries that can be served as savory or sweet, depending on the vendor. Popular fillings include cheese, red bean paste, custard, chocolate, sweet potato, and matcha.
They make a perfect dessert if you're on the go!
Mochi (NT)
Another traditional Japanese food that is completely different in its homeland. Out in the US, it's a thin rice dough covering an ice cream center.
In Japan, the rice dough is thicker, and is usually filled with strawberries, red bean paste, or matcha. Ice cream is not part of the recipe. They still looked fabulous though.
Deep Fried Pizza Dough
OMG. It's so simple, but easily one of the best snacks I found in my travels. It's just pizza dough! Maybe just a little more salt was added to the recipe, but WOW! I could not believe how delicious it was!
Cheese Tarts
Have I died and gone to heaven? Yes, there were honest to God cheese tarts! They are sold fresh in food markets, or you can purchase them at convenience stores, which is where I tried them. They are sweet but not overly sweet, tasting similar to cheesecake.
Bento Boxes
The bento boxes here are sold in restaurants, but the more popular purchases are made at train stations. It is a common practice that people commute to work using the trains, and will buy a bento box for lunch.
These boxes usually contain sushi and onigiri, and come in various sizes depending on if the buyer wants a meal or a snack. The cashiers will usually bag them with a cold pack too!
Miso Soup
Another popular dish that is often served as a side. It's normally found in restaurants and served in a small bowl. It's consumed rather quickly, but a nice refresher after having had a full meal.
Gyoza
This is actually a Chinese dish, and it's a fried dumpling filled with pork meat.
They are popular enough to be sold in local restaurants, but it's more likely that you'll find them in the Chinese restaurants and vendors nearby.
Soft Serve Ice Cream
You know that I love the ice cream. There are ice cream parlors out here, but they are not very common. Instead, you'll find shops that offer the soft serve ice cream, and they will usually come in one of four flavors: matcha, vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.
They are yummy, but they also pretty much taste the same everywhere you go.
There are plenty more amazing snacks out here, but these were the ones that I found worth noting. I guess I have to go back to find more!
Drinks
You're probably familiar with at least one of these drinks, but there are others that may take you by surprise.
Sake
The national alcoholic drink of Japan. This rice wine is often served as a bottle with a small sake cup for drinking it. You can drink directly from the bottle but will likely look like an alcoholic in the process.
Sake breweries will often allow you to purchase a cup and then have you try their various flavors after paying a fee. Keep the cup!
Coffee
Believe it or not, coffee is more popular than tea out here! You will find coffee shops, especially Starbucks, all over the place!
It's common to find coffee shops offering meal deals with their coffees for breakfast as well.
Matcha Tea
This is the tea that they serve in Japan. Now you will find the standard green tea in most restaurants, but it's the matcha tea that is promoted. It is served hot or iced, or as a milk tea latte. The flavor is also everywhere for the desserts.
Melon Soda
Melon is an extremely high-demand fruit out here, and it can cost up to ¥10,000! If you're a fan of melons, don't expect to find any unless you're willing to shell out the dough. Despite this, you will often find the melon sodas that don't taste particularly like melon, but still have a nice, refreshing flavor.
Soju
This is a Korean vodka that is often sold in convenience stores. Soju has a generally smoother flavor than most sakes and almost always has a fruit flavor to it. Between the two, I prefer the soju.
Milk Tea
Unlike the matcha, this tea is mostly available in convenience stores and vending machines. Sold both as sweetened and unsweetened, it is a nice drink to wind down with when you want to relax. If you're looking for the milk tea with boba, those joints are much rarer to find, as boba is a Taiwanese drink.
The one place I went to that offered boba milk tea was sadly not up to my expectations, but it wasn't bad.
Lemonade
I love lemonade, and there are lemonade shops all over the place. It is positively divine!
Popular Miscellaneous Foods
It is the expectation of any traveler to try the local foods of any country they visit. However, Japan had some interesting diversity amongst their restaurants. Here's a few I noted.
French Patisseries
There was a distinct French influence in the foods. You'll find croissants, quiches, scones, and even sourdough breads at these shops! Though you are here to try the local foods, try some of their French foods as well. It's a fitting yet unexpected combination!
Macarons
This is another standard French dessert, but macarons are so popular that they have their own shops.
What makes Japanese macarons different, however, is that the majority of them have nearly 3 times the cream filling!
It's a very rich dessert, so make sure that you're not already full before trying one of these. And you can find them at McDonald's!
Pizza
Pizza is rather popular over here, but it's more promoted as an Italian dish, as I believe it should be.
You'll find your standard pepperoni, margherita, and BBQ types, but you'll also find pies with Japanese twists. I for one had one with an eggplant topping.
It was different, and I enjoyed it! The pizzas out here are very well made.
Crepes
Crepes were definitely not what I was expecting to see out here. They can be served with sweet spreads or ice cream, and have an array of toppings to add.
Japanese crepes also add small rice crackers to give them a local flare.
Wings Flavored Pringles
You heard me. They exist over here.
Waffles
The waffles here are a work of art. Waffles are usually a dense breakfast, but out here, they are cooked to perfection being light enough to be filling without leaving you feeling full.
They are also served as snacks throughout the day and often topped with a fruit spread, syrup, or honey, and with ice cream on the side!
Muffins
Those lower level shopping areas I mentioned earlier? There are usually at least a few muffin stands.
These muffins are the ones that fill you up! Filled to overflowing with fruits, fillings, chocolates, and even other pastries, it's practically a meal in itself!
Strawberries
You may have already guessed this by how many times I've mentioned strawberries with other types of food. Strawberries are very popular to the point that you can find them sold in baskets in the food markets, on skewers, candied, chocolate dipped, and many other variations!
A popular restaurant chain is called Strawberry Fetish and can be found in the major cities.
KitKats
Gimme a break! Really?
Yes! Japan has dozens of different types of flavors, as opposed to the maybe dozen that the US has. They aren't as easy to find as you may think, but you will often find the matcha, strawberry, dark chocolate, and standard chocolate in the shops.
However, in the actual KitKat shops and airports, you will find flavors you will never find anywhere else! Here's a few flavors I was able to find:
Orange
Peach
Strawberry Cheesecake
Lemon Lime
Green Tea
SAKE (yes, it has a slight alcohol kick to it!)
There are other flavors, but you will need to seek out the KitKat stores, mostly found in Tokyo, to see all the flavors they have. I brought back about 5 pounds of KitKats!
All the Cheese Dishes
I'm addicted to cheese. I had no idea there were so many cheese dishes out here, which is why I pointed them out in the previous dishes. I won't be repeating myself, but I'm just going to reiterate here that cheese is common out here.
Cat Food
Uhhh...
No, it's not real cat food. One of the guys in my group asked our tour guide if he could pour his leftover soup into his rice bowl. Our guide explained that he could, but it's considered "cat food" because of how it looks after the action is taken, and is usually something that children do. For an adult to do it is considered laughable.
So, my friends, for future reference, don't pour your soup into your rice, or vice versa. Which also gives way as a transition to my next topic.
Restaurant and Food Tips
As with every other country, there are customs to eating and little insider tips on how to make the most of your money. Here are a few things you should know about eating out in Japan.
Slurp that Soup!
Once again, if you're a fan of J- or K-Dramas, you will often note that when the characters eat soups or ramens, they do so very loudly. Slurping your food is a means of communicating that you enjoy your food.
So screw what your mom told you about table manners and slurp that yummy stuff! And spoons will always be available.
Chop Sticks are a Must
Japan is a popular tourist area, and they do cater to other countries by often having traditional cutlery around. However, street food vendors will almost always have chop sticks. Learn how to use them before coming here because you never know, and it's better to be safe than hungry.
Also, never ever leave your chopsticks in your food, especially not standing straight up. It's considered rude, so if you want to have your hands free for a bit, put your chop sticks aside.
Coffee Shops are often Cafes
Many of the coffee shops in Japan aren't your standard coffee shop like Starbucks where you order your coffee and either sit down or take it to go. Many coffee shops are sit down cafes. A host will seat you, and you will order your coffee with a pastry or small meal. Yes, there are western coffee shops as well, but it's more coffee to find the coffee cafes. So if you're in a hurry and just want the coffee, go for the Starbucks.
Breakfast
If the lodging you're staying at doesn't offer breakfast, you can often find cafes that will offer coffee, latte, and tea combos with egg dishes, breakfast sandwiches, or pastries.
These will usually run no more than ¥700. If you don't want to grab something from the convenience store, this is usually the cheapest option.
No Tipping!
Tipping is not a thing out in Japan. In fact, the servers are often confused if you leave tips for them unless it's in a tip jar by the register. Honestly, they do an amazing job in the service industry over there, so it may feel odd not leaving a tip, but they are paid better than servers are in the US.
Lost in Translation
The Japanese are very accommodating towards Americans. Menus with English alongside Japanese script is extremely common. However, I noted that there was many translation errors. Particularly this little gem:
This may be a rather hilarious booboo, but if you come across an errors like this, please don't mock them for it. It is an honor that the Japanese are willing to do this for American tourists, so while it may be funny, it's a simple mistake. We know what they're trying to do, and we mix up stuff for every tourist that visits the US anyways. Be kind.
Hungry Yet?
How about this cuisine? I hope you're dying to hit up your local Teppanyaki after reading this. I've been to Italy and France, which has some of the best cuisine in the world, but honestly, Japan hit my taste buds in a way that neither of them did, and Italy has way more cheese to their menus!
Ultimately, what food you choose as the best will be up to your personal tastes, and I would love to hear about them! In the meantime, I do have several blogs I am working on, another few about Japan and some about Hawaii, which I've been working on for over a year now. Working about a cruise ship is hard work with little time to write!
In the meantime, keep an eye out, I'll be doing my best to post more often.
Sayonara!
All pictures were taken by me or by my personal devices and are not to be used. Gifs courtesy of Giphy.
