All Japanese food lovers, are you looking for Japanese food that you should eat in Japan? You are in the right place. In this post, we are going to share a lot of Japanese food. Of all the races, Japanese people are among the most enthusiastic and passionate about cuisine. Japan offers a vast array of cuisine, ranging from fresh vegetables and seafood to the country’s signature burger and sushi.

Ingredients, cooking processes, presentation strategies, flavours, and spices are just a few of the many factors that impact Japanese cuisine. Other cultures also have an impact on it. These are the Top Twenty Japanese dishes that you must eat while visiting the nation or if you wish to have a taste of authentic Japanese cuisine at home, listed in no particular order.

Time-Saver Alert

If you’re thinking about visiting Japan and want to make sure you have the best possible culinary experience there, start by researching all the various sushi tours that are available. Some of them are special, like teaching you how to make and cook sushi in the suburbs, offering sushi workshops at Tsukiji Fish Market, or even taking you to the Shimizu Sushi Museum.

1. Ramen

In Japan, ramen is a popular meal among college students and has been around since 1990 however, some records tie it up with quick noodles. The flavour of the soup is often derived from the chicken or pig bones that are added. Pork or vegetable chunks add flavour and texture to the noodle, which should be firm. Though there are numerous ramen options, Tsukumo Ramen in the perfect area of Aichi is a fantastic spot to grab a bowl.

Served With a Variety of Options

When it comes to picking a meal, ramen is now one of the most popular alternatives in Japan. It is a bowl of mixed wheat noodles served with a variety of toppings in a soy sauce or miso soup. The most common components are seaweed, eggs, green onions, and pork pieces. I have never eaten anything like the flavour of this meal before. The soup is the star of the show in this recipe.

Depending on where you get it, its flavour might vary from mild to intense, but it has the best flavour I’ve ever had. Because of the way the pork is cooked, it sometimes crumbles apart the moment you touch it with chopsticks. If you can complete your lunch with only one order of ramen and a side dish of rice, you can be sure that you will be happy!

2. Okiyaki

Thinly sliced beef and other ingredients are cooked over a flame in a pot called a “suki” to create the traditional Japanese dish known as sukiyaki. It is a flavorful dish. This meal’s most important component is the broth, so Niu-ru Steak House, which is near Yamanashi Prefecture, is the perfect place to eat it.

3. Curry and Rice

Another well-liked dish among college students following a quick and low-calorie diet is Japanese curry rice. It is not to be confused with Thai or Indian curries. Japanese curries are richer than those that are often seen in other nations. Typically, they come with white rice, vegetables, and a rich brown sauce that primarily contains potatoes and carrots for color. Its color serves as a distinguishing factor among its several varieties, which include the hot karashi and the mild rāmen.

4. The Basashi

Similar to horse sashimi in Europe, basashi is served raw and involves consuming the animal’s flesh while it is still alive. However, this meal isn’t served that way; rather, it’s presented thinly sliced, much like beef sashimi, which is ideal for getting your sushi badge. If you’d like to taste it, Kumamoto Prefecture has various locations to do so.

5. Gyūdon

The name of this easy meal is tasty meat over rice. You get the idea. “Gyū” means cow or beef, and “don” means bowl or rice bowl. It is served over steaming white rice and comprises of beef slices sautéed with onions in a sweet sauce. There are other places where you can sample this, but Bekkan Steak House is close to Fukushima Prefecture.

6. Sashimi and Sushi

Let’s begin with the cuisine that most of us think of when we think of Japan: sushi and sashimi. The reason sushi is so well-known worldwide is because each piece of rice is seasoned with a mixture of sugar and salt, called rice vinegar, and then combined with other components including vegetables, fish, and nori (seaweed). Using chopsticks, you may simply take a piece of sushi and dip it in wasabi, soy sauce, or both. It tastes just like a fusion of flavours! Sushi is known by several names, including Nigiri, Maki, Oshi, Temaki, and others, depending on its form and contents.

Sashimi is essentially raw fish or shellfish accompanied with soy sauce and wasabi, a hot Japanese spice. Usually, there are radish slices on the side. The practice of serving the fish itself with the meal to indicate what sort of fish you are eating gives rise to the term “sashimi.” 刺监 is how sashimi is written in kanji. The meanings of the two kanji are “body” and “spine,” respectively.

Japanese Sushi

Sushi is a traditional Japanese cuisine that has gained popularity worldwide. It is made of rice that has been flavoured with vinegar, seafood that has been sliced into little pieces, and dried seaweed sheets called nori that are used to wrap the fish and rice together. While there are numerous varieties of sushi, the most well-liked ones in Japan are made with tuna, urchin roe, eel, prawns, and octopus.

Sashimi

Sashimi is another kind of Japanese cuisine in which raw meat is consumed without first being cooked. It is made up of thinly sliced raw fish or shellfish that is served with soy sauce, wasabi (a type of Japanese horseradish), and other ingredients. While there are many excellent venues to sample this in Japan, Yoshihachi Sushi is a wonderful option if you’re close to Okinawa Prefecture.

7. Yakitori

Japanese brochettes, or skewers, are called yakitori. Yakitori is grilled chicken served on skewers, dipped in sauce, and served hot. Yakitori was traditionally cooked with just chicken (the word “tori” in “Yakitori” means “bird”), but it may now also be made with pork, beef, or seafood. To alter the flavour, other chicken parts may be used, such as the flesh from the thighs or the hearts. These may be found throughout Japan, but Rokumonsen, which is close to Chiba prefecture, is a good area to look.

Yakitori was traditionally cooked with just chicken (the word “tori” in “Yakitori” means “bird”), but it may now also be made with pork, beef, or seafood. In essence, these skewers/brochettes are a mixture of meat and veggies that are grilled and then dipped in teriyaki sauce. A classic Japanese fast-food meal that goes with a glass of booze.

8. Kushikatsu

Kushikatsu is a form of deep-fried meat skewers on sticks that includes a variety of meats, including chicken, beef, fish, and vegetables like green peppers. Its distinct flavour and texture come from dipping it in a delicious batter before deep-frying it. Visit Mr. Don to find the greatest kushikatsu restaurant in Osaka Prefecture.

9. The Tonkatsu

A typical Japanese meal is made of a breaded and deep-fried pork cutlet and topped with a variety of toppings. Records date the dish’s creation to 1899. These consist of sliced cabbage, ground mustard, and a kind of rich brown sauce cooked with tomatoes or apples. There are other locations in Japan where you can do this, but Tonkatsu Irie is in Kanagawa Prefecture.

10. Tempura

Japanese fried cuisine, known as tempura, is mostly composed of vegetables and fish. A sauce consisting of sugar, ginger, and soy sauce is used to season it. You can make tempura with almost any vegetable. Despite being deep-fried, tempura must not have an oily feel, and the portion must be small enough to be consumed in a single bite. Tetsuyu sauce, a concoction of consommé, sweet sake, soy sauce, ginger, radish, and spices, is often served with tempura.

11. Curry Rice, or Kare-Raisu

Kare-Raisu, another widely consumed, straightforward, and delectable food in Japan, is just rice mixed with curry, yet it tastes extremely distinct from other curry dishes. You may use a variety of meats and veggies to create Japanese curry. Sweet potatoes, onions, and carrots are the staple vegetables, whereas chicken, hog, beef, and sometimes duck are the meats consumed. Curry may be made in three various degrees of spice: mild, normal, and spicy. Which level would you pick?

Curry Kingdom is one of the greatest curry restaurants in Tokyo. They provide one of the widest selections of curries we have ever seen, with options including fish, chicken, and hog curries as well as fruit curries like the strawberry-flavored one.

12. Okonomiyaki

The manner okonomiyaki is pushed on a griddle is similar to that of a pancake, but it has many more varied components and is often regarded as a savoury meal. Although flour, yam, and egg are the usual ingredients, you may add virtually anything to it. Green onions, meat, prawns, squid, veggies, mochi, and cheese are the most often added ingredients. The experience may be more participatory in some places where the chef comes to the table to prepare food on a griddle while the patrons assist by adding more ingredients.

13. Shabu Shabu

In essence, shabu shabu is a Japanese hot pot meal. This recipe calls for a variety of meats and shellfish, mostly soft varieties, as well as noodles, tofu, and vegetable sides. It is prepared by taking a piece of meat (you can also choose some veggies) and dipping it into the consommé or boiling water in the saucepan. When it’s done, you serve it with rice as a side dish and dip it in sesame sauce. tasty!

14. Miso Soup

Nearly every dinner and dish includes miso soup as a side dish. It’s a soup prepared with fish stock (dashi) and miso paste, which is derived from fermented soybeans. Tofu, onion, wakame seaweed, and sometimes vegetables such sweet potatoes, carrots, and radish are all used in this kind of foundation soup. It is never offered as the primary course. It usually includes one or two more dishes and a bowl of rice.

15. Onigiri

In Japan, this is the most widely consumed snack. You may purchase an onigiri if you’re hungry and pressed for time, regardless of the time or location. Rice balls with a variety of seasonings are called ongiris. Some of them have an egg, pork, fish, veggies, or chicken inside of them, and they may have seaweed on top of them. A few of them include just of rice combined with beans, veggies, sauce, furikake, and other basic components. As you can see, there is an enormous range of flavours to suit any taste. Aside from stores that specialise in making onigiris, you can also just pick up an onigiri from any supermarket or convenience store.

16. Udon

Made from wheat flour, udon is a thick noodle. It is often served with soy sauce, mirin, and dashi stock. It usually comes with negi, or Welsh onions. The prefecture from which it originates determines its size and form. You may eat udon hot or cold. In Japan, udon and soba are quite popular. This meal is often served to office workers and students who need to eat quickly at lunch. There are udon shops all over the place, and they are always packed, but don’t be alarmed or startled since you seldom have to wait a long time to get a seat.

17. Soba

Because they’re so inexpensive and popular, soba noodles—which get their colour from buckwheat flour—are sometimes referred to as fast food in Japan. Udon noodles are thick, while soba noodles are thin, and they may be eaten hot or cold. In Japan, some stores sell exclusively soba, sometimes served with a basic side like tempura. You may buy fresh noodles to prepare at home at the grocery store. To make cooking simpler, these noodles may also be served with a straightforward mentsuyu sauce.

18. Gyudon

Gyudon is just a dish of rice with seasoned meat on top that has been mixed with various seasonings. Sukiya is the most well-known restaurant serving gyudon. In addition to being straightforward, this recipe is excellent and, most importantly, reasonably priced. Most restaurants allow you to order Gyudon as part of a package, which includes miso soup and a small salad.

A Gyudon will usually be made and delivered to your table in less than five minutes if you request one. With three different sizes of Gyudons to pick from, the dish is appropriate for every dinner. Gyudon is a good choice if you just have time for a fast meal.

19. Sweets and Matcha

The Japanese are big fans of the flavour matcha. In actuality, “Matcha” has two meanings. One is steamed green tea leaves in powder form, which is used to flavour desserts and ice cream. The other interpretation is a thick, subtly bitter tea that is created by whisking hot water and matcha powder together.

I discovered that tea is not often offered on its own at these tea houses in Japan; instead, it is almost always paired with delectable desserts. In Japan, the most popular candies are made with beans, or sometimes matcha. Because of the harmony between flavour, form, and colour, Japanese candies are regarded as works of art in their own country.

20. Gyoza

Popular Japanese pot stickers, or dumplings, are called gyoza. There are three varieties: fried yakigyoza, boiled suigyoza, and deep-fried agegyoza. Unlike Chinese dumplings (“jiaozi”), which have a thicker and doughier covering, these dumplings are created with thin wrappers and often include fillings such as finely chopped pork or chicken, thin pieces of cabbage, mushrooms, and chives. When it comes to dipping sauces for gyoza, common options include vinegar, sesame oil, chilli oil, soy sauce, and ponzu sauce, a citrus-soy dressing.

When visiting Japan, you should certainly try the gyoza in Utsunomiya, a city known for having the highest per-house gyoza consumption in the country. Thirty gyoza eateries compete for space in the city. Restaurants, ranging from the most recent to the oldest, all have their own unique take on gyoza. Please feel free to ask any Japanese tour guide by sending them a note.

Do you want to eat like a local when visiting Japan?

I suggest going on a Food Tour with a local guide if you want to enjoy authentic Japanese cuisine. Without knowledge of Japanese, it might be challenging to arrange your vacation schedule and have the greatest dining experience. Joining a private tour group or hiring a private tour guide can remove the intimidating elements and risks associated with dining in Japan, as many restaurants only offer menus in Japanese. Not only will a professional local guide ensure that you and your group don’t get lost, but they can also recommend the best restaurants and assist you in placing the easiest orders for the tastiest foods.

Conclusion

By the time this essay comes to a close, you should have a better knowledge of what Japanese food you should try. Now, what should be done? If, however, you made it to the end without making reservations at your favourite Japanese eatery, you may check on our Japanlover website or give us a call when you’re ready to visit Japan again.