From Osaka, to Yokkaichi to Tokyo to Kyoto where is the best food and what can you not miss? (With my ratings!!)
Anyone in the mood for the best sushi on earth or some stingray fin?
* all the ratings given to these foods are my opinions and shouldn’t influence you completely. This was my first experience with all of these foods, and I had a great time trying everything and would have everything again. Everyone going to Japan should keep an open and optimistic mind about the food they try! Try even more than what is on the list! Japanese food is great!
Japan is known for its beautiful architecture, hardworking individuals, traditional art, sushi, temples, crazy game shows, and of course FOOD. Japan has so many different options when it comes to food and there are so many types of food I tried and saw there that I have never experienced before! Japan has lots of healthy food, fried food, desserts, drinks, fish, and many things I cannot pronounce but can definitely taste!
When it comes to traveling I always try as much as I can. I will try just about any type of food when I am in a new place. I had never been exposed to Japanese food or much Asian food at all before going to Japan, so I was very nervous but excited to try everything! I was very pleasantly surprised on how good Japanese food ended up being and how wide their variety of things to try was! It isn’t just noodles and sushi! There are thousands of things to try!
Here are my top pics on some of the most interesting and great food you have to try if you visit Japan!
1) SUSHI (10/10)
We all know Japan is known for their amazing sushi! Japanese sushi is the only sushi I have ever tried that I liked. I have always hated sushi in every aspect and have never been able to keep it down, and that made me very nervous about trying it in Japan…I even put off trying it until my last week there…but I am so glad I tried it! Japanese sushi is the only sushi I have ever tried and liked to this day. It is amazing and fresh and doesn’t have a bunch of other ingredients added. It is simple and delicious and I HIGHLY RECCOMEND IT! This is coming from someone who hates sushi!
The best place to get Sushi in Toyko is the Tsukiji Fish Market.
This Market doesn’t only have sushi. This is a HUGE outdoor market in Tokyo that has almost any Japanese food you would want! There are food carts, restaurants and people all around selling their food and having a great time!
*Make sure you bring cash to purchase food!
2) Stingray Fin (6.5/10)
I had stingray fin at a small shop in Yokkaichi, Japan. This place was authentic and real and off the basic path. The stingray served was dried and chewy. They have a fishy taste and are a stringy like structure. I probably wouldn’t have it again, but if you are in Japan try it once… you may love it!
3) Chicken skin, chicken heart, chicken liver
Nothing goes to waste in Asia!
a) Skin 3/10
I can’t say I noticed a huge difference in taste in the different parts of the chicken, but the chicken skin was a little chewy and didn’t have much substance to it. We thought it was meat of the chicken when we ordered, so it looks similar to normal chicken, but it doesn’t have much substance. Why do people eat it I don’t know. What a delicacy I guess.
b) Heart: 6.5/10
I tried the chicken heart in hopes to give myself a bigger heart. I hope it worked. It was small and had a harder shell than normal chicken breast. It tasted basically the same as chicken. I would have it again to make my heart even bigger with every bite.
c) Liver: 8/10
This was the best of the three. This is more common around the world. It was also very tough like the heart, but it had a more similar taste to chicken breast. If I wasn’t told it was liver I would just think it was tough tasting chicken.
4) Green Tea Everything (10/10)
I love green tea. I love the taste, the health benefits, the many ways it can be incorporated into so many different foods! Asia is huge on green tea, and it can be found just about anywhere. Green tea can be found in the form of ice cream, boba, toast, yogurt, rice, bread, and more. I am definitely not complaining I have yet to find a type of green tea I do not like. Keep it coming!
5) Umeshu (10/10)
I met a guy in Japan who also didn’t speak Japanese in Japan, so I knew we were about to have the best food tour of our lives! No where had English menus, so we had to point at something and hope for the best wherever we went. Fortunately, he knew how to ask for this drink so I had high hopes for it!
He got us umeshu. Umeshu is a vodka type drink that is mixed with plum juice. I had never even tasted a plum before, but I think we should bring it to the states. I would recommend and definitely have it again.
6) Tempura (5.5/10)
Who likes fried food? Fried everything for the most part. Tempura is basically whatever you want fried. I ended up trying fried tomatoes, mushrooms, tofu and some sort of rice dish I will never find out what it truly was. If you have a clue let me know. It was interesting because the food was cold, but the fried outside was hot. I know Americans are huge on fried stuff, but tempura seems to have a thinner coating of fried food, but it tasted more dense than anything I’ve had before.
5) Katsu (10/10)
Katsu is a very traditional food in the city of Nagoya. Everyone I met raved about it, so I had to go try it. I went to a small shop by my hotel to try. When you go in everyone sits by themselves at a bar that wraps around the restaurant. You order, and they bring your food pretty fast. Katsu is basically chicken (aka panko chicken) and rice and egg put together in a bowl. This tasted like something I would eat back home. There are many different options, spices and types of Katsu you can try.
6) Okonomiyaki (8/10)
Okonomiyaki is a famous food in Osaka, Japan. It typically is made up of meat, cheese, cabbage, squid, shrimp, sauces, and more depending on your preference. There are said to be over 2,500 Okonomiyaki restaurants in Osaka, so you can’t miss it. They bring out the dish on a platter and you can cook it on a grill in front of you. It is an experience as well as a meal.
7) Curry (10/10)
Japanese Curry is one of the most popular dishes in Japan. This was my go to when I needed something I knew I would like and would fill me up in Japan. It has many different forms. There are curry rice, bread and udon. It is usually served alongside vegetables and various meats . I love curry and had it almost everyday in Japan!
8) Yakiniku (Japanese Barbeque) (10/10)
Yakiniku is Japanese Barbeque. If you are familiar to Korean barbeque it is similar. Yakiniku is served and you cook the meat yourself at your table. The tables are on the floor and your feet fall below. You are able to choose what kinds of meats, vegetables, rice, and additional food you want and then you cook it at your leisure at your seat. This is one of the most filling and amazing food I had in Japan. There were so many options on meat and drinks and sides that you cannot leave hungry. One of my favorite things I tried in Japan was the Yakiniku aka Japanese Barbeque! It is a little expensive, but it is definitely worth it.
That concludes my top foods that I tried in Japan! I hope you enjoyed reading about some of my favorite dishes in Japan. Have you tried all of them? Which one is your favorite? Are there any Japanese food dishes that I missed that you really love? Make sure you don’t miss out and try all the food when you travel to Japan! Japan is a beautiful place and an amazing place to try new food! Japanese food is something I would love to experience again in Japan! If you want to hear more let me know!
Food You Have To Try In Japan
Pingback: Nagoya, Japan -
Pingback: Osaka, Japan -
I together with my friends were actually examining the good information and facts from your site and then unexpectedly came up with a horrible feeling I never thanked the web blog owner for those techniques. The men appeared to be excited to read through all of them and have very much been having fun with those things. Thanks for truly being simply kind and then for deciding upon varieties of exceptional subjects most people are really wanting to know about. My sincere apologies for not expressing appreciation to earlier.
It’s in point of fact a nice and useful piece of information. I am happy that you just shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
It was hard for me to believe at first that I could even read such a lengthy article. Your style certainly impressed me. Your return with an outstanding content as usual. Great Article Neil. It was fantastic! I just went through it, but did not leave any feedback. But I felt that the article was informative enough to warrant a mention. I’ll apply some of these tips soon to my websites.
Hello there! I simply would like to give you a huge thumbs up for your excellent information youve got here on this post. I will be returning to your site for more soon.
I was pretty pleased to discover this web site. I want to to thank you for your time for this fantastic read!! I definitely really liked every bit of it and I have you book marked to see new things on your web site.