10 Foods You HAVE to Try in Japan (And What Tourists Miss!)

Japanese Foods to Try

This video is a food guide, not a set of recipes, so it doesn’t provide home-cooking quantities, timings, or equipment. It introduces the following dishes and preparation details.

1. Kaisendon Instead of Only Ordering Sushi

• A bowl of sushi rice topped with sashimi. It may feature several kinds of fish or just one, such as salmon or tuna.
• Often served in generous portions. Look for it at fish markets, casual seafood restaurants, or station bento shops.
• Tip: Put a little soy sauce and wasabi on the fish rather than on the rice.

2. Tsukemen Instead of Ramen Soup

• Noodles and a thick, concentrated dipping broth are served separately. The noodles are firm and substantial, and the broth may have pork, chicken, and seafood umami.
• Dip each bite of noodles into the broth.
• Tips: Ask whether the noodles can be served hot instead of at the default room temperature. If the dipping sauce cools, some restaurants will reheat it.

3. Kushikatsu Instead of Tempura

• Osaka-style skewers of meat, vegetables, seafood, or other foods are battered and deep-fried until crisp. Examples include lotus root, quail eggs, pork belly, pumpkin, shrimp, cheese, and mochi.
• Order several small skewers to share. A communal sauce pot may be provided.
• Important serving rule: Never double-dip in the shared sauce.
• The presenter suggests pairing kushikatsu with a highball or cold beer.

4. Inari Sushi Instead of Only Convenience-Store Onigiri

• Sushi rice tucked into sweet simmered tofu skin. It has a soft texture and a savory-sweet flavor.
• Often sold individually at sushi restaurants, convenience stores, supermarkets, and bento shops. The presenter says they commonly cost 100–150 yen each.
• Inari sushi can be a comforting finish to a sushi meal. Its name is associated with the Shinto goddess Inari and foxes said to like fried tofu.

5. Soba Instead of Focusing Only on Udon

• Thin, light-brown noodles made from buckwheat flour, sometimes blended with wheat for springiness. They have a distinct nutty flavor.
• Served hot in broth or cold as zaru soba, with dipping sauce.
• Tip: After a cold soba meal, mix the hot soba cooking water, or sobayu, into the remaining dipping sauce to make a warm soup.

6. Gyukatsu Instead of an Expensive Wagyu Steak Meal

• A breaded beef cutlet, quickly fried so the outside is crisp while the inside remains rare and tender.
• Some restaurants provide personal hot stones at the table so diners can sear each slice further to their preference.
• The presenter describes it as a casual, approachable way to enjoy beef.

7. Oden Instead of Tamagoyaki

• A simmered assortment—such as boiled eggs, daikon radish, konjac, fish cakes, and tofu—in a light soy-and-dashi broth.
• A popular winter comfort food, available at izakaya and, when the weather turns chilly, convenience stores.
• Serving tip: At some convenience stores, oden is self-serve: take a container and use tongs to choose pieces. Elsewhere, point to what you want.

8. Warabimochi Instead of the Usual Matcha Sweets

• A soft, jelly-like sweet made from bracken starch and coated in roasted soybean flour (kinako). It may also be served with black sugar syrup.
• The presenter recommends trying it at a specialty mochi or wagashi shop as well as at convenience stores.

9. Hamburg Steak Instead of a Hamburger Sandwich

• A thick ground-beef patty, typically mixed with onion, egg, and breadcrumbs, then pan-fried until golden outside and moist inside.
• Common toppings include demi-glace, soy-based gravy, or grated daikon with ponzu.
• Often served as a set meal with rice, vegetables, and possibly miso soup.
• Variation: Wafu hamburg is Japanese-style, often served with grated daikon and ponzu for a lighter, refreshing flavor.

10. Omusoba Instead of Plain Yakisoba

• Yakisoba—stir-fried noodles with pork, cabbage, and a sweet-savory sauce—is wrapped in a thin omelet.
• Typically topped with okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, and bonito flakes.
• It is filling and saucy, and is sometimes eaten as a casual late-night izakaya dish.

Places and References Mentioned

The presenter suggests:

• Kaisendon: Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo and Nishiki Market in Kyoto
• Tsukemen: Taishoken in Tokyo
• Kushikatsu: Shinsekai in Osaka
• Soba: Owariya in Kyoto
• Gyukatsu: Gyukatsu Motomura in Tokyo and Kyoto Gyukatsu Katsu Gyukatsu in Kyoto
• Hamburg steak: Bikkuri Donkey and Sawaya around Shizuoka
• Omusoba: Okonomiyaki restaurants, neighborhood diners, and festival stalls

The presenter is Abby, a photographer and guide with PiQtour Japan. She references her own videos about sushi, ramen, wagyu, Shinsekai, and Kuromon Market.