7 Foods You Must Try When In Japan

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The 7 must-taste dishes that any visitor in Japan should try in order to understand the international appeal of Japanese cuisine.

Latest update : 2022.05.18

3. Nabe (Hot Pot Dishes)

There are many different types of Nabe-ryōri (hot pot food), including sukiyaki, shabu-shabu, and chanko-nabe. Not just the ingredients, but also the soup, the dipping sauce, and the way of eating the food differs depending on the type of nabe.

Sukiyaki uses raw egg as a sauce, while for shabu-shabu, you dip the thin-sliced raw ingredients in a hot soup before eating them. Nabe-ryōri experiences will surely make fun travel stories.

4. Ramen

The Japanese love ramen. It's an everyday food in Japan, but it's so popular that it is often featured in magazines and TV shows. In recent years, ramen places run by Japanese owners have appeared in the United States, Europe, and Asia, creating an international ramen sensation. There are various types of soup for ramen, including soy sauce-based, tonkotsu, miso, and salt-based. The flavor and ingredients differ widely depending on the ramen shop.

5. Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is a dish made of wheat flour mixed with chopped cabbage. Depending on the restaurant, there may be eggs or grated yam mixed also. After adding your favorite ingredients, you stir and cook it on an iron griddle.

There are many types of ingredients to choose from, such as seafood and meat. Once you've finished cooking it, you'll cover it with sauce and mayonnaise, katsuobushi (dried bonito shavings) and aonori (green laver). By the way, takoyaki is a round bite-sized food very similar to okonomiyaki with octopus inside.

Next Page On the next page, yakitori and our final must-eat food.

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MATCHA

The MATCHA editorial department. Our articles feature useful travel information for visitors to Japan, from how-to guides to recommended places to visit.

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