7 Foods You Must Taste While Traveling in Japan

August 21st, 2009 → by Erica Johansson

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Written by: JAPANiCAN – Book Japan Hotels

Japan can be a land of great culinary adventures. Japanese cuisine is so distinctive and unique that you should absolutely experience an authentic Japanese dish while in country. Here are seven recommendations.

sushi 7 Foods You Must Taste While Traveling in Japan

Sushi

If there’s any food in Japan that is unmistakably Japanese, it is sushi. This rice roll with different types of fillings can be considered Japan’s national dish because it represents Japan in the culinary world. Forget about California rolls, sushi in Japan is different and you will find sushi types that you haven’t seen before.

Japanese Curry

Curry is a dish that you can find in many places but Japanese curry has a taste that is quite unique. There is a smokiness and sweetness to Japanese curry that makes it stand out. Try out their curry rice and many curry variants.

Sake

While not really a food but a liquor, Sake is nevertheless crucial in experiencing Japan through your taste buds. Sake is a rice based wine that, depending on the season, is served chilled, in room temperature or heated. This alcoholic beverage is the traditional drink for ceremonies and other celebrations.

Manju

Traditional desserts in Japan can be great unique experience. One of the more popular desserts is manju, a sweet bun made from flour, rice flour and buckwheat and with a delicious filling of red bean paste. The red bean paste is made from azuki beans and sugar. Other fillings are also put in the manju like orange cream fruit fillings. Sometimes the manju itself is flavored.

Natto

This food is not for those with delicate stomachs. Natto is fermenting bean paste that has a rotten smell. This food is usually eaten during breakfast. It may smell bad but many people say that it actually tastes quite good. A good tip when eating natto is to just eat it quickly before the smell gets in the way.

Ramen
ramen 7 Foods You Must Taste While Traveling in Japan
The Japanese love noodles. Some people may say that you should try eating yakisoba, which is fried noodles. Yakisoba is indeed very tasty but for a wonderful noodle experience nothing can beat eating ramen. Ramen is noodles in soup. There are many variations of this popular dish, starting with the soup itself. For example, you can get a soy based, miso based, or salt based. Then you get different toppings depending on where you eat it.

Each prefecture, or region, actually has its own variation of ramen, which makes traveling to these places all the more exciting because you get to eat a regional ramen specialty.

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