Dishes you can't skip

  • Ramen - regional: tonkotsu (Fukuoka), miso (Sapporo), shōyu (Tokyo). You often order via a ticket machine at the entrance.
  • Sushi and sashimi - from conveyor-belt spots (kaiten-zushi, cheap and fun) to intimate bars.
  • Okonomiyaki - the „Japanese pancake-omelette-pizza”, king of Osaka and Hiroshima.
  • Tonkatsu, tempura, udon, soba, gyōza, takoyaki, yakitori - safe bets for every budget.
  • Kaiseki - a multi-course seasonal feast, often at a ryokan. An experience in itself.

How to order without Japanese

Many places have plastic food models in the window or photo menus - you can simply point. More and more have ticket machines and tablets with translation. „Konbini” (Lawson, 7-Eleven, FamilyMart) are a lifesaver at any hour and by no means „just whatever” - the sandwiches, onigiri and ready meals are surprisingly good.

Konbini and cheap eats

You can eat well and cheaply in Japan. A bowl of ramen, a „teishoku” set, an onigiri from the konbini - that's everyday life, not deprivation. It only gets expensive once you reach kaiseki and wagyū beef.

Table etiquette

  • Slurping noodles is OK (and even welcome).
  • Don't stick your chopsticks upright in the rice and don't pass food chopstick-to-chopstick - it has funeral symbolism.
  • You don't leave tips. Really.
  • „Itadakimasu” before and „gochisōsama” after the meal - a small thing that delights your hosts.

For vegetarians and people with allergies

It can be trickier than it seems - dashi broth (made from fish) is in almost everything. It's worth having a few sentences ready in Japanese and knowing diet-friendly places. This is exactly the kind of thing worth mapping out before the trip.

💡 The best little eateries are often the ones with no English menu and no queue of tourists. I'll slip such addresses into your plan.