Japan Food Guide: Every Dish You Must Eat, City by City

Japan has 413 Michelin-starred restaurants — more than France, more than anywhere. But the revelation for most visitors is not the starred restaurants: it is the 600-yen bowl of ramen eaten at a counter stool at midnight in a Shinjuku back alley, or the fish-market breakfast in Tokyo where the tuna was swimming 6 hours earlier.

Tokyo: Where to Start

Tsukiji Outer Market: The inner wholesale market moved to Toyosu in 2018, but the outer market remains open. Come at 6 AM for sushi breakfast at Sushi Dai or Daiwa Sushi (expect a queue of 45-90 minutes — bring this time). Fresh tuna nigiri with a miso soup is the correct meal.

Ramen: Tokyo ramen is typically shoyu (soy) or shio (salt) based, with a clear chicken or dashi broth. Fuunji in Shinjuku serves tsukemen (dipping ramen) that has a religious following. Ivan Ramen (by American chef Ivan Orkin) in Shibuya is an unusual but excellent choice.

Depachika: The basement food halls of Tokyo's department stores are among the world's great food experiences. Isetan in Shinjuku and Takashimaya in Nihonbashi are the finest. Pre-packaged meals (bento), fresh wagashi (traditional sweets), imported cheese, prepared sushi — all at hypermarket prices and restaurant quality.

Izakaya: The Japanese pub-restaurant. Order small dishes — karaage (fried chicken), yakitori (grilled chicken skewers), edamame, gyoza, sashimi — and drink Asahi or Kirin draft beer. Shinjuku's Golden Gai (a grid of tiny 6-person bars, each a different world) and Shibuya's Nonbei Yokocho are the best hunting grounds.

Osaka: The Nation's Kitchen

Osaka is Japan's food capital. The phrase kuidaore — "eat until you drop" — is the city's motto.

Takoyaki: Octopus balls. Fried in a specialized iron mold, filled with octopus, pickled ginger, and spring onion, topped with bonito flakes and takoyaki sauce. Sold everywhere in Dotonbori. Aizuya (since 1933) makes the original.

Okonomiyaki: "As you like it" pancake — batter, cabbage, pork or seafood, egg — cooked on a teppan griddle and topped with mayonnaise and okonomi sauce. Fukutaro in Namba is the institution.

Kushikatsu: Meat and vegetables skewered, battered, and deep-fried. Served with a communal dipping sauce (do NOT double-dip — cardinal sin). Daruma in Shinsekai invented the dish in 1929.

Ramen Osaka-style: The Osaka ramen tradition includes a distinctive tangy, non-rich broth style. Kinryu in Dotonbori, open 24 hours, is the famous late-night choice.

Kyoto: Kaiseki and Temple Food

Kyoto is the home of kaiseki — the multi-course seasonal tasting menu that is Japanese haute cuisine. A full kaiseki experience at a traditional machiya restaurant costs ¥20,000-50,000 per person and represents some of the most refined cooking on Earth.

Shojin ryori: Buddhist temple cuisine. Entirely plant-based (no meat, no fish, no alliums), extraordinarily delicious. Served in zen temple settings. Tenryuji and Daitokuji temples offer shojin ryori lunch reservations.

Nishiki Market: "Kyoto's kitchen" — a narrow covered market running for 400 meters. Fresh yuba (tofu skin), pickled vegetables, warabi mochi, fresh tofu. Eat your way through.

Tofu: Kyoto tofu is a distinct product — made with soft Kyoto water, silkier and more delicate than Tokyo tofu. Yudofu (hot pot simmered tofu) at Nanzenji is a Kyoto ritual.

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Essential Japanese Food Rules

Slurping ramen is correct: The noise aerates the broth and cools the noodles. Slurp away.

Sushi etiquette: Nigiri can be eaten by hand. Dip the fish side into soy sauce, not the rice. Do not mix wasabi into the soy sauce dish at good sushi restaurants — the chef has already applied it.

Ordering in Japanese: The words kore (this), hitotsu (one), and onegaishimasu (please) will get you through most food situations even without menus.

Convenience store food: Japanese 7-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart convenience stores sell genuinely excellent food — onigiri (rice balls), hot ramen, sandwiches, fresh coffee. Budget travelers can eat extremely well from combinis at a quarter of restaurant prices.

Food safety: Japan has exceptional food safety standards. Street food, raw fish at low-end restaurants, vending machine food — all perfectly safe.

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