Japanese cuisine is incredibly diverse. It varies not just from region to region, but from restaurant to restaurant — even famous ramen is made according to its own recipe at every place you go.
During my travels around Japan, I tried to document every new dish I tasted. In this article, I break down the main dishes of Japanese cuisine — from soups and noodles to street food and matcha desserts — so it's easier for you to navigate a Japanese menu and know how to properly eat each dish.
During my travels around Japan, I tried to document every new dish I tasted. In this article, I break down the main dishes of Japanese cuisine — from soups and noodles to street food and matcha desserts — so it's easier for you to navigate a Japanese menu and know how to properly eat each dish.
Table of contents
Table of contents
Appetizers
Appetizers
In many Japanese restaurants, the main dish is accompanied by a set of several appetizers. The most common ones are:
- Tofu — soy "cheese." May be served in clear dashi broth.
- Fried tofu
- Thinly sliced roasted meat
- A piece of fish
- Salad (most often with daikon)
- Harusame noodles (glass noodles made from starch)
- Tamagoyaki — Japanese rolled omelet
- Edamame — young soybeans in their pods
A set of appetizers. "Kaedena," Kamakura.
Street food
Street food
Takoyaki
Takoyaki
Another famous street food dish, originally from Osaka. These are round balls of batter with a piece of octopus inside, fried in a special mold with indentations. They're crispy on the outside and almost liquid inside. In Osaka they're sold on every corner, especially around the Dotonbori area.
Takoyaki. "Creo-Ru Takoyaki & Okonomiyaki Dotonbori", Osaka.
Onigiri
Onigiri
One of the most common snacks in Japan. It's a rice triangle, often wrapped in nori, with a filling inside — salted salmon, tuna with mayonnaise, shrimp, and so on. Onigiri is essentially the Japanese equivalent of a sandwich: an inexpensive snack sold at any konbini (24-hour convenience store).
Onigiri with salmon. Wikimedia
Japanese omelette
Japanese omelette
Tamagoyaki
Tamagoyaki
A traditional Japanese rolled omelet. Beaten eggs with a bit of sugar or dashi added are fried in thin layers on a special deep rectangular pan (tamagoyaki-nabe), with each new layer rolled on top of the previous one. Tamagoyaki is eaten not only for breakfast — it's used to make sushi or served as a side to main dishes.
Tamagoyaki. Wikimedia
Omurice
Omurice
The Japanese modernized the Western-style omelet by adding their universal ingredient — rice. The result is a heartier version of a regular omelet, which comes with all kinds of fillings. The classic version is with chicken and tomato gravy. A wide variety of fillings can be found at the Pomme's restaurant chain.
Hot dishes
Hot dishes
Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki
Popular in Osaka, these "pancakes" are made from batter with cabbage, egg, and a filling of your choice. They're fried on a flat griddle (teppan) right in front of you. The pancake is generously topped with a special sauce and sprinkled with bonito flakes (dried tuna shavings).
Okonomiyaki. "Creo-Ru Takoyaki & Okonomiyaki Dotonbori", Osaka.
Tonkatsu
Tonkatsu
A pork cutlet fried in crispy breading. The cutlet is served with shredded cabbage, tonkatsu sauce, and a wedge of lemon.
Tonkatsu. Wikimedia
Curry
Curry
Unlike Indian curry, Japanese curry is only mildly spicy and thicker in consistency. It's served with rice and a main dish of your choice — this could be tonkatsu itself, beef, or omelet. You can try Japanese curry at the CoCo Ichibanya chain.
"CoCo Ichibanya", Tokyo
Japanese fluffy pancakes
Japanese fluffy pancakes
These famous fluffy pancakes are made from whipped egg whites. They're served with all sorts of toppings, from whipped cream with sliced strawberries to chocolate. Very calorie-dense but delicious! One of the most popular chains where you can try these pancakes is Happy Pancakes.
"Happy Pancakes", Kyoto
Yakitori
Yakitori
Skewered chicken pieces grilled over charcoal and glazed with sweet tare sauce or simply sprinkled with salt. They're made from different parts of the chicken — thigh, wings — sometimes alternating meat with negima (green onion). Yakitori is the perfect beer snack, which is why it's often served at izakaya bars.
Yakitori. Wikimedia
Donabe-gohan
Donabe-gohan
Rice cooked together with chicken, mushrooms, and vegetables in a small clay pot. It's cooked in dashi broth and served right in the pot, often together with a separate bowl of clear soup or sauce.
Donabe-gohan
Gyoza
Gyoza
Fried elongated dumplings with pork, cabbage, and ginger — the Japanese adaptation of Chinese jiaozi.
Gyoza. Wikimedia
Sushi
Sushi
This dish probably needs no introduction. Sushi is made from special vinegar-seasoned rice and, most often, seafood. Main types of sushi:
- Nigiri — an oblong piece of rice with a large piece of fish on top.
- Gunkan — also an oblong piece of rice, but wrapped around the perimeter with nori. Various fillings go inside, mainly roe.
- Maki — small cylindrical sushi, that are usually called "rolls" outside Japan.
A set of sushi, "Sushi Zanmai", Tokyo
Sashimi
Sashimi
These are thin slices of raw fish or seafood without rice, eaten on their own. Sashimi is eaten by dipping it in soy sauce with wasabi, often accompanied by thin daikon strips, and served as an appetizer. The key factors here are the quality and freshness of the fish, as well as the cutting technique — the texture of each piece depends on it. The most popular fish types for sashimi:
- Maguro — tuna, comes in several varieties.
- Sake — salmon, milder in flavor than tuna.
- Hamachi — yellowtail, firm and slightly sweet fish.
- Tako — octopus, served already boiled, with a characteristic springy texture.
Sashimi. Wikimedia
Noodles
Noodles
Рамэн
Рамэн
One of the most famous dishes of Japanese cuisine, widely known even outside Japan. There's an incredible variety of ramen types, including:
- Shoyu ramen — ramen in a soy-based broth with duck, menma bamboo shoots, and mitsuba leaves.
Shoyu ramen, "Ramen Ginza Onodera" (麺 銀座おのでら 東銀座店), Tokyo
- Tonkotsu ramen — the classic version. A rich, cloudy white broth made from pork bones, served with wheat noodles, green onion, pieces of chashu (braised pork), and a half of ajitama egg. You can try this version at the famous Ichiran Ramen chain. If you go there, I also recommend trying their signature almond matcha pudding.
Tonkotsu ramen, Ichiran Ramen, Tokyo
Tonkotsu ramen, "Kamitora - Higobashi", Osaka
- Tantanmen — a spicy, sesame-forward broth with ground meat, often with chili oil and sesame paste added. Richer and spicier than the classic versions.
- Miso ramen — broth based on miso paste dissolved in pork or chicken broth. The result is a thick, slightly sweet, nutty flavor. Miso ramen is especially popular in Sapporo, Hokkaido.
Soba
Soba
Soba is buckwheat noodles, served either hot or cold. The hot version is served in a broth with a pronounced soy flavor. Cold soba is served on a bamboo mat with a separate tsuyu dipping sauce with wasabi, into which the noodles should be dipped before eating. Soba is usually accompanied by donburi-style tempura — battered and fried vegetables or shrimp.
Hot soba and donburi on the left, Osaka
Udon
Udon
Very thick wheat noodles, denser and "chewier" than soba. They're usually served in broth, often together with shrimp tempura or bonito flakes, or as part of a set with appetizers. There's also a version without broth — kamotama udon. Freshly cooked hot noodles are immediately mixed with raw egg and a small amount of soy sauce, resulting in a very filling dish.
Udon set, Nara
Soups
Soups
Miso soup
Miso soup
The staple of every Japanese person's diet. Miso soup will follow you everywhere, even at hotel breakfasts. It's a light dashi broth to which miso paste (fermented soybeans) is added, sometimes with tofu cubes and wakame seaweed. Miso soup is eaten at the end of a meal and drunk directly from the bowl, so don't be surprised if you're not given a spoon for it.
Miso soup with tofu and wakame. Wikimedia
Desserts
Desserts
Dango
Dango
One of the most common desserts in Japan. Dango are sticky rice balls threaded onto skewers. There are several types of dango:
- Tricolor (bocchan dango)
- Mitarashi — dango covered in a sweet syrup made from soy sauce and sugar.
- Kinako — dango with soybean flour.
- An-dango — with red bean (azuki) paste.
Mitarashi dango, Kura Sushi
Mochi
Mochi
Another iconic Japanese dessert. Mochi is a rice dough with various fillings, most often strawberry or azuki bean paste. Another popular variation is ice cream wrapped in mochi dough. In texture, mochi is quite chewy and can stick to your teeth. Also an acquired taste, but I like mochi more than dango.
A variety of mochi
Matcha cheesecake
Matcha cheesecake
A denser cheesecake compared to the classic version, with a rich, slightly bitter matcha flavor. Often served with matcha sauce.
Matcha cheesecake, "IPPUKU & MATCHA", Tokyo
Matcha tiramisu
Matcha tiramisu
The Japanese adaptation of the famous Italian dessert, where the coffee powder is replaced with matcha.
Matcha tiramisu, Wikimedia
The dishes listed in this article are just a small part of the diversity that Japanese cuisine has to offer. Trying even all the varieties of ramen in a single trip is, of course, impossible, but exploring and discovering something new in Japan is endless. Now you're truly ready for a trip around Japan and know how to tell soba from udon. For a more detailed understanding of Japanese cuisine, I recommend checking out the illustrated book «Washoku: Japanese traditional food and food culture», available in an English-language edition. You can buy it directly in Japan.
Happy travels through the Land of the Rising Sun!
Happy travels through the Land of the Rising Sun!
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