Japanese cuisine is one of the most popular global cuisines and there's no better way to enjoy your favorite dishes than by going directly to the source. With so many delicious foods to choose from, it can be difficult to narrow down your edible bucket list. Luckily, we've compiled the best of the best, from Instagram darlings, to lesser-known dishes, and ones that just taste better in Japan.
To keep things simple, we're going to assume that you're already going to seek out ramen, sashimi, and matcha everything. Now, onto culinary roads slightly less traveled!
Classic Comforts
Let's start off simple with tamago sando. Why go all the way to Japan for a prepackaged egg sandwich? Konbini are stocked with every goodie imaginable, from inventive snacks to ready-made meals. And none is more beloved than the tamago sando; silky eggs and kewpie mayo sandwiched between pillowy milk bread. Try it and get back to us.
Moving on to more substantial meals, if you're planning a trip for the colder months to enjoy time in a traditional onsen, you probably want an equally warming meal. For that, we have to recommend tonkatsu and curry. Tonkatsu is a panko-fried pork cutlet that's a mildly sweet and majorly comforting. Served alongside rice and shredded cabbage, it's the ultimate comfort food.
Tonkatsu can be found alongside Japanese curry. Even if you aren't a fan of Indian or Thai curries, you should at least try Japanese curry. Not only is the sauce velvety and creamy, it's also sweet and mild. So, don't worry if your spice tolerance is nonexistence. Curry comes in three main forms: curry rice, curry bread, and curry udon.
Speaking of udon, you shouldn't leave Japan without trying a bowl. Served either hot or cold, udon is classic, chewy, and cheap. An enormously versatile dish, western-style carbonara udon has been popular in recent years.
Another noodle dish you should look out for is soba. These buckwheat noodles are less glamorous than udon or ramen but no less delicious. On a scorching summer day, there's nothing better than a cool bowl of soba with dipping sauce. Soba has a rich, surprisingly nutty taste.
For something you can eat in between sight-seeing, okonomiyaki is a beloved street food. This savory pancake is an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink snack that's will fuel a long day of walking. Okonomiyaki are layered with toppings including eggs, octopus, cabbage, and more, made to your specifications. The two main styles of okonomiyaki are Osaka and Hiroshima; it would be a crime to visit either city without trying their specialty.
Another iconic street food—though, please sit down or stand away from pedestrian traffic as eating and walking is considered impolite—is tako tamago. This dish may be a hard sell for less adventurous eaters, but vacation is a great opportunity to get out of your culinary comfort zone. Tako tamago is skewered baby octopus with a hard-boiled quail egg stuffed inside the head, then candied in barbecue sauce. It's rich, slightly chewy, and oddly adorable.
Splurge-Worthy Meals
On the other end of the financial spectrum, unagi is a splurge-worthy seafood dish. The unagi sashimi you get back home pales in comparison. Traditionally eaten for stamina on hot summer days, grilled freshwater eel is crispy perfection that practically melts in your mouth. Pick any unagi restaurant and you'll be in eel heaven.
Another dish that simply doesn't compare to what you get back home is Kobe beef. And, we'll let you in on a little secret, the Kobe beef you've eaten at your local Japanese steakhouse probably isn't Kobe at all, but rather a lesser version of Wagyu. While all Kobe beef is Wagyu, only a certain breed of cattle raised in a specific prefecture can be certified as Kobe beef. The resulting meat is so marbled you might as well be eating beef-flavored butter. That's how rich and melty it is. An experience worth the price tag.
To close off our list, we're going to end on another street food, this time for dessert. Taiyaki is a fish-shaped cake filled with savory red bean paste. These delightful pastries are almost too cute to eat...almost. One bite will have you hooked.
Did we miss anything on this list of iconic Japanese dishes? Include something that doesn't deserve a spot? Let us know!
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