Street Food and Other Traditional Dishes to Eat in Japan

Our foodie experience in Japan may be quite mild compared to what some diehard foodies might have tried, but we sampled so many different things that we felt it was worth a separate foodie article to describe some of these. With Japanese menus and sometimes English menus only having pictures. We did eat some things without knowing exactly what they were, especially when we tried street food. Everything we ate was quite enjoyable and we’ve ventured some guesses after the fact on what the unknown were.

So first off, Japan was one of the cleanest countries we have visited, and we had no qualms trying street food while we were there. In fact, with our desire to see as much as possible in the daylight hours, we rarely wanted to stop and sit down for breakfast or lunch, instead we were anxious to move on and sightsee. Towards the end, as our feet were getting tired, yes, these stops to eat became more frequent but there was often enough interesting selections to keep us going with a few bites here and there at the various parks and tourist areas.

Some of the interesting things we ate and enjoyed while in Japan

Takoyaki (Octopus Balls)

Small munchkin sized balls crispy on the outside filled with seasoned octopus in a soft center and loaded with a sauce and various dressings. This is such a popular street food it can be found in almost every street food fare and there is even a takotaki museum in Osaka. It is said to have originated in Kansai or the western area of Japan but has its roots going back to the 1600s. We enjoyed these and it’s a must try. Nothing like a fried calamari, the octopus is tender and juicy with the ball being crispy and chewy at the same time.

Nikuman (Steamed Pork Bun)

These little steamed buns were to be found everywhere, including the local 7-Eleven where they offered up pork, onion and even red bean sweet varieties. We found ourselves joining a long line of Japanese grabbing a couple of these for breakfast during rush hour as we made our way out for sightseeing. It was a nice touch to sit under a blooming sakura tree for a small breakfast picnic.

Inari Sushi (Tofu Wrapped Rice)

We found these as we got off the train and they were touted as a specialty outside one of the temples. Fairly simple, this is a pocket of sushi rice (in our case, there was some spice, and what looked like fennel in them) wrapped in a folded piece of tofu. They are named after the Shinto God of fertility.

Owakudani’s Kuro Tamago (Black Eggs)

Deep in the sulfur hot springs of Owakudani where you can see marvelous views of Mt. Fuji. This area known as boiling valley is where you can find traditional eggs cooked in a hot spring rich in iron and hydrogen sulfide which causes a reaction turning the shells black. There are other benefits that show that the eggs are much more nutritious but what got us was the folklore that eating one of these while at Owakudani would give you 7 more years of life. Well, we have a lot of travels to do still and we had to have at least one of these. They didn’t taste much different from regular hard-boiled eggs but hey—you can’t beat the view of Mt. Fuji up there while enjoying them.

Taikaki (Japanese Fish-Shaped Cake)

We loved these and you could get them filled with custard, green tea paste, or red beans. They are waffle-like but made in a fish shape. We enjoyed watching the skilled cooks flip them with a small stick. We shared one… but could have had a dozen.

Yakitore Skewers

As we went through the Tsokiji market looking at skewers of sparrow, and small fish, the jumbo shrimp ones were the ones that we were tempted by. We took pictures of the rest, but were happy to enjoy the shrimps instead of the other ‘oddities’ we saw at the market.

Sparrow Skewers

Fish Skewers

Onigiri

Onigiri (Triangular Rice Ball)

They also come in a cylindrical shape and are often wrapped in nori (seaweed). The ones we tried were stuffed with tuna but they can be filled with other ingredients and seasoning can be added to the rice. Convenience stores sell them and they make for a quick healthy snack.

Kare Pan (Curry-Filled Bun)

We got one of these not knowing what it was and surprised ourselves, as Nathalie does not like curry. Yes, a strange mix for us, we were expecting bean paste so perhaps that ruined it for us but these sweet curry buns are quite popular it seems.

Matcha Ice Cream and Candies

This green tea powder based treats are popular and you can get ice cream, candies, and even a jelly-like confection similar to a Turkish delight. We had a box of these and while the green tea flavor was quite strong it made for an interesting mix.

Gyoza (Potstickers)

These types of fried dumplings with pork were popular in many places and we enjoyed them more than once. They are quite similar to what we would get here as potstickers and served with soy sauce.

Agedashi Tofu

Fried tofu served with a sweet soy or peanut sauce. Often served as an appetizer it also comes on sticks.

Mooncake

Well ok this is technically a Chinese delicacy but it was so good that we just had to include it in our list. It’s made from a cookie-like dough and stuffed with a thick sweet bean paste.

The above only covers a sampling of the street food we had, there were also some amazing sit-down meals worth mentioning for sure.

Sushi and Sashimi

From conveyor belt restaurants to strict sushi chefs that delivered the sushi to your plate and watched you with a careful eye, we ate sushi and sashimi to our hearts delight. We must say that we did stay away from some of the wilder cuts and could not believe it when we saw things like ‘raw chicken’ sushi, and even whale meat. Well, I guess to each his own but with 24+hours of travel coming up it was not the time to test our stomachs.

Teishoku and Keiseki

A classic must have set meal made up of many small dishes and based on traditional meals from Zen temples. Keiseki is more like a Japanese haute-cuisine experience, a must do, we did ours while sitting on traditional mats on the floor.

Shabu Shabu

Dish similar to a fondue of thinly sliced meats and veggies in a personal sized pot that cooks at your table. Served with omelet and miso soup.

Tonyu Nabe (Soy Milk Hot Pot)

Similar to shabu shabu this is a soy milk, bean curd and okara (soy pulp) mixture that make’s a tasty broth when the milk boils. It’s served in a personal sized pot that cooks at your table.

Hot Pot

This is another delicious meal where we added chicken, pork, lamb and veggies into a large pot to share and cooked it at the table.

Tonkatsu

This is like a deep fried cutlet sliced into lengths and served with rice and pickled veggies.

Tempura

We sampled this at a variety of spots and it was often very crispy and non-greasy compared to what we get here in North America.

This is just a sampling of some of our favorites, and we really loved the food and would be willing to go back to enjoy many of these again. We’ve even found some wasabi peanuts on Amazon, which we have ordered, but no luck finding a sushi place to rival the ones we tried in Japan so far.

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