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What to eat in Japan

The 10 best dishes in Japan

Seasonal, exact and regional, from the sushi counter to the train-station bento.

1

Sushi

Best: Tokyo

Edomae nigiri: aged and cured fish on body-warm seasoned rice, one piece at a time.

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2

Ramen

Best: Fukuoka, Sapporo and Tokyo

Wheat noodles in a deep broth: tonkotsu in Fukuoka, miso in Sapporo, shoyu in Tokyo.

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3

Tempura

Best: Tokyo

Seafood and vegetables in a lace-thin batter, fried in sesame oil and eaten straight from the pot.

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4

Kaiseki

Best: Kyoto

A seasonal procession of small courses, each a picture of the month.

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5

Okonomiyaki

Best: Osaka and Hiroshima

A savory cabbage pancake on the griddle with sauce, mayo and bonito flakes.

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6

Takoyaki

Best: Osaka

Octopus batter balls turned on a cast iron griddle.

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7

Yakitori

Best: Tokyo

Every part of the chicken grilled on skewers over binchotan charcoal.

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8

Soba

Best: Nagano and Tokyo

Buckwheat noodles, cold with dipping sauce or hot in broth.

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9

Tonkatsu

Best: Tokyo

A thick panko-crusted pork cutlet with shredded cabbage and sauce.

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10

Wagyu

Best: Kobe and Matsusaka

Marbled beef grilled or as sukiyaki.

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Photos: each dish's lead photo on its Wikipedia article (license and author on Wikimedia Commons); "a photo like it" is a food photo of the same kind, not that dish. Cook it opens a recipe in Chef Amazing, or Chef writes one for you. Picked by Chef Amazing, November 2026.