What to Eat in Japan

Updated June 25, 2020.

If you’ve been following my series of “e-mails to home” from my summer living and working in Japan, you’ll definitely want to read this one! It’s a very special What I Ate Wednesday!

What did I eat in three months in Japan? Basically tons and tons of raw seafood! And about a half a ton of deliciously seasoned rice. Here’s a glimpse at some of my favorites!

Breakfast

People were kind enough to fix breakfast for me often while I visited, but mostly it was American style, since I am American. But I was thrilled when the owners of the school where I worked offered to make a traditional Japanese breakfast for me!

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Rice, seasoned salmon (cooked!), egg omelette above that, very tiny whole fishes in the blue and white bowl to the right, and miso soup in the red bowl

Grocery Store Escapades

A trip to the grocery store was one of my most favorite things to do! I picked up lunch from the grocery almost every day, and once I nearly jumped out of a skin because a fish was still live and flopping around in a display beside me!

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yellowtail, scallops, and a seaweed-covered rice ball
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Fresh squid, anyone?
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This one was alive!
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Here’s looking at you!

SUSHI!

Let’s get right down to my most favorite: sushi! FYI: sushi is the seasoned rice, either by itself or under a piece of fish. Raw fish is called sashimi. When the fish (raw or cooked) is sitting on top of a bit of rice, it’s called nigiri sushi, or just sushi. It’s kind of like how “hamburger” is actually the meat between two pieces of a bun: the whole thing is a hamburger, but so is the meat by itself!

Combo Platters

I will always go for sushi, but sometimes I wanted to branch out, even if I wasn’t sure what I would like. Thank goodness for the combo platters every restaurant seemed to have!

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Sobatsu: Buckwheat noodles with sweet soy sauce (served cold) and a side of sushi (from the top: salmon, mackerel, octopus, yellowtail, salmon eggs, egg omelette)!
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Chagayu, a traditional meal in Kyoto (I think!). Rice and green tea porridge, root “jelly” above with green tea powder, various fish and pickled veggies in the square red dish, and condiments below.
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My favorite, and a special meal in the town where I lived, Takonezushi! Bonito fish over seasoned rice, pickled veggies, miso soup, and tea.

Tea Time

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Teapot and cup
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tea snacks
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Green tea mixture and a sweet bean “jelly” treat

Dessert

Japanese desserts are sometimes elaborate, sometimes simple, but always elegant. Check them out!

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Yogurt with fruit
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Jellies with green tea powder
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Fruit!
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More fruit!
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You never eat the peels in Japan!

So what do you think? Are Japanese foods some of your favorites? All these 11 years later, Japanese food is still my preference–always!

Want more? Check out my World Foods Page and my Japan Page, too!

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8 responses to “What to Eat in Japan”

  1. OMG, it all looks so yummy! Seafood is my absolute favorite 🙂

  2. Ahhh that made me so hungry! Japan is the best! I recently wrote about my trip to Japan if you want to check it out 😀 xx

    1. Japan IS the best! And so is their food!

  3. […] You can find even more of Whitney’s recommendations on what to eat in Japan here. […]

  4. japan is the best to eat chines food and japanese food are very good |_|_|
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