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!

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!

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!

Tea Time

Dessert

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

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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