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10 Amazing Foods In Japan That Are A Must Try
There’s no question there’s a ton of unique attractions and sights to see while visiting Japan. It’s a truly beautiful, bustling country which never ceases to amaze me. One of the biggest draws of the country for myself is the food. To say the food in Japan is delicious would be an understatement. It’s absolutely amazing.
Here are some of the standouts that anyone visiting Japan must try!
Table of Contents
Mochi
Mochi is certainly one of the most 10 amazing foods in Japan. A traditional rice cake, mochi is chewy and has a chewy texture and can be either savory or sweet. It’s a versatile rice cake which can be filled with various fillings like red bean paste and have different types of toppings like fruit on top. The freshness, and how soft and chewy the mochi is in Japan really stands out. While mochi can be found worldwide, the mochi in Japan is on a different level!
Ramen
Ramen is easily one of the top 10 amazing foods in Japan. Everyone knows ramen, let’s be honest. Ramen is everywhere in the world but it’s something that absolutely must be tried in Japan. The number of ramen places and different types of ramen are insane. The atmosphere itself, with many ramen shops just being a counter that seats 15 or less is a pretty cool experience. The ordering process, with the ordering machines in the front of some ramen restaurants is certainly an experience as well.
Sushi / Sashimi / Chirashi
Without a doubt, sushi in all it’s variations is one of the 10 amazing foods in Japan that you must have. Japan has some of the best quaility seafood in the world and the quality of the sushi / sashimi / chirashi certainly reflects this. Whenever I go to Japan I eat as much tuna as I possibly can. It’s the best tuna I’ve ever had. The crab, scallop, uni, it’s all outstanding. Whatever your fish of choice is, you will not be disappointed by the quality.
Fruit
Speaking of high quality, the fruit in Japan is on another level from what I’ve ever had in the United States. Quality takes precedence over quanity when it comes to Japanese fruit. Farmers are very attentive and closely monitor their crops to insure their fruit meets lofty standards in association with the fruit texture, sweetness, size, and shape.
These high standards, along with the country being smaller, which leads to less time for the fruit to make it from the farm to the store, leads to some exceptionally high quality fruit.
The melons and strawberries I had were the juiciest and sweetest I’ve ever experienced. With quality comes higher prices though. The fruit is definitely more expensive, but it’s well worth it. Fruit may not be on the radar as one the 10 amazing foods in Japan, but it certainly deserves to be!
Japanese Curry
Japanese curry is a very popular food in the country and is considered a comfort food and is one of the 10 amazing foods in Japan. Japanese curry is its own unique curry and different from other types of curry found in the world. It’s a little bit thicker and is more sweet and savory. Commonly made with both a protein (beef, chicken, or with tonkatsu) and vegtables, it’s more in the vein of curry stew. Served with Japanese short grain rice which is stickier than basmati rice, the rice also really soaks up the curry.
Outside of rice curry, there’s other ways to enjoy Japanese curry as well. One of those “other” dishes is curry soup. A staple in Hokkaido, this is Japanese curry in soup form. While I’ve had curry rice many times, I’d never heard of curry soup before. If you’re a curry fan than this is a must try while traveling through Japan. I actually enjoyed it more than the curry rice. Very tasty with different vegetables and fall- off-the-bone chicken, this was one delicious dish!
Kobe Beef / Wagyu
Kobe beef is a worldwide delicacy renowned for its flavor, tenderness, and fatty, well-marbled texture which easily places it amongst 10 amazing foods in Japan. As the name implies, Kobe beef is cultivated from Japanese Black cattle which is raised in the Hyogo Prefecture region of Japan, near Kobe. It’s considered the highest quality beef that Japanese cattle can produce and is a must try! There’s various cuts of this and obviously the higher the price the better the cut and quality. So the experience can certainly vary upon how much you’re willing to spend.
But it’s an experience that must be tried!
Omurice
Omurice includes ketchup fried rice, yes ketchup fried rice, wrapped in a very thin omlette with ketchup drizzled over the egg. The egg is very crepe like, it’s a very thin layer. The ketchup fried rice is generally mixed with chicken and vegetables. It’s an all-around unique looking and tasty dish that must be tried while in Japan! It’s a very common and popular breakfast item which is why I’m including it on the list of 10 amazing foods in Japan.
Tempura
Another food on the 10 amazing foods in Japan is tempura. Tempura is very famous in Japan and you’ll be able to find it thorughout the country. Tempura, for those who haven’t had it before, consists of seafood (shrimp is a staple) and vegetables coated in a thin batter and deep fried. The quality can differ, but the outer batter should be light and crispy and not saturated in oil. It definitely makes a big difference while enjoying this classic meal.
Tonkatsu
A classic food in Japan, tonkatsu, is certainly on the list for 10 amazing foods in Japan. Tonkatsu is a breaded pork cutlet that’s deep fried in oil. The breaded exterior is nice and crunchy, while the pork, which is generally a pork fillet or tenderloin, is juicy and tender. Served with a side of cabbage and a thick Worcestershire-style sauce, this is a must have while in Japan. Certainly do your research and find a quality spot to enjoy this Japanese comfort food.
Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki is a popular, savory pancake dish that is found throughout Japan. Consisting of a flour batter and cooked on a teppan, common ingredients include cabbage, meat, and seafood, with toppings including a thicker worcestershire type sauce, dried seaweed flakes (aonori), bonito flakes, Japanese mayonnaise, and ginger. There’s two distinct types, one hailing from Osaka and one from Hiroshima. The Hiroshima version is layered instead of mixed and uses 3-4x more cabbage.
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Try This Hole In The Wall Tonkatsu Restaurant If Visiting Taito City, Tokyo
The Background
Tired after a long day of sight seeing and not wanting to venture out too far for food. I found Tonkatsu Sugita while searching for nearby food options from my hotel.
It has a respectable 4.0 rating on Google (which isn’t always the most reliable for food) so I decided to give it a shot since it was less than a ten minute walk from the hotel I was at and tonkatsu sounded quite good.
I’m certainly glad I gave it a try.
The restuarant is quite tiny – there’s a total of 20 seats, in a quiet part of Taito City. It’s been around since 1977 and has only had two owners during its run.
Where the restaurant was located was a nice change of pace from other bustling and packed parts of Tokyo.
Most of the seating is located at a counter where you can watch the chef prepare your food right in front of you. There’s some additonal seating in the back for large parties as well.
Fortunately, they have an English menu so figuring out what to get is extremely easy. The menu is also small so it takes out a lot of the back and forth of having a difficult time deciding on what to get, which I’m certainly prone to! The small menu is explained here. I appreciate the seriousness of how the owner goes about selecting the pork and prepares the food. The quality of the food certainly shows his dedication to his craft.
The Tonkatsu
I went with the No. 1 – Tonkatsu fillet (2900 yen, $19.63 USD) and added miso soup (200 yen, $1.35) and rice (300 yen, $2.03, $23.01 total).
Tonkatsu is also always served with a side of cabbage. There’s a few reasons for this.
Cabbage provides a nice crunch that complements the tonkatsu flavors and texture well.
It also helps to reduce the oil and can help with digestion. The cabbage can be eaten with dressing (which was provided here) or with tonkatsu sauce (essentially a thicker worcester sauce).
It definitely works with the overall meal and I can’t imagine eating tonkatsu without it.
It took about 20-25 minutes for the food to come out. The chef was very friendly and you can watch him make the food right in front of you. Think of a sushi restaurant where you can watch the chefs prep the sushi right in front of you but with pork cutlets and huge pots of oil.
The tonkatsu was fried to perfection. The outer shell was very crispy and the meat was incredibly tender. It literally melted in my mouth. Taking a bite of the fried pork, cabbage, and rice was fantastic.
The miso soup was outstanding here as well. It had a deep, flavorful taste to it and was a great complement to the meal.
The Verdict
In my three weeks in Japan this was the best tonkatsu I had. Granted, I had it three or four times (which I think is a lot in three weeks, lol) but this was hands down the best. It wasn’t even a contest. The chef certainly knows his craft and the food reflected this.
The prices were quite reasonable for what I got – $23.01 – for everything and well worth it.
I later saw that it’s mentioned in the Michelin Guide with a Bib Gourmand rating, so this place is legit. I would definitely recommend checking the place out if you’re staying in the Taito City area. It’s also about a 30 minute or so walk from Asakusa if you wanted to grab some food after visiting there. It’s worth the walk.
3 Chome-8-3 Kotobuki, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0042, Japan
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Zabon Ramen: Checking Out The Anaheim Packing District Location
Zabon Ramen At The Anaheim Packing District -The Background
First established in Tokyo, Japan in 1978, Zabon Ramen opened up its first location in the US in Torrance in 2016. In 2022 it opened its second location in the popular Anaheim Packing District.
Zabon Ramen is known for it’s broth which is unique since it consists of a combination of Tonkatsu (pork), chicken broth, and soy sauce. They expanded the menu at the Anaheim location adding sushi rolls.
The Experience
Zabon’s is located on the second level at the Anaheim Packing District, right across from the bar. It’s easy to spot if entering from the main entrance. There’s no sit down area specifically for Zabon but seating can be found outside, right behind Zabon, or along the counter space overlooking the first floor.
The menu is short and sweet with three types of ramen to choose from – the Zabon, Miso, and Vegan. A handful of appetizers and rice bowls complete the ramen portion of the menu.
I decided to go with the Zabon Ramen ($14.95) since I wanted to try the base broth. The toppings included bean sprouts, cabbage, green onion, fried onion, and 3 pieces of pork chashu.
The ramen set seemed like a good deal -an extra $4.25 for a mini rice bowl – so I decided to get the chashu bowl.
Zabon Ramen
Starting with the ramen. The presentation is great. 3 large, thick slices of chashu, the fried onion, cabbage, and green onion add vibrant color to the rich, brown broth. I was looking forward to dig into it.
The broth was a little underwhelming. It looks rich but lacked that deep, rich flavor you really savor with each spoonful. To me it tasted more like a seasoned broth packet from an instant ramen.
The noodles were just alright. A little too firm for my liking. They lacked real bounce or freshness to them.
Finally the chashu. Kind of on brand with the overall bowl, it was a little tough. It had pretty good flavor to it but I didn’t find it to be very tender.
I did enjoy the crunch of the cabbage in the ramen. I thought it went well within this particular bowl of ramen.
Chashu Bowl
Next up was the the chashu bowl. The bowl had cubed chashu with green onion , ginger, and a teriyaki type sauce drizzled over the top. The rice soaked up the sauce nicely and was well coated throughout the bowl. There was a good amout of food here for a mini bowl.
The chasu bits were more tender then the pieces in the ramen and there was a generous amount in this bowl. The sauce, green onion, and ginger all meshed well together and helped to enchance the overall flavor. This was pretty decent but I wouldn’t go out of my wayt to get it again.
The Verdict
Zabon Ramen located in the Anaheim Packing District is more akin to a fast food style ramen. It fits into the vibe and flow of its surroundings, but just doesn’t pack that authentic ramen style restuarant punch to it and the food is reflective of that. The ramen and chasu bowl wouldn’t be enough to bring me back soley to eat at this location. For the amount of food you get, the ramen set deal is pretty solid though.
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Hakata Ikkousha Tonkatsu Ramen In Costa Mesa
The Background
The first Hakata Ikkousha hails from Fukoaka, Japan and first opened in 2004. It now has a number of restaurants thorughout Japan and can also be found in Singapore, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, USA, and Canada. A pretty incredible expansion within a fairly small time frame.
When you break down the name it means one (Ichi) happy (ko) space (sha). A great combination of words to name a ramen restauarant since a nice hot bowl of ramen should indeed make for a “one happy space”.
Fortunately (for me), the three US locations are all located in Southern Calfornia. I went and checked out the Costa Mesa restaurant recently.
The Experience
The restaurant is in very busy center in Costa Mesa. It can become a parking nightmare at dinner time so I went for lunch. I got here about ten minutes after it opened (11:30 am). It’s a pretty small place. It started getting busy during the lunch rush and was filling up quickly.
The menu had quite a few different types of ramen broths to choose from. The Black Tonkotsu, God Fire, Mentai, and Black Devil Ramen all sounded super interesting.
When I go to a new ramen spot I always like trying their signature ramen, what they’re known for. It’s generally the Tonkatsu ($14) so that’s what I went with. They have a solid lunch combo menu where you can add a side dish for a little extra so I went with the 1/2 fried rice. All in all a pretty solid deal ~ $17.50.
You fill out the order sheet and it gets picked up by the server 
The lunch combo menu Service was very attentive and the food came out within 10 minutes.
The Ramen
Like the best tonkotsu broths, Ikkousha’s broth is extracted from pork bones over 30 hours long. This bowl comes a with a piece of pork chashu, black fungus, and spring onions.
I don’t ever recall seeing Tonkatsu ramen coming out so frothy like this before. The broth is rich, with a light umami taste. This doesn’t have a really deep flavor and isn’t overly rich for a tonkotsu broth though. It’s nice middle of the road flavor.
Only one piece of chashu comes with the ramen. It’s a good sized piece, but it’s disappointing that you need to shell out more money for an additional piece or two. The chashu itself was good. It was tender with good flavor.
The noodles here a very thin but definitely have a freshness to them and are tasty. I got the normal firmness and it was a little too firm for my liking. The next visit I’d definitely get soft, but that’s obviously a personal preference..
The black fungus mushroom shreds add a welcome different kind of texture to the ramen. They didn’t really have any kind of taste to them, purely provided texture to the bowl. Something that’s always welcome.
The Fried Rice
The fried rice had bits of pork in it with egg, onion, and green onion. The pork bits had great flavor and the fried rice had a bit of a charred bbq taste to it. There’s definitely a lot of onion pieces in here. I enjoyed the abundance of onion initially but got a little tired of it the more I ate. Overall an enjoyable fried rice!
The Verdict
There’s many many ramen options in Orange County and it’s hard to standout with so many delicious places to choose. Hakata Ikkousha Tonkatsu Ramen is a solid ramen option.
The tonkatsu broth is on the lighter side yet remains flavorful. It’s a good tonkatsu broth if you’re wanting something that’s not going to put you in a coma after.
I wouldn’t put Ikkousha at the top of my favorite ramen places I’ve visited in Orange County. But it’s certainly a nice change of pace and provides a good ramen option in the Costa Mesa area.
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HiroNori Craft Ramen – Irvine, CA | Authentic Broth And Sauce With Fresh Ramen Noodles
The Background
HiroNori opened their first restaurant back in 2017 and have now expanded to 13 locations throughout California, primarily in Southern California. The popular ramen restaurant has received numerous awards from local food critics since its opening. Notable awards include being selected to join the 2019 Michelin Guide and most recently being named a Michelin Guide Bib of the Week in 2023. In other words, this place serves some quality ramen!
HiroNori has three different types of ramen: Tonkotsu Ramen, Shoyu Ramen, and Vegan Ramen. The best known is the Tonkatsu Ramen. The Tonkatsu broth is made in a traditional Japanese manner, prepared with simmered pork bones as its base. The broth takes 24 hours to prepare. The quality and depth of flavor is a positive reflection of this broth preperation.
The Experience
The location I went to was the original restaurant in a small shopping center off Michelson Drive in Irvine. It opens up at 11am so I got there around 11:15am on a Thursday to grab a bowl of Ramen for lunch. One side note here: parking gets really bad in this center during peak hours. It’s a small parking lot for so many restuarants and shops.
On this day, at this time, parking was not too bad. HiroNori itself can get very busy at dinner. It’s a rather small space, so it fills up rapidly. By the time I got to the restaurant, there was no line, but the restaurant was already half full.
There’s no sign above the restaurant. You’ll hvae to find the HiroNori logo on the door. Or just follow the line 
In addition to the ramen HiroNori offers a few rice bowl selections and sides. As mentioned above, there’s three different types of ramen here: Tonkatsu, Shoyu, and Vegan. Tonkatsu ($16.30) was a no-brainer selection for me.
A nice touch here as I waited for my ramen was the water. Yes, I know water is generally an afterthought, but here the water was infused with watermelon, lemon, and mint. Quite refreshing on a summer day!
After sipping on my water, the ramen came out shortly thereafter. Superb service!
Topped with two pieces of pork chashu, green onion, spinach, seaweed, bean sprouts, and a half egg ,this ramen had a lot going on. Just by looking at the hue of the broth, I could tell this was going to be extremely rich.
The broth was indeed very rich and provided quite a unique flavor. Because of its richness, this broth carried more weight than other Tonkatsu broths. With the broth taking 24 hours to prepare there’s a distinct, deep porky flavor, which I haven’t experienced elsewhere. It’s a VERY flavorful Tonkatsu broth.
The pork chashu is very tender and nearly falls apart when picked up. Nicely grilled with fantastic char flavor, this was some good pork chashu. I loved the fat to meat ratio on the two pieces as well!
HiroNori makes fresh noodles daily and it’s readily apparent in both texture and flavor. The noodles are al dente, with great springiness, and are a little thicker than other ramen noodles.
The half egg was great as well. Somewhat between a hard boiled and poached egg. The yolk was very creamy and tasty.
Every bite of the ramen contains multiple layers of textures to enjoy from the noodles, to the pork, the egg, the spinach, seaweed, and green onion. Washing it down with some of that flavor filled broth was truly satisyfying.
The Verdict
HiroNori Craft Ramen offers a unique Tonkatsu Ramen experience. The broth has such a deep, pork infused flavor compared to other Tonkatsu Ramen broths. It’s a real standout. Combined with the freshly made noodles, tender pork chashu, and veggies, it all adds up to one tasty bowl of ramen.
HiroNori stands toe to toe with some of the best ramen locations in Orange County, of which there are many. If you’re in the area of one of their many locations it’s definitely worth a try!
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Flavorful Spicy Garlic Ramen From Kashiwa Ramen! One Of Orange County’s Best Ramen Spots
The Background
Orange County is a hot bed for ramen with a ton of restaurants in the area. There’s a lot to choose from, so deciding on one place can be a daunting task if you start going down the rabbit hole of researching ramen spots.
During one of these recent ramen deep dives I came across Kashiwa Ramen in Costa Mesa. Voted Best Ramen of 2019 by OC Weekly, it wasn’t a ramen place I’d tried yet. Something that really stood out to me at first glance, was that they’re famous for chicken broth.
I haven’t seen too many places that offer a chicken ramen broth. Most places have the pork based tonkotsu broth so seeing a chicken broth was interesting.
A few different types of ramen on the menu also sounded delicious and unique,so this was a pretty easy choice to check out on this day.
The Experience
I got to the Kashiwa Ramen right around the time they opened, 11:30 am on a weekday, to avoid any potential lunch rush and walked right in. Nestled in the corner in the back of a large shopping center, there’s ample parking, especially at this time.
The restuarant itself is pretty small. I see how it can fill up quickly.
The two types of ramen that caught my eye earlier were: the Spicy Black Garlic (I’m sucker for all things spicy) and the Tsukemen aka Dipping Noodle. I haven’t seen much dipping noodle ramen options in Orange County. I’ve seen it on food vlogs but haven’t yet experienced it. Choices, choices, choices. Quite the food predicament of what to order. They also have a ramen + rice bowl combo which clearly I had to try as well.
The lunch rice bowl selection 
The actual order! I couldn’t decide which ramen to try so I asked the server which bowl was the most popular and they pointed out the Spicy Black Garlic. Sold! I also decided on combo-ing it with the Soboro Bowl. That poached egg was calling to me.
The Soboro Bowl
The Soboro Bowl came out first. A Soboro Bowl, for those that don’t know (including myself, I had to look it up) is a deep bowl dish of rice topped with a seasoned protein, in this instance ground chicken. Seasoned with a combination of soy sauce, mirin and ginger it’s generally topped with egg, this one being poached.
Pre Poach Egg break 
Sorry Mr Poached Egg, had to be done! 
Solid spoonful of Soboro It’s a deep bowl with a lot of ground chicken and rice. The egg was poached perfectly while the green onion makes the bowl “pop” with color. It’s definitely a nice looking Soboro Bowl!
Breaking up the egg and mixing it into the seasoned crumbled meat and rice provides a further richness and creaminess to the side dish.
The Spicy Black Garlic Ramen
Soon after the Soboro bowl came out the bowl of ramen followed. The ramen is topped with four pieces of grilled pork, half an egg, green onion, and wood ear mushrooms.
Anytime I get a fresh bowl of ramen the first thing I have to do is get a nice spoonful of that broth. I chose the swirl as my base broth, a combination of the chicken and tonkatsu broths, which sounded too good to pass up. A spoonful of the broth delivered a real jolt of flavor.
A rich flavorful bowl of ramen! 
Solid bite of ramen right here The garlicky, peppery flavor with a hint of smokiness, and spice from the homemade chili oil, strikes the taste buds all at once. It’s defintely one of the most flavorful broths I’ve had. The spice level was moderate. They bring out a side of the chili oil so you can adjust the spice level to your liking.
The wavy noodles were al dente and fresh tasting while the pork pieces were tender with great flavor. The wood ear mushroom provided a different type of texture and crunch to each bite.
The Verdict
Overall this was a very enjoyable lunch and quite filling. The menu has some intriguing options that are different than the usual Tonkatsu broth joints around.
The Spicy Garlic Ramen and Soboro Bowl hit the right spot for me and certainly have provided me more options to think about when I’m craving ramen in the OC.
I look forward to going back to try the Dipping Noodles along with another one of the rice bowls in the near future!
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Shin-Sen-Gumi A Southern California Staple For Hakata Ramen
The Background
I’ve been eating at the Shin-Sen-Gumi Fountain Valley location, essentially since it opened, back in 2000. To say that I’m a fan would be an understatement. Much like anyone’s favorite restaurant, there’s something about its ramen, atmosphere, and overall vibe that has kept me coming back for years.
Their specialty ramen broth is the hakata tonkatsu broth. Based off their website they evidently prepare the broth over a three-day period. They’re meticulous with how the broth is prepared and the broth is temperature sensitive. It goes through several processes and needs to be remain heated all day to maintain its highest quality.
They use an original Shin-Sen-Gumi noodle recipe for their Hakata-style noodles. These are not made in house, but are made daily for them by an outside noodle shop.
Shin-Sen-Gumi has a cental kitchen system. The ingredients are freshly prepared and transported to all 14 branches daily.
The Experience
As I’ve noted, I’ve been coming to this restaurant for 20+ years. Which is pretty insane to me. Time really flies. Correspondingly, there’s a comfort and familiarity in taking a seat here and getting a nice bowl of ramen.
The interior is pretty small. The main seating is a large bar that wraps around forming an L shape. There’s some tables lined around the outskirts of the room by the windows. It makes for a cozy atmosphere but can certainly get quite busy at times.
I always enjoy coming here during lunch. The lunch combos are filling for a very reasonable price. My go to has always been the C-Set: Hakata Ramen with a 1/2 Takana Fried Rice.
The menu has changed and expanded throughout the years but what keeps me coming back is the tonkatsu ramen.
When I first started coming here for lunch the Lunch combos ran from A-Set to D-Set. The options have grown through the years The Ramen
The tonkatsu ramen is topped with green onion and ginger and comes with a couple pieces of pork chashu. There’s numerous toppings you can choose from. I always get the bamboo, which comes out on the side. Lastly, I add in sesame seeds and a chili powder mixture to add some spice.
The broth has a deeply umami, rich pork flavor. It’s extremely satisfying and undoubtedly, hands down, my favorite ramen broth in Orange County.
You can choose the firmness of the noodes which are always fresh and al dente. These noodles are thinner which is a characteristic of Hakata ramen. You can add more noodles when you finish your first bowl, if you’re craving more.
The Fried Rice
The 1/2 portion of Takana fried rice always goes well with the Hakata Ramen. The stir-fried rice consists of leaf mustard, sweet and savory soy sauce flavored pork, onion and egg. I always add a little additional soy sauce to this as well. It’s definitely a tasty fried rice.
The Verdict
Shin-Sen-Gumi has been around for 31 years for a reason. It remains immensely popular and it’s food, at its core, by and large has remained largely unchanged from what I can taste. That’s a good thing! It’s consistency is certainly one of the reasons why its had sustained success. The Hakata ramen is a classic in my books and remains my favorite in the Orange County. That’s saying something considering the number of quality ramen options in the area!
