Getting ready for a trip to Japan? In a land teeming with high-end eateries, hole-in-the-wall-joints and endless snack options, navigating the food scene can be a challenge. Lucky for you, we've compiled some of our favorite stops from around the country and put them into one insider's guide for you to enjoy. Hungry yet?
INSIDER'S TIP
Order chashu ramen and ask for your ramen topped with sara-wonton, a house specialty.
1
TOKYO
Ramen Takahaski
There are 10 seats at the bar in this true locals spot near the Iidabashi train station. The owner and chef takes pride in perfecting every bowl and in the exact ratio of pork broth to chicken broth.
INSIDER'S TIP
Order chashu ramen and ask for your ramen topped with sara-wonton, a house specialty.
2
TOKYO
Tonta
Another locals spot in a neighborhood on the outskirts of central Tokyo, this small restaurant specializes in and only serves tonkatsu - a not-to-be-missed Japanese dish of meat, breaded and fried and served with a tangy sweet and savory sauce. Order the pork or fish - or better yet, both - served alongside a snowy mound of finely shaved cabbage.
INSIDER'S TIP
Amazake is a traditional, sweet, sake-like drink made from fermented rice. The non-alcoholic drink is gaining popularity in Japan for its health and beauty benefits is popular with both adults and children. Try amazake at Eri’s home - she creatively mixes it into rice balls!
3
TOKYO
Cook traditional recipes in a local home
Visit a gorgeous local home and enjoy Japanese home cooking with host Eri.
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INSIDER'S TIP
Amazake is a traditional, sweet, sake-like drink made from fermented rice. The non-alcoholic drink is gaining popularity in Japan for its health and beauty benefits is popular with both adults and children. Try amazake at Eri’s home - she creatively mixes it into rice balls!
4
TOKYO
Tsukiji Fish Market
Tour the iconic Tsukiji Fish Market with a local host. For an added bonus, go back with your host to her home for a cooking class where you will learn to make classic Japanese dishes like tamago (a layered egg dish cooked in a special pan which your host Junko will teach you to master).
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INSIDER'S TIP
Many guests spend most of their time in the inner fish market, where vendors are selling raw fish and produce, but we love the outer market, where you’ll find narrow foods with restaurants and food stalls selling everything from bonito flakes to traditional Japanese knives.
INSIDER'S TIP
Try their lotus root pizza.
5
KYOTO
en boca
For an off-the-beaten path, modern take on Japanese cuisine, check out en boca in Kyoto, an Italian and Japanese-inspired restaurant which makes nearly all of its menu in its wood-fired oven in the center of the restaurant.
INSIDER'S TIP
Try their lotus root pizza.
6
KYOTO
Tamakitei
Bakeries are becoming increasingly popular around Japan and in Kyoto in particular, fusing French traditions with Japanese flavors. Locals as well as travelers from around the country form long lines to try the selection of over 90 breads at Tamakitei, a bakery just south of Kyoto in Uji prefecture.
INSIDER'S TIP
Try the Hojicha black bean cream bread, a dark, black-bean flavored bun filled with a moist custard cream, and try to go on a weekday to avoid the long lines.
INSIDER'S TIP
Pick up some fresh furikake seasoning at the furikake stall. This incredible dry seasoning mix is often topped on meat, fish, or just plain rice and lends any dish an outstanding, salty umami taste that you will be addicted to.
7
KYOTO
Nishiki Market
Nishiki market might be our favorite food market in the world. This 500+ year-old market is really a collection of stalls and food shops lining a quaint food in central Kyoto. For an insider’s glimpse into the market, go on a tour with a local. Midori is a Kyoto local who offers a cooking class at her cooking studio, a six-minute walk from Nishiki, after which she’ll take you on a private tour of Nishiki market, taking you to her favorite vendors and explaining the various ingredients you might not recognize.
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INSIDER'S TIP
Pick up some fresh furikake seasoning at the furikake stall. This incredible dry seasoning mix is often topped on meat, fish, or just plain rice and lends any dish an outstanding, salty umami taste that you will be addicted to.
8
KYOTO
Learn traditional Japanese cooking
Visit a local kitchen filled with beautiful, traditional cooking tools and learn to cook from a local.
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INSIDER'S TIP
Did you know that almost every Japanese home cook uses a kitchen tool called gomasuriki to grind sesame seeds? Your host Aki uses this special mortar and wooden pestle to grind her seeds, which are used in everything from horenso gomaae (a traditional Japanese spinach side) to tofu, steamed vegetables, and a variety of other Japanese dishes.
INSIDER'S TIP
While you’re in Nara, be sure to try narazuke, Japanese pickles specific to the Nara region that are made very differently than pickles in other regions. While vegetables such as cucumbers are salt-pickled, the pickles of Nara are pickled repeatedly in sake kasu (fermented rice grounds) until they turn dark brown. Traditional to Nara, these pickles are appealing for their unique aroma and sweetness.
9
NARA
Cook with a professional chef in his home
Join Masao in his home and roll up your sleeves for a hands-on cooking lesson from a professional chef.
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INSIDER'S TIP
While you’re in Nara, be sure to try narazuke, Japanese pickles specific to the Nara region that are made very differently than pickles in other regions. While vegetables such as cucumbers are salt-pickled, the pickles of Nara are pickled repeatedly in sake kasu (fermented rice grounds) until they turn dark brown. Traditional to Nara, these pickles are appealing for their unique aroma and sweetness.
