ASAKUSA Underground > Must-eat-in-Japan list
There are many must-eat foods in Japan. Check this list before you leave home, and make a complete plan of what you eat in Japan. Please make sure you have tasted at least 80% of them before you leave Japan. It is a pity we eat only three times a day.
-Conveyer belt sushi, once is enough unless you like it a lot.
-Ramen, Chinese-style noodles. Try Miso-ramen with butter.
-Soba, buckwheat Japanese noodles. Eat it in eastern Japan.
-Udon, Japanese fat pasta. Eat it in western Japan.
-Kishimen, Japanese Tagliatelle pasta. Eat it in Nagoya if possible.
-Sea Chicken mayonnaise onigiri, Sea Chicken is a trademark for tuna. Onigiri is triangle shaped, pressed rice wrapped with dried Nori sea weeds. The best one is available at a seven-11 store. Economical.
-Beef bowl. Say "Tsuyu-daku" for extra gravy.
-Yaki-tori, small portions of chicken skewered. Preferably in a little joint under the train tracks.
-Yaki-ton, "ton" means pork. The same style as above, but with more interesting varieties.
-Tako-yaki, grilled flour dough balls with a piece of cooked octopus.
-Tai-yaki, hot pan cake with sweet Azuki inside in the shape of a fish.
-Okonomi-yaki, the Japanese pizza without cheese.
-Gyoza, dumplings. Go to Utsunomiya city, which calls itself the Gyoza town.
-Kaki-furai, oyster schnitzels, which you could eat only in Japan, probably.
-Katsu-karee, curry and rice with a pork schnitzel. Somehow, a schnitzel and curry go nicely.
-Unagi, eels grilled with sweet and savoury sauce. Forget your prejudice on eels. Delicious. A little expensive, though.
-Yokan, a sweet made from Azuki beans. Try a Toraya shop.
-Yaki-niku, a Korean BBQ. Go for the mid-day all-you-can-eat around \1,500.
-Canned coffee.
-Ama-ebi, sweet prawns. Only if you are in the Sea of Japan side.
-An-kimo, fish foie gras. Go to a bar with a red lantern.
-----Caution-----
Aka-chochin, a red lantern, used to be the sign of a cheap bar diner, not
any more. Check the prices on its menu first. If you don't like it, leave
before you touch the steamed towel and eat the small starter.
They are not free. You can say "Takai (expensive)" while leaving. If you are not a gourmet but a gourmand, try one of the big chain nomi-ya (drink shop, literally. i.e. bar diner), like Shiraki-ya, Watami, Kita-no-kazoku, and others.
They are cheaper. If you are a gourmet with a limited budget, try Hanaya-yohei. It is a Japanese food restaurant chain, a type of family restaurants, to which you may have a problem of access without a car. It is not worth bothering to eat there. Since the chain has many restaurants, you might come across one when you are hungry but don't want to spend a lot. That is the moment you should remember this article. Yohei Hanaya was a legendary chef in Edo period who was supposed to invent Edo-mae (Tokyo Bay style) sushi. This is the sushi as we internationally know of. The chain restaurant does not claim any relationship with him, though.
Don't-have-to-eat list
-Tempura, very expensive. Unless someone else takes the bill, it is not worth it.
-Kobe beef. Ditto.
-Sushi. The only one place on the planet to have sushi is Tsukiji fish market. Nowhere else.
-Suki-yaki. Expensive. The Japanese title of the song is "Ue wo muite aruko - Walk with your chin up".
-Shabu-Shabu. The delicious juice of meat will be drained.
-Benihana. They don't do any shows in a Benihana-5 restaurant. It is just a road side diner like Denny's.
Must-eat-in-Japan list
There are many must-eat foods in Japan. Check this list before you leave home, and make a complete plan of what you eat in Japan. Please make sure you have tasted at least 80% of them before you leave Japan. It is a pity we eat only three times a day.
-Conveyer belt sushi, once is enough unless you like it a lot.
-Ramen, Chinese-style noodles. Try Miso-ramen with butter.
-Soba, buckwheat Japanese noodles. Eat it in eastern Japan.
-Udon, Japanese fat pasta. Eat it in western Japan.
-Kishimen, Japanese Tagliatelle pasta. Eat it in Nagoya if possible.
-Sea Chicken mayonnaise onigiri, Sea Chicken is a trademark for tuna. Onigiri is triangle shaped, pressed rice wrapped with dried Nori sea weeds. The best one is available at a seven-11 store. Economical.
-Beef bowl. Say "Tsuyu-daku" for extra gravy.
-Yaki-tori, small portions of chicken skewered. Preferably in a little joint under the train tracks.
-Yaki-ton, "ton" means pork. The same style as above, but with more interesting varieties.
-Tako-yaki, grilled flour dough balls with a piece of cooked octopus.
-Tai-yaki, hot pan cake with sweet Azuki inside in the shape of a fish.
-Okonomi-yaki, the Japanese pizza without cheese.
-Gyoza, dumplings. Go to Utsunomiya city, which calls itself the Gyoza town.
-Kaki-furai, oyster schnitzels, which you could eat only in Japan, probably.
-Katsu-karee, curry and rice with a pork schnitzel. Somehow, a schnitzel and curry go nicely.
-Unagi, eels grilled with sweet and savoury sauce. Forget your prejudice on eels. Delicious. A little expensive, though.
-Yokan, a sweet made from Azuki beans. Try a Toraya shop.
-Yaki-niku, a Korean BBQ. Go for the mid-day all-you-can-eat around \1,500.
-Canned coffee.
-Ama-ebi, sweet prawns. Only if you are in the Sea of Japan side.
-An-kimo, fish foie gras. Go to a bar with a red lantern.
-----Caution-----
Aka-chochin, a red lantern, used to be the sign of a cheap bar diner, not
any more. Check the prices on its menu first. If you don't like it, leave
before you touch the steamed towel and eat the small starter. They are not free. You can say "Takai (expensive)" while leaving. If you are not a gourmet but a gourmand, try one of the big chain nomi-ya (drink shop, literally. i.e. bar diner), like Shiraki-ya, Watami, Kita-no-kazoku, and others.
They are cheaper. If you are a gourmet with a limited budget, try Hanaya-yohei. It is a Japanese food restaurant chain, a type of family restaurants, to which you may have a problem of access without a car. It is not worth bothering to eat there. Since the chain has many restaurants, you might come across one when you are hungry but don't want to spend a lot. That is the moment you should remember this article. Yohei Hanaya was a legendary chef in Edo period who was supposed to invent Edo-mae (Tokyo Bay style) sushi. This is the sushi as we internationally know of. The chain restaurant does not claim any relationship with him, though.
Don't-have-to-eat list
-Tempura, very expensive. Unless someone else takes the bill, it is not worth it.
-Kobe beef. Ditto.
-Sushi. The only one place on the planet to have sushi is Tsukiji fish market. Nowhere else.
-Suki-yaki. Expensive. The Japanese title of the song is "Ue wo muite aruko - Walk with your chin up".
-Shabu-Shabu. The delicious juice of meat will be drained.
-Benihana. They don't do any shows in a Benihana-5 restaurant. It is just a road side diner like Denny's.