I am a big food fan, and Japanese cuisine is definitely one of the top experiences of this trip for me. I made a huge food bucket list and I am slowly crossing things off.

So here is a list of dishes you absolutely have to try as a Japanese food beginner (in no specific order).

1. Ramen aka. noodle soup. They are usually categorized by their soup base. Not my favorite, but there is a huge variety, they can be found anywhere and are mostly cheap.
2. Okonomiyaki aka. cabbage pancake or “As you like it pancake”. Don’t expect it to be sweet though, but expect it to be awesome. 🙂
3. Udon aka. thick noodles – hot and cold version, which comes with soy dipping sauce.
4. Sushi aka. very fresh fish. I love it rolling style.
5. Yuba aka. tofu skin. We’ve tried it in Nikko. Not my favorite but still an experience.
6. Soba aka. buckwheat noodles – hot and cold version.
7. Tempura aka. fried stuff. I am a big fan of ebi.
8. Gyoza aka. japanese dumplings. You can get them in ramen shops or gyoza restaurants.
9. Yakiniku aka. do it yourself barbeque. We’ve tried it in Tokyo and it’s very cool. Probably one of the best things ever.
10. Yakitori or chicken meat on a stick. Not much different than at home, or at least it seems that way to me.
11. Sashimi or thinly sliced, raw food. We mostly think of it as fish, but it’s not necessarily only that.
12. Onigiri aka. rice balls aka. lifesavers.
13. Kani aka. crab. I haven’t tried this one yet.
14. Takoyaki aka. ball-shaped fried octopus happy snack.
15. Curry
16. Miso soup
17. Tamago Kake Gohan aka. raw egg on rice with soy.
18. Matcha aka. green tea in everything and in every shape and size and form.
19. Tayaki aka. fish shaped sweets with bean paste or sweet potato or any other option.
20. Manju aka. sweet small buns of different flavors.
21. Monaka aka. wafer shell filled with sweet bean paste and ice-cream.

Oh, and of course rice, you cannot get around that. And a trip to McDonald’s if you have the time and energy with all this glorious food everywhere. We do it, so I can have my coca-cola float.

Also, you have to try an izakaya dinner and drinks – sake, highball (whiskey + soda), sour (vodka + juice of whatever kind) and plum wine. So yeah, we’re definitely not hungry or thirsty in Japan. Also, updates of this post probably coming soon. 😀

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