Must-Try Dishes When Traveling in Japan

A tour to Japan is not complete without a taste of the country's amazing cuisine, which has a strong healing power. Crispy fried tempura makes you get rid of anxiety and stress in life for a short time and delicate wagashi sweets give you some fresh feeling of the season; The acridity of wasabi on the tip of the tongue is an occasional pain and an unknown challenge; The taste of noodles, plain rice and steamed bread has caused thousands of emotions and memories. Come to Japan, you can fill your stomach happy and enjoy the ultimate pleasure at the junction of the Pacific plate and the Eurasian plate. Below are top seven dishes in Japan, hope you will like them:

Kobe Beef

Kobe beef has won the praise of diners around the world for its unique taste and has become a representative of the world's best beef, which is the best part of the meat of Kobe cattle. Growing up in Kobe city, Kobe cattle are raised to enjoy the highest level of treatment on earth. The pasture is well-stocked with grass, humid air even some melodious music for the cattle to regulate their mood and create a relaxing and happy environment for them to grow up in. Moreover, their feed is carefully selected rice, corn and other grains and cereals. The breeders also massage them to help distribute the fat more evenly in the cows' bodies. When it is time to harvest, the breeder will make a comprehensive evaluation of the beef's color, fatness, grain, etc. Only a few cattle meet the standards, which is why Kobe cattle are so expensive.

Kobe beef is characterized by its fine texture and sweet flavor, with the taste of fat blended with the aroma, which dances on your taste buds. In Japan, the cooking style of Kobe beef varies from restaurant to restaurant as chefs add their own ideas to the cooking. If you want to experience the original Kobe beef, you can try iced beef sashimi, small pieces of raw beef with a dip of soy sauce, or a sprinkle of salt, which can make the taste of beef to the extreme. If you can't accept raw food, then a charcoal grill or teppanyaki must be perfect for you. Roasting beef with charcoal fire can bring the soft and rich taste and excellent taste of beef to the extreme and let the delicious beef melt between your tongue. And teppanyaki is a double feast of vision and taste. Skilled chefs cook the best ingredients in front of your eyes, and the changes in fragrance and color stimulate your senses.

Kobe Beef

Sukiyaki

Sukiyaki is one of the representative cuisines of Japan, and its sweet taste is the basic impression people have of it. And it is not complicated at all, full of the spirit of minimalism that characterizes Japanese cuisine. The ingredients are mainly beef, green onions, vegetables, konjac, and tofu. Or some other ingredients you want to add. The chef will bake or cook these ingredients in an iron pot and season them with a mixture of soy sauce and sugar. The sauces and procedures vary according to the region, with a constant that you dip it in the raw egg mixture when you eat it. This way of eating may surprise you, but you will not regret it when you have tried it. A raw egg can not only cool the food but also form a layer of egg liquid film on the surface of the food, which increases the smoothness of the entrance. The raw eggs used in the Sukiyaki Restaurant have reached the edible standard, so there is no need for food safety, eat them with confidence. The tenderness of the beef, the freshness of the vegetables and the aroma of the soup base blossom in your mouth at the same time.

Sitting around with a few good friends in Japan, eating a pot of fragrant sukiyaki with a few bottles of sake. And the freshly cooked beef slices are soaked in egg liquid and served with a bowl of hot rice. At the moment of entry, it can completely satisfy your enthusiasm for oil and carbohydrates in your genes.

Sashimi

Japan is an island country surrounded by the sea, with quite a variety of aquatic catches you can enjoy with. Whether you are a shrimp, crab and shellfish lover or like salmon, tuna, cuttlefish and octopus, Japan sashimi can satisfy you.

Sashimi is a traditional Japanese dish in which the fish is sliced thinly and served directly in the sauce. If you add wasabi or grated ginger to the sauce, the sashimi tastes even more flavorful and powerful. According to Japanese custom, sashimi should start with relatively light raw materials, first from light crab and shrimp and then to thick shellfish, which can stimulate the taste bud step by step so that you can enjoy a variety of extreme delicacies.

The taste of various kinds of fish is also very different. Salmon is one of the most important fish in sashimi. Its fatty taste is really unmatched by any other dishes. With just a little chewing, you can feel the smooth texture of the fish colliding with your tongue in your mouth. Tuna is called "the king of sashimi". Its meat is delicious and tender, and it is rich in fat, so it is known as the best sashimi ingredient. If you have difficulty choosing, then Omakase is really suitable for you. It is a menu-less cuisine where the chef will arrange the menu for you in advance, depending on the seasonal ingredients. Many sashimi restaurants are incredibly obsessed with freshness, and they even hire professional ingredient buyers to help them select the freshest ingredients in season. Their dedication can surely make you feel the charm of sashimi culture.

Sashimi

Sushi

Sushi is arguably one of the representative cuisines of Japan. It brings the simple philosophy of Japanese cuisine into full play. Simple is delicious, natural is delicious, and the freshness of the ingredients themselves is restored with the least amount of processing. It is small and delicate, with both fish and carbohydrates. You can eat it in one bite, and the aroma of fish and rice blends on your tongue. It seems simple, but it is rich in layers and memorable.

An ideal sushi has high standards in every detail, from the selection of ingredients to washing rice, rolling rice, mixing vinegared rice, hand-holding production and size presentation. There are many famous sushi restaurants in Japan where guests can comfortably watch the chef prepare sushi at the cooking station. You don't need to make a sound, watch quietly, and this is beautiful communication between the customer and the chef. When you are enjoying sushi, don't miss out on Maguro, which could be the ace ingredient: one species of fish alone can be divided into three categories according to different parts. Either way, you can taste the excellent Japanese taste. In addition to maguro, Akagi is another one that should not be missed, which is bright in color, unique in shape and delicious in taste. No loss is called the most ornamental sushi. If you like the taste of sweets like eels, Anago will give you a unique experience. Different from the slight acidity of maguro and the taste of Akagi, Anago melts in the mouth and has a sweet aftertaste. Sushi restaurants can be found on all the streets of Japan, and you can't go wrong walking into any of them. The process of tasting sushi is not only a culinary journey, but also a spiritual dialogue with the inheritors of the culture.

Sushi

Tempura

Tempura is a cooking method of steaming and roasting at the same time. Fresh ingredients will be wrapped in egg liquid and coated with flour and fried in oil. The moisture in the ingredients is wrapped in the face coat, forming the function of internal steaming. Subsequently, the outer surface coat was baked in hot oil at 200 degrees Celsius, and finally, it was crispy outside and tender inside. You might think that fried food would be greasy, but tempura is just the opposite. It has a thin, cicada-like crust that adds a touch of crispy flavor while locking in the fresh flavor of the ingredients. As for the taste of Tempura, there will be only a little grease in your mouth, which is like eating the food itself, fresh and juicy.

Seafood would be a common ingredient in tempura. Most tempura restaurants will take spotted shrimp as the first dish. Star eel is the signature dish of tempura restaurants. When the chef uses iron chopsticks to split the fried eel in half, the aroma is overwhelming. Under the crispy shell, the eel is deliciously tender and dense. Tempura needs to be served with a dipping sauce, and the chef will give you different dipping sauces depending on the type of ingredients. For example, spot prawns are dipped in salt only to maintain their fresh, sweet flavor, while star eels can be dipped in a refreshing radish puree to balance out their rich oils. There are many century-old tempura restaurants in Japan. A reservation in advance and will surely bring you unexpected surprises.

Ramen

Ramen is prevalent in Japan. Every ramen restaurant in Japan has its own secret recipe for making soup. When you drink that thick soup base, you can definitely feel the chef's intention. Before eating ramen, there is an unwritten rule in Japan. You have to drink a spoonful of the soup base first to emphasize that "soup is the soul of ramen". There are many types of ramen in Japan, with a delicacy taste that can not only make you eat all the noodles, but also want to drink the soup base the bottom.

Soy sauce ramen has the most flavors and is the most common one. The dark brown soup base topped with rich ingredients, such as the soft-boiled egg with crispy nori and the bright narutomaki of fish, can give you a strong sense of visual impact. The soup is based on seafood and a special sweet soy sauce, mixed with soft and chewy noodles for an overall rich and delicious flavor.

Salt-flavored ramen originated in Hakodate, Hokkaido. Since salt itself dissolves in the soup without color, most salt-flavored ramen presents the color of the ingredients themselves. Different ramen restaurants will use locally produced salt along with different ingredients to make the soup base. Its flavor is refreshingly fresh and sweet, with thin straight noodles and side dishes such as barbecue pork, dried bamboo shoots and corn.

Miso ramen originated in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Miso pastes itself is a very strong seasoning. Ramen stores usually mix several miso sauces and combine them with different ingredients, such as chicken bones and pork bones, to make the soup base. The flavor is on the oily and thick side, and the noodles are often served with wavy, medium-thick noodles.

Tonkotsu ramen is especially popular in the Kyushu region. The soup base is made from the best pork bones that are stewed continuously for 15 hours. The creamy white pork bone soup base is rich in collagen and has a light creamy flavor, and is mainly served with thin noodles, barbecued pork and other side dishes. This unique and delicious taste is very popular among Japanese people.

Japanese ramen is definitely one of the national dishes that you must try when you travel to Japan. Whether you like pork bones, salt flavor, or soy sauce, you are sure to find a ramen restaurant in Japan that will satisfy all your requirements. Pick one and enjoy the charm of carbonara!

Ramen

Wagashi

Wagashi is a Japanese pastry that uses sugar, glutinous rice, and pinto beans as the main ingredients. It is not only a snack but also a traditional Japanese artwork. Its exquisite shape perfectly expresses the Japanese pursuit of food aesthetics and has become one of the symbols of Japanese food culture. In Japan, wagashi is often eaten with tea. Because most wagashi is a sweet taste, the tea is more aromatic and brings out the sweetness of the tea itself after enjoying it. Wagashi can be divided into two types according to the different water content. Namagashi, with a higher water content, like Daifuku, is one of the best combinations with Macha tea; Higashi, the other side, like Senbei, which you can usually find on the Japanese table.

Depending on the seasonal changes, wagashi are handmade with fresh ingredients of the season. Taiyaki is a kind of wagashi that is very popular in winter. It has the appearance of a fish and the filling is sweet red bean paste. It is best eaten when it is just made. The crunchy shell with the sweet bean paste will surely give you a touch of warmth on a cold winter day. Daifuku is a kind of wagashi which is very suitable for summer. The most common flavor is strawberry, as well as ice cream, cheese and so on. Besides, you can also see many transparent wagashi in summer. No matter the visual or taste, it can bring you a little coolness on a hot summer day. They adhere to the culture of Japanese artisans who strive for excellence, and each one is a work of art. If you want to experience the charm of Japanese food, the wagashi of beauty and delicacy must be a part of it. Wagashi is like using the simplest ingredients to seal those fleeting moments of beauty. When you eat it, you can feel not only the deliciousness of wagashi but also the ingenuity and heart of Japanese craftsmen. More than that, if you want to bring your friends some Japanese characteristics of the accompanying gift, wagashi must be your excellent choice!

Food can give us the courage to regain our strength and can fill us with the power to be invincible. Kobe beef can make you feel the delicacy of the top ingredients. Sukiyaki can bring you authentic Japanese food. Sashimi can make you taste fresh seafood. Tempura allows you to taste the tender and juicy taste of the ingredients themselves. Sushi can make you feel the minimalist spirit of Japanese cuisine. Japanese cuisine will bring you a feast of sight and taste. Traveling with Odynovo, you can enjoy the unique charm of Japanese cuisine.