Japan
Naporitan
ナポリタン
Spaghetti with ketchup, wieners, onion, and green pepper, a Japanese-American-Italian invention.
eastern-asia
Japan
Explore 264 foods connected to Japan, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
264 foods12 leading categories2 Essentials guides
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Tokyo Essentials
10 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.
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Traditional foods from Japan.
264 foods in this view. Filter by category, type, rarity, or search every recorded name.
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Japan
Nasu dengaku
茄子田楽
Nasu dengaku, aubergine halves glazed with sweetened miso and grilled, is a named Japanese dish with a fixed identity.
Japan
Nattō
納豆
Fermented soybeans with a stringy, sticky texture and pungent aroma, eaten over rice for breakfast.
Japan
Nerikiri
練り切り
Nerikiri, the hand-sculpted seasonal wagashi shaped into flowers and leaves for the tea ceremony, is the apex form of Japanese confectionery.
Japan
Nigiri Sushi
握り寿司
Hand-pressed vinegared rice topped with a slice of raw fish or seafood, the most iconic form of sushi.
Japan
Nikujaga
肉じゃが
Home-style meat and potato stew in sweet soy-dashi, often with onion, carrot, and shirataki.
Japan
Nikuman
肉まん
Nikuman, the steamed pork bun sold hot from convenience-store counters all winter, is a named Japanese item with a fixed seasonal presence.
Japan
Nizakana
煮魚
Fish poached in sweet soy, sake, and mirin, a staple home dish often with mackerel or sea bream.
Japan
Nori
海苔
Dried seaweed sheets pressed from red algae, used for sushi, onigiri, and garnishes.
Japan
Ochazuke
お茶漬け
Hot green tea or dashi poured over rice, topped with salmon, umeboshi, or nori.
Japan
Oden
おでん
A winter comfort dish of fish cakes, daikon, konnyaku, and eggs simmered in a light dashi.
Japan
Odori ebi
踊り海老
Odori ebi, live shrimp peeled and eaten while still moving, is a named Japanese dish and a genuine test-of-nerve collectible.
Japan
Ohagi
おはぎ
Mochi coated in chunky sweet red bean paste or kinako, eaten during autumn equinox (ohigan).
Kansai, Japan
Ohmi beef
近江牛
Ohmi beef: a marbled wagyu from Shiga prefecture, one of Japan's oldest branded beefs.
Okinawa, Japan
Okinawa Soba
沖縄そば
Okinawan thick wheat noodles in a clear pork-bone broth, topped with sōki (stewed pork ribs).
Tokyo, Japan
Omurice
オムライス
Ketchup-flavored chicken fried rice wrapped in a thin omelet, a yōshoku classic from Tokyo.
Japan
Onigiri
おにぎり
A triangle or ball of rice wrapped in nori, with a filling like salmon, pickled plum, or kelp.
Japan
Onnoji Ramen
尾道ラーメン
A regional ramen with a light soy broth and thin noodles, particular to its home town.
Japan
Onsen tamago
温泉卵
Onsen tamago, eggs cooked slowly in hot-spring water to a set yolk and loose white, is a named Japanese item tied to specific onsen towns where visitors cook them in the source.
Osaka, Japan
Osaka-Style Okonomiyaki
お好み焼き
A savory cabbage-and-flour pancake mixed with pork, seafood, and egg, grilled on a teppan.
Japan
Oshiruko
お汁粉
A warm, sweet red bean soup with mochi, a winter comfort dessert often served at New Year.
Osaka, Japan
Oshizushi
押し寿司
Pressed sushi made by layering cured fish and rice in a wooden mold, then cutting into rectangles.
Japan
Oyakodon
親子丼
Chicken and egg simmered together in sweet soy-dashi over rice, literally 'parent and child bowl.'
Japan
Ponzu
ポン酢
Ponzu, citrus-and-soy dipping sauce, is a named Japanese condiment bought by the bottle and essential to several carried dishes.
Japan
Purin
プリン
Japanese crème caramel, a silky steamed custard with a dark caramel sauce, smoother than the French version.
Okinawa, Japan
Rafute
ラフテー
Okinawa's slow-braised pork belly in awamori and soy, meltingly tender with the skin on.
Japan
Ramune
ラムネ
A sweet lemon-lime soda in a distinctive Codd-neck bottle sealed with a glass marble.
Chubu, Japan
Ruby Roman Grapes
ルビーロマン
Ruby Roman grapes, sold at auction for record sums and gift-boxed as single bunches, are bought as themselves and are a genuine expression of Japan's luxury-fruit culture.
Hokkaido, Japan
Rui-be
ルイベ
Rui-be, salmon frozen and shaved to be eaten still icy, is an Ainu preparation and a named Hokkaido dish with a distinct technique.
Japan
Saba misoni
鯖の味噌煮
Saba misoni, mackerel simmered in miso and ginger, is a named Japanese home and teishoku dish.
Kyoto, Japan
Saba zushi
鯖寿司
Saba-zushi, cured mackerel pressed onto rice in a wooden mould and wrapped in kombu, is a named Kyoto dish carried down from the old Saba Kaido salt road.
Japan
Sake
日本酒
Japanese rice wine brewed from polished rice, kōji mold, yeast, and water, served chilled or warm.
Japan
Sakura Mochi
桜餅
A spring sweet of pink mochi wrapped around sweet bean paste, with a pickled cherry-blossom leaf.
Japan
Sansho Pepper
山椒
Sansho is a Japanese pepper whose leaves and husks add bright citrus tingling heat, especially with grilled eel.
Shikoku, Japan
Sanuki Udon
讃岐うどん
Sanuki udon is a firm, square-edged Kagawa noodle served in self-service halls with broth or dipping sauce.
Kyushu, Japan
Sara udon
皿うどん
Sara udon is crisp fried noodles covered with a thick seafood-and-vegetable sauce in the Nagasaki style.