5 Most Popular Foods You have to Eat in Japan

• Sushi/Sashimi

Sushi and Sashimi. Sushi is known all over the world. It is called sushi to every piece of rice seasoned with a rice vinegar mix (made with sugar and salt) mixed with different ingredients: variety of fishes, vegetables, nori (seaweed), etc.. You grab the pieces of sushi with the chopsticks and dip them into soy sauce or wasabi, or both. It is a mixed of flavors in your mouth! Sushi can be: Nigiri sushi, Maki sushi , Oshi sushi , Temaki sushi, etc.

Sashimi is basically raw fish or seafood served with wasabi (a very spicy japanese condiment), soy sauce and generally it comes with slices of radish on the side. The name sashimi comes from the tale of the fish the it used to come with the meal to identify which kind of fish you are eating.

• Ramen

Ramen is one of the most popular options at the moment of choosing a place to eat. It is a wheat noodles bowl served in a soy sauce or miso soup mixed with many kinds of ingredients. The most typical ones are slices of pork, green onion, seaweed and egg.

The most important part of this dish is the soup. It is the most tasty flavor a ever tried, also strong according on where do you order it. The way the pork is cooked, makes it so soft that sometimes it breaks into pieces as son as you catch it with your chopsticks. With one order of ramen and a side dish of rice, you can be sure that you will be satisfied when you finish your meal.

• Okonomiyaki

It is a mixed made with flour, yam and egg, but you can add also anything you like. The most commons are green onion, beef, shrimp, squid, vegetables, mochi and cheese. It is cooked in a griddle. In some restaurants, the chef goes to the table and make it there with the customers who also help in the process adding the ingredients. Because the preparation has to be cooked from both sides, by the time it has to be turned, it is a stressful and also funny moment, specially when it is your first time doing it!!!

• Shabu shabu

Shabu shabu is the japanese hot pot. For this dish it is used many kinds of meats and seafood, mostly the soft ones, and sides of vegetables, tofu and sometimes noodles. The way it works: you grab a piece of meat (you can also pick some of the vegetables) and immerse it in the pot with hot water or consomme. Once it is cooked, you dip it in a sesame sauce with some rice as a side dish. Very delicious!

• Yakitori

It is the Japanese brochette. At the begining the meat used was chicken (tori=bird), but nowadays it is also made with pork, beef and fish. So, this brochette is a mix of vegetables and meat cooked in a grill and dipped in teriaki sauce. It is also a very typical kind of fast food in japanese style.

This is one of the options that foreigner could be more identified with. It has a occidental flavor so if you are not sure about what to taste first or you find out that Japanse flavors are not your thing but you still want to try, so you are recommended to start with Yakitori so you can feel something familiar.