Blessed with the surrounding ocean and fertile lands across its four main islands, Japan offers travellers an array of food experiences that will leave you feeling connected to the natural landscape and local culture. Here’s a regional guide to Japan’s must-try food experiences, spanning the country’s rural inland prefectures to its coast and stretching from the wintry north to the balmy south.
A new way to experience sashimi-style seafood
In Uwajima in Ehime Prefecture, the signature local dish is sea bream rice, made using sashimi-style seam bream marinated in soy sauce, mirin, and egg yolk served over hot steamed rice. The dish is a must-try for visitors seeking an authentic taste of the region’s connection to the surrounding Seto Inland Sea.
In a prime location surrounded by the Uwa Sea, one of Japan’s top fishing grounds, you’ll discover the restaurant Kadoya which is located opposite Uwajima Station, which offers a menu filled with fresh seafood including the popular sea bream rice. Other delicious regional delicacies crafted with seasonal ingredients include fried fish cakes (jakoten), and sweet potato pork (imobuta).
Discover a village dedicated to soba
Nestled in Nagano Prefecture, buckwheat is grown in abundance in Togakushi, and the area is rightly famous for its fresh and keenly flavoured soba (buckwheat noodles). The streets surrounding Togakushi are dotted with shops serving the traditional small portions of Togakushi soba known as bocchi-mori. The dish is so popular that there is even a Togakushi Soba Museum.
Visitors can learn about the history of buckwheat in the prefecture and its modern cultivation methods. The museum offers soba-making classes, allowing guests to participate firsthand. Additionally, there’s an on-site restaurant serving not only soba noodles but also a variety of delicious buckwheat dishes.
Savour the unique richness of Shodoshima Island’s olive beef
Shodoshima Island is renowned for Sanuki beef and olive production, thanks to the region’s warm climate and ideal growing conditions. The combination of these two products has given rise to the unique olive-fed beef which can only be found in Kagawa Prefecture.
Visitors can try this local delicacy at the popular Steak House Ichigo in Takamatsu on the Shikoku mainland – a family-run restaurant specialising in high-quality steaks including succulent cuts of olive-fed wagyu beef. At the restaurant, guests can watch their favourite cut of meat being expertly prepared on the open grill, making for an incredible sensory experience, while steaks are perfectly complimented by fresh local vegetables and the island’s famed soy sauce which adds even more depth to the rich flavours.
Experience an alternative take on popular Japanese cuisine in Nagasaki
Nagasaki Prefecture is known for its hearty style of noodle soup called champon, which is not only great for a hungry appetite but is generally affordable and easy to find. Giving you everything you need for a well-rounded meal, champon combines meat, vegetables, kamaboko fish cake, and thick egg noodles which are cooked in hot broth.
Champon reflects Nagasaki’s historical ties with Chinese cuisine. Introduced by Chinese immigrants, the dish has evolved with different local produce and ingredients added over time, creating a distinctive fusion of flavours and textures. Today, it stands as a beloved symbol of Nagasaki’s multicultural culinary heritage.
A timeless taste of Yamanashi’s culinary heritage
Hoto is a traditional noodle soup from Yamanashi Prefecture, featuring thick, flat noodles cooked in a rich miso-based broth, and a variety of seasonal vegetables such as pumpkin, mushrooms, carrots, and greens. The dish is known for its robust and comforting flavour, with the miso broth providing a savoury base that complements the chewy texture of the noodles and the sweetness of the vegetables.
Hoto has been a staple of Yamanashi cuisine for centuries and is known not only for its taste but also for its cultural and historical significance to the region. Hoto can be found in traditional restaurants, local eateries, and ryokan (Japanese inns) throughout Yamanashi. While restaurants typically serve Hoto in individual hot pots, locals often prepare larger portions in communal pots for family-style dining at home.
.jpg){kind=tracking}
