The Japanese cuisine offers a great variety of dishes and regional specialties. Some of the most popular Japanese dishes are listed below. They are categorized below into rice dishes, seafood dishes, noodle dishes, hot pot dishes, meat dishes, soybean dishes, yoshoku dishes and other dishes. Some dishes may fit into multiple categories, but are listed only once.
Rice dishes
For over 2000 years, rice has been the most important food in Japanese cuisine. Despite changes in eating patterns and gradually decreasing rice consumption over the past decades, rice remains one of the most important ingredients in Japan today.
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Cooked rice
A bowl of plain, cooked rice is served with most Japanese meals. For breakfast, it is sometimes mixed with a raw egg and
soy sauce (tamago-kake gohan) or enjoyed with
natto (fermented soybeans) or other toppings.
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Sushi
Sushi is a dish containing sushi rice, cooked, white rice, flavored with seasoned rice vinegar. There are various kinds of sushi dishes, such as nigirizushi (hand formed sushi), makizushi (rolled sushi) and chirashi (sushi rice topped with raw fish). Sushi is the most famous Japanese dish outside of Japan, and one of the most popular dishes inside Japan, as well.
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Donburi
Donburi refers to a bowl of plain, cooked rice with some other food on top of it. Donburi are served at specialty restaurants, but they are also common at many other types of restaurants. Some of the most popular varieties are
gyudon (stewed beef), katsudon (
tonkatsu), tendon (
tempura), oyakodon (chicken and egg), tekkadon (maguro) and kaisendon (raw seafood).
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Rice balls (onigiri)
Rice balls (onigiri) are made of cooked rice and are typically wrapped in nori
seaweed. They are usually lightly seasoned with salt and often contain a filling such as
umeboshi (pickled Japanese plum), okaka (dried bonito shavings and konbu) or salmon. Rice balls are a popular and inexpensive, portable snack, homemade or available at
convenience stores, but are also commonly served at
general restaurants and
izakaya.
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Kare Raisu (curry rice)
Kare Raisu is cooked rice with a Japanese curry sauce. It can be served with additional toppings such as
tonkatsu. Curry is not a native Japanese spice, but has been used in Japan for over a century. Kare Raisu is a very popular dish, and many inexpensive Kare Raisu
restaurants can be found especially in and around
train stations.
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Fried rice (chahan)
Fried rice, or chahan, is a dish that was originally introduced from China. There are an infinite variety of ingredients that can be added to fried rice. Some common ones are peas, egg, green onions (negi), carrots and pork. Chahan is a suitable dish for using left over rice.
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Chazuke
Chazuke, or ochazuke, is another simple comfort food consisting of
tea or light fish stock poured over rice (sometimes made with leftover rice). Chazuke is often garnished with toppings such as grilled salmon or
pickles and commonly served at
izakaya as a popular dish to eat after drinking.
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Kayu
Kayu, or okayu, is Japanese rice porridge made by slow cooking rice in lots of water. It tends to be thicker than other types of rice porridge or gruel, and is a suitable dish for using left over rice. Kayu is often garnished with
umeboshi and is commonly served to sick people because it is easily digestible.
Seafood dishes
Hundreds of different fish, shellfish and other seafood from the oceans, seas, lakes and rivers are used in the Japanese cuisine. They are prepared and eaten in many different ways, such as raw, dried, boiled, grilled, deep fried or steamed.
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Sashimi
Sashimi is raw seafood. A large number of fish can be enjoyed raw if they are fresh and prepared correctly. Most types of sashimi are enjoyed with
soy sauce and
wasabi.
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Yakizakana
Yakizakana is grilled fish. Many varieties of fish are enjoyed grilled, including mackerel (saba), salmon (sake), mackerel pike (sanma), horse mackerel (aji), Okhotsk atka mackerel (hokke), sea bream (tai) and sweetfish (ayu).
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Unagi
Unagi is freshwater eel, which is most popularly prepared in a style called kabayaki in which the unagi fillets are grilled and basted in a savory sweet sauce before being served on rice.
Noodle dishes
There are various traditional Japanese noodle dishes as well as some dishes which were introduced to Japan and subsequently Japanized. Noodle dishes are very popular in Japan and are served both hot and cold depending on the season. Noodle restaurants and food stands are ubiquitous, and it is common to find noodle stands along train platforms.
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Soba
Soba are native Japanese noodles made of buckwheat flour or a mixture of buckwheat and wheat flour. Soba are about as thick as spaghetti and are served either hot or cold and with various toppings.
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Udon
Udon are Japanese noodles made of wheat flour. Udon are thicker than soba and are also served either hot or cold and with various toppings such as
fried tofu (kitsune udon),
tempura (tempura udon) and mountain vegetables (sansai udon).
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Ramen
Ramen are Chinese-style noodles prepared in a soup with various toppings. Ramen is one of the many popular dishes that were originally introduced from China but have become Japanized over time.
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Somen
Like Udon noodles, somen are Japanese noodles made of wheat flour, but they are much thinner than udon and soba. Somen are usually eaten cold and are considered a summer speciality.
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Yakisoba
Yakisoba are grilled or fried Chinese-style noodles mixed with pieces of meat, cabbage, carrots or other
vegetables, and garnished with red ginger. It is a popular dish sold at stands during
festivals.
Hot pot dishes
Nabe, or hot pot dishes, are prepared in a hot pot, usually at the table. Typical ingredients are vegetables such as leek (negi) and hakusai (Chinese cabbage), various mushrooms, seafood and/or meat. There are many regional and personal varieties, and they are especially popular in the cold winter months. Some special nabe dishes are:
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Sukiyaki
A nabe dish prepared with thinly sliced meat,
vegetables,
mushrooms,
tofu and shirataki (konnyaku noodles) simmered in a sweet
soy sauce broth. The pieces of food are dipped into a beaten raw egg before being eaten.
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Shabu Shabu
Shabu shabu is a Japanese-style hot pot in which pieces of thinly sliced meat, seafood,
vegetables,
mushrooms and
tofu are cooked by dipping them into a hot soup. The bite-sized pieces are then dipped into a ponzu citrus or sesame sauce before being eaten.
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Chanko Nabe
Chanko nabe is the traditional staple diet of
sumo wrestlers. There are many varieties of chanko nabe, which can be tried at one of the several specialty chanko nabe
restaurants found around
Ryogoku, the sumo district in
Tokyo.
Meat dishes
Meat has been eaten in Japan in larger amounts only since the late 19th century. Nowadays there exist a variety of popular Japanese meat dishes.
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Yakitori
Yakitori are skewered grilled chicken pieces seasoned with salt or sauce. Almost every part of the chicken is used for yakitori including the white and dark meat, gizzards, skin and other organs.
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Tonkatsu
Tonkatsu are deep fried pork cutlets. Tonkatsu is usually served accompanied by shredded cabbage or on top of cooked rice (
katsudon). It is also a common addition to Japanese-style
curry rice (katsu kare).
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Yakiniku
Yakiniku literally means "grilled meat" and refers to grilling bite-size pieces of meat - mostly beef and pork - on a grill at the table. Specialized yakiniku restaurants are among the most popular
restaurant types in Japan and usually serve a wide variety of meat parts at multiple quality (and cost) levels.
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Nikujaga
Nikujaga is a popular dish of home-style cooking made of sweet stewed meat (niku) and
potatoes (jagaimo).
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Teppanyaki
Meat, seafood and
vegetables are prepared on a large iron griddle (teppan) around which the diners are seated. The chef artfully prepares the dishes in front of his or her customers.
Soybean dishes
Tofu, natto, miso and many other important ingredients of Japanese cooking are made of soybeans. The following are some of the most popular soybean-based dishes:
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Miso soup
Miso soup is made by dissolving miso paste in fish stock (dashi). Common additions include
wakame seaweed, small pieces of tofu, and sliced
aburaage. A bowl of miso soup is part of most traditional Japanese meals.
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Hiyayakko
Hiyayakko is fresh, chilled
tofu (usually soft tofu) commonly garnished with grated ginger, katsuobushi (shaved bonito flakes) and green onions. A little soy sauce is poured over the tofu if it did not come already seasoned.
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Yudofu
Yudofu are tofu pieces boiled in a clear, mild soup and dipped into soy sauce or
ponzu (citrus sauce) before being eaten. Yudofu is a specialty of
Kyoto and commonly served during the colder winter months.
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Agedashidofu
Agedashidofu is made of lightly breaded tofu which is fried and served hot in a dashi soy sauce broth and commonly garnished with green onions or grated daikon. Agedashidofu can be found in a variety of restaurants and is common
izakaya food.
Yoshoku dishes
A large number of Western dishes have been introduced to Japan over the centuries. Many of them have become completely Japanized and are referred to as Yoshoku dishes (lit. "Western food"). Some of the most popular ones are:
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Korokke
Korokke has its origins in the croquettes which were introduced to Japan in the 19th century. Korokke consist of a filling that is breaded and deep fried, and are eaten with a
Worcestershire tonkatsu sauce and shredded cabbage. They come in many varieties depending on the filling, the most common of which is a mix of minced meat and mashed potatoes.
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Omuraisu
Omuraisu, short for omelete rice, is fried rice wrapped in a thin egg omelete. Omuraisu is usually shaped like an American football and may be garnished with ketchup or demi-glace sauce. It is a common diner or cafe food, although specialty omuraisu restaurants also exist.
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Hayashi Raisu
Hayashi rice is Japanese-style hashed beef stew, thinly sliced beef and onions in a demi-glace sauce served over or alongside cooked rice. It resembles
kare raisu, and, like kare raisu, is also eaten with a spoon.
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Hambagu
Hambāgu is Japanese-style hamburger steak (as opposed to hambāgā, which are hamburgers in a bun). Hambagu is usually served on a plate alongside vegetables and rice or bread, and seasoned with a demi-glace sauce.
Other dishes
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Bento
Bento, or boxed meals, are inexpensive, single portion take-out meals served in a box. They usually consist of small portions of meat, vegetables, fish or
pickles together with rice. Bento come in both hot and cold varieties and are sold at
specialty restaurants,
supermarkets and
convenience stores. They are also a popular item at train stations (ekiben) and airports (soraben).
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Tempura
Tempura consists of seafood,
vegetables,
mushrooms or meat coated with batter and deep fried. The resulting food has a light but crispy texture that may be seasoned with salt or dipped in a light sauce before eating. Tempura was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese in the 16th century and has become one of Japan's most famous dishes internationally.
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Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki is a type of grilled pancake into which various ingredients such as seafood,
vegetables and meat are mixed. Some specialty restaurants have large hotplates built into the tables on which patrons can cook their own okonomiyaki. The dish is particularly popular in
Hiroshima and
Osaka.
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Monjayaki
Monjayaki is a
Kanto Region specialty that is similar to
okonomiyaki; however, the batter used is much thinner, resulting in a moister, less uniform dish. Monjayaki is often served at okonomiyaki restaurants.
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Gyoza
Gyoza are dumplings stuffed with a filling made of minced
vegetables and ground meat. Gyoza were introduced to Japan from China. Japanese gyoza are usually prepared by frying them, and they are commonly served as a side dish to
ramen.
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Chawanmushi
Chawanmushi is savory steamed egg custard that usually contains pieces of chicken, shrimp, fish cake and a ginko nut mixed inside. It is served in a small, lidded cup and eaten with a spoon.
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Pickles
Japanese
pickles, or tsukemono, come in many varieties and are served with practically all traditional Japanese meals.
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Sweets
Traditional Japanese sweets (wagashi) are typically enjoyed in combination with a cup of
green tea and come in a wide variety of shapes, flavors and ingredients. The most common ingredient used is sweet azuki bean paste.
