On my trip to Japan, I ate, A LOT. I tried just about every snack, meal, and dessert I could find and to be honest some of them were amazing, and some were not what I hoped for.
Starting off strong we have
Cremia Ice Cream
I physically cannot express how much I love Cremia. This ice cream is made out of Hokkaido cream which is cream from the cows up in Northern Japan and it’s insane. It’s like if soft serve tasted like butter. And to make it better it’s in a cone that has the same texture as a Milano cookie. Like how much better can it possibly get? Every time I saw Cremia no matter what the time I stopped and got some; I even had it for breakfast at some points.
Where can you find this? – I found this all throughout Japan in just about every big city.
Okonomiyaki
This was not something I thought I would like. Personally, I’m not an egg or a cabbage girl, at all. But we got a simple all-vegetable with cheese Okonomiyaki and it was so good. It was weird because the texture wasn’t like a crunchy lettuce-y like I thought It would be. It was a little flakey but just like biting into a thick pancake.
Where can you find this? – lots of different restaurants throughout Japan specialize in Okonomiyaki especially down in Osaka. I had mine in Kyoto at Teppanyaki Manryu.
Tempura
Tempura is one of my all-time favorites and lived up to the hype. I had all kinds of tempura from chicken and shrimp to vegetables to my new favorite lotus root tempura. They also had garlic tempura which was just an entire clove of garlic on a stick and it was so good. So to my fellow garlic girls, you have to try.
Where can you find this? – Shisenkai, Osaka was full of specialty tempura restaurants and had dozens of unique options. You can of course find regular tempura just about anywhere.
Sushi
I’m going to say something controversial. I don’t like sushi. I’ve tried lots of different restaurants in America and I hated the slimy cold texture and it was the same in Japan. So when it comes to sushi and sushi recommendations I have none 🙁
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Miso Udon
Miso Udon is pretty hard to mess up in Japan, being that it’s such a simple and straightforward dish. I had it two different times and both times the noodles and the broth were amazing. Sometimes they put seaweed on it and I don’t like that flavor in there as much but it was never a problem or that big of a deal.
Where can you find this? – Miso Udon is a staple dish so you can find it pretty much anywhere. I had mine at the restaurant by Nara Park and at an Izakaya in Mt. Fuji.
Tanghulu Strawberries
These were definitely worth the hype. The strawberries themselves were so sweet and juicy and the crunchy sugar on top just made them even better. I will say that it did make me a little sick feeling after because I had them in the middle of the day and it was super hot out so beware.
Where can you find this? – Nakamise Shopping Street had tons of Tanghulu vendors; this is where I got mine. I also saw some vendors in Osaka in Dontonburi.
Matcha
In America I’ve never been a huge fan of Matcha, I’ve always thought it was too earthy or milky or whatever. In Japan however the Matcha was amazing, I had both traditional ceremonial Matcha and Matcha lattes, and both were a lot more flavorful than any other Matcha I had in America. There are also lots of matcha-flavored cakes, candies, and ice creams, throughout Kyoto specifically that are definitely worth trying.
Where can you find this? – Kyoto! Kyoto is the best place to buy Matcha and I highly suggest taking the time to attend a traditional tea ceremony to learn the history and learn how to properly make Matcha.
Ramen
Most Ramen restaurants we went to were packed with 2-4 hour-long lines so we didn’t get the chance to try a lot of ramen but the few we did try were good just a bit different than expected. I found that a lot of the Ramen (and other foods) had a fishy aftertaste from different kinds of cooking oils. Obviously what kind of broth we picked mattered too and when I go back I will definitely be waiting in line to try more ramen.
Where can you find this? – Everywhere! There are tons of Ramen spots all throughout Japan. I had mine in Tokyo!
Yakisoba
Yakisoba is officially a new Catalina favorite. I had both vegetable and pork yakisoba and they both were phenomenal. The noodles were thick and firm, not mushy like in some Western restaurants and the sauce was perfect. The pork yakisoba was more of a bacon cut so it was easier to eat and a lot less chewy than a regular piece of pork would have been.
Where can you find this? – Everywhere but I found that most teppanyaki places had yakisoba. I got mine in Kyoto near Gion.
Wagyu
One of Japan’s most famous dishes is Wagyu steak and it did not disappoint. It needed almost no flavoring and tasted like it was soaked in the perfect amount of butter. The quality of honestly all of the steaks we had in Japan was unmatched compared to anywhere else. There are also lots of affordable Wagyu options like Yakiniku or grill it yourself.
Where can you find this? – I had Wagyu Yakiniku in every city but my favorites were Teppanyaki Manryu in Kyoto and Wagyu Yakiniku Black Hole Kabukicho in Tokyo.
That’s all for now!
I’ll See You,
