The 100 most popular Japanese foods in Japan

Do you know which Japanese dishes are the most popular? In this article, we will take a look at some popular Japanese foods in Japan, traditional Japanese cuisine dishes, and also their popularity in the West.

Many end up imagining that Japanese cuisine is limited to Sushi, but in fact, there are thousands of other dishes beyond fish that many end up not knowing and that are part of daily life in Japan.

In this article, we will see a complete list of 15 Japanese dishes along with a list of another 85 dishes that are part of Japanese cuisine, totaling the 100 most popular Japanese foods in Japan.

1 – Yakitori – Japanese Chicken Skewers

Yakitori [焼き鳥] is the famous grilled chicken skewer, a very popular food in bars, festivals, and street stalls. One of the most popular foods in Japan that can vary in several types of skewers, not only chicken but also beef and pork.

This Japanese food can also be called Kushiyaki (串焼き) which means grilled skewer. The dish is usually consumed with sauces. Bell peppers, cheese, seeds, mushrooms, vegetables, tofu, and other foods also become skewers in Japan.

2 – Yakiniku – The Japanese Barbecue

Unlike Western barbecue, the meats that are grilled in Japan are cut ultra-thin and cooked in just a few minutes, usually rare, to be dipped in a sauce and consumed.

The cuts of Japanese meats are also usually different, and some are very juicy. Japanese people often go to a restaurant and grill the meat at their own table in a kind of all-you-can-eat that tends to be cheaper than a restaurant in Brazil.

3 – Ramen – The Traditional Chinese Noodle

Although it originated in China, ramen is one of the most popular Japanese foods in the country. There are thousands of ramen, each with different flavors and ingredients. There are specialized restaurants that sell only one type of regional and popular ramen.

Ramen consists of noodles with a soy sauce or another popular flavor, usually with pork and other vegetables. It has absolutely nothing to do with Lamen Miojo that we find in the market.

4 – Gyudon – Popular Beef with Rice and Onion Dish

Gyudon is one of the cheapest and most popular dishes in Japan, consisting simply of rice topped with beef and onion. It may seem simple, but it is surprising how the Japanese manage to make this simple dish so delicious.

An easily accessible dish that can cost around 500 yen and is usually found in fast-food chains like Yoshinoya and Sukiya. If you live in São Paulo and have a Sukiya nearby, you can try it.

5 – Soba – Buckwheat Noodles

One of my favorite, cheap, and simple dishes. It consists of noodles made from buckwheat and has hot and cold variations, most often accompanied by chopped green onions, tofu, tempura batter, egg, and others.

You can find soba restaurants everywhere, and the dishes can be very cheap, costing even 200 yen, but they can easily reach 1,000 yen depending on the place and ingredients of the dish.

6 – Udon – Thick Noodles

Udon is similar to soba and can be found in thousands of restaurants throughout Japan at a low and affordable price. Its main difference is that it is thicker and white, as it is made with wheat flour instead of buckwheat.

The ingredients and types of Udon dishes are the same as Soba, only the noodles usually change. If you find a Tanukisoba, you can also find a Tanukiudon and so on.

7 – Nikuman – Steamed Bun Filled with Meat

Nikuman is like the savory snacks we eat in Brazil. You enter a convenience store and buy a Nikuman, which is a steamed bun filled with meat, pizza, sweet azuki beans, and many other flavors.

If you have watched Kung Fu Panda, you must have seen these buns in the movie. These buns originated in China, but are part of Japanese culture, so much so that the name nikuman [肉頭] comes from Japanese and means meat bun.

8 – Okonomiyaki – The Japanese Pancake

Okonomiyaki is a type of Japanese pancake filled with bacon, cabbage, egg, cheese, onion, octopus, shrimp, mayonnaise, and even noodles. It all depends on the type of Yokonomiyaki you order, which can vary from region to region.

The word okonomiyaki literally means “what you want fried.” Where yaki [焼き] means fried or grilled, and okonomi [お好み] means what you want, desire, or like. In other words, you can put whatever you want in this dish.

9 – Tempura – Fried Shrimp and Vegetables

The dish consists of vegetables and seafood mixed and fried, wrapped in a thin batter, usually served with rice or noodles. The frying is done in very hot oil, for only about two or three minutes.

The main secret of this dish lies in the batter, which is usually fluid, sweet and sour, and very cheap and easy to make. Tempura can be found in Soba and Udon restaurants, as well as street stalls and other places that serve it as an appetizer.

10 – Takoyaki – Fried Octopus Balls

Takoyaki is a very popular ball, especially in the Kansai region, its batter is similar to that of Okonomiyaki, but its main ingredient is chopped octopus, thus forming a small round ball.

It can also be seasoned with tempura scraps, chopped ginger, green onions, nori, fish flakes (katsu), and consumed with a sauce. Undoubtedly one of the best Japanese street foods.

11 – Sukiyaki – Japanese Stew

Sukiyaki is one of several types of Japanese stew with sliced meats, vegetables, and greens. It can also include mushrooms, udon, moyashi, leeks, tofu, and others. They are usually cooked in a shallow iron pot.

Sukiyaki is served in a nabemono, a type of pot where people take and put as much as they want in their bowls while socializing at the place. This type of stew is one of the most popular Japanese foods.

12- Onigiri – Rice Balls Filled

Onigiri are rice balls wrapped in nori seaweed and filled with tuna, chicken, and other ingredients of your choice. Some onigiri instead of being filled are made mixed in furikake (a mixture of chopped ingredients to season rice).

They usually have a triangular shape. Onigiri emerged in the 15th century when samurai stored rice balls in bamboo and used them as meals during battles. One of the simplest Japanese foods to make.

12 – Mochi – Sweet and Sticky Rice Cake

Mochi is made by pounding sticky Japanese rice called mochigome until it becomes a dough. Mochi is a common ingredient in many Japanese dishes, desserts, and sweets. Basically, it is glutinous rice ground into paste and then shaped.

This code is very common and gives rise to countless other sweets in Japanese cuisine. It can be colored and have various shapes and different fillings, some are usually filled with sweet beans called azuki.

13 – Miso Soup – The Traditional Soy Soup

Miso soup, also known as missoshiro, is one of the most popular and consumed soups in Japan, daily at breakfast, snack, lunch, and dinner. One of the healthiest dishes in Japan and quite hearty.

Miso soup is made with a soybean paste and a dashi broth (fish broth) accompanied by green onions, tofu, and other ingredients.

14 – Oden – Foods Cooked in Dashi Broth

Oden is a very popular dish in winter but can be found at any time in convenience stores, restaurants, markets, and street stalls. This is the type of Japanese food that older guys like.

It consists of various vegetables, tofu, eggs, and other foods cooked in soy sauce and dashi sauce (fish sauce). The ingredients are usually dipped in the sauce and cooked until very tender, some are kept warm in the sauce the whole time.

15 – Karaage – Japanese Frying Technique

Karaage are foods fried in oil with a crispy crust while remaining soft inside. It is common to fry chicken, meats, and fish. It is coated with a batter made of egg, potato starch, and wheat flour along with other ingredients that season and give a unique flavor to the chicken.

In convenience stores, we find karaage for sale, it resembles chicken nuggets quite a bit, but they are much tastier and usually consist of real pieces of chicken and other meats. It was one of my favorite snacks from convenience stores.

Videos of Japanese Foods

I created a video talking a little about each of these dishes for those who prefer to watch and see videos of the dishes instead of just reading and seeing photos.

List of Popular Japanese Foods – Savory

Now let’s continue with a quick list just mentioning the name of the Japanese food. To help, I will separate savory Japanese foods from sweet foods. Let’s start by listing the most popular savory foods in Japan.

1. Hiyashi Chuka – Cold ramen;
2. Karee – Curry, Indian spice;
3. Yaki imon – Baked potato;
4. Sushi – Something wrapped in rice and nori;
5. Senbei – Japanese cracker;
6. Taiyaki – Fish-shaped cake;
7. Natto – Fermented soybeans;
8. Kushiage – Fried meats on a skewer;
9. Korokke (croquette) – Made from mashed potatoes;
10. Tonkatsu – Fried breaded pork chop;
11. Donburi – Cooked rice with toppings;
12. Oyakodon – Egg with chicken;
13. Gyoza – Chinese dumpling;
14. Omuraisu – Rice omelet;
15. Omusoba – Omelet with yakisoba;
16. Teriyaki – Chicken or fish with sweet soy sauce;
17. Unagi – Eel meat;
18. Shabu-Shabu – Meats, noodles, and vegetables cooked in sauce;
19. Fugu – Sliced pufferfish;
20. Ikizukuri – A type of sashimi;
21. Tataki – Grilled tuna over charcoal;
22. Basash – Horse sashimi;
23. Rebasashi – Raw veal liver;
24. Edamame – Cooked green beans;
25. Kaiseki – Special cuisine;
26. Yuba – Tofu slices;
27. Himono – Dried and grilled fish;
28. Chankonabe – Stew;
29. Nikujaga – Meat with potatoes;
30. Nigiri – Sushi with fish on top of rice;
31. Sekihan – Rice with azuki beans;
32. Wakame – Japanese salad;
33. Shiokara – Fish with salty sauce from the intestines;
34. Donburi – Meat, rice, fish;
35. Goya Chanpuru – Dish with bitter melon;
36. Zoni – Samurai soup;
37. Somen – Thin and cold noodles;
38. Kimpara – Burdock, lotus root, and carrots;
39. Temaki – Rice and others wrapped in a nori cone;
40. Tsukemono – Salad;
41. Tonjiro – Pork soup;
42. Ebi furai – Breaded shrimp;
43. Yaki Onigiri – Fried rice ball;
44. Shogayaki – Sliced pork fried with ginger;
45. Umeboshi – Plums in salty and bitter brine;
46. Tamago kake Gohan – Rice with raw egg;
47. Chikuwa – Fish sausages;
48. Yakisoba – Grilled soba with vegetables and meats;
49. Kiritanpo – Rice on a skewer;
50. Shioyaki – Grilled fish;
51. Tazukuri – Dried sardines cooked in sugar and soy sauce;
52. Sunumono – Pickled salad;
53. Kamaboko – Fish cake;
54. Motsunabe – Cooked ingredients;
55. Tofu – Soy cheese;
56. Harumaki – Spring roll;
57. Wagyu – Luxury Japanese beef;
58. Shoga – Pickled ginger;
59. Mentaiko – Spaghetti with cod roe;
60. Kayu – Rice porridge;
61. Teppanyaki – Meat, seafood, and vegetables on a griddle;
62. Hayashi Raisu – Rice with meat in Western style;
63. Monjayaki – Pancake from the Kanto region;
64. Chawanmushi – Egg custard with chicken, shrimp, and fish;

List of Popular Japanese Foods – Sweet

To conclude, let’s see a list of sweet Japanese foods and then some videos. If you enjoyed the article, don’t forget to share before you leave or leave your comments. Did you know all these Japanese dishes?

1. Dango – Made of mochi;
2. Manju – Sweet made of flour, rice, and sweet beans;
3. Melonpan – Melon bread;
4. Anpan – Sweet bean bread;
5. Kakigori – Japanese shaved ice;
6. Kenpi – Crystallized sweet potatoes;
7. Daifuku – Mochi with sweet fillings;
8. Dorayaki – Pancakes with anko;
9. Crepes – Very popular in Japan;
10. Higashi – Various sweets;
11. Shiruko – Dessert soup;
12. Yokan – Japanese jelly;
13. Amanatto – Bean jelly
14. Kasutera – Japanese cake;
15. Kohi Zeri – Coffee jelly;
16. Anmitsu – Bowl of fruits, anko, and agar-agar;
17. Monburan – The famous Japanese Mont Blanc;
18. Omogashi – Tea mochi;
19. Pocky – Traditional Japanese sweet;
20. Purin – Japanese pudding
21. Kompeito – Japanese sweet;

I hope you enjoyed the extensive list of Japanese foods in this article!