What to eat in Japan

If you only associate Japan with sushi, a huge surprise awaits you. Traditional Japanese cuisine (washoku, inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013) is one of the most varied and refined in the world, and much of what is eaten daily has little to do with raw fish: there are steaming noodle soups, crispy fried foods, charcoal-grilled skewers, stews, savoury pancakes and a delicate confectionery of its own.

At the heart of washoku is the ichiju-sansai structure ("one soup, three dishes"): a bowl of rice, a miso soup and several side dishes that change with the season. It is the pattern of home cooking and of the set menus you will find all over the country.

Eating out is also cheap and easy compared with Europe: a bowl of ramen or a bowl of rice with something on top costs very affordable prices, and the average quality — even at a chain or a 24-hour store — is extremely high. This guide sorts out what to try, where to do it and how to manage without knowing Japanese.

These are the great classics of Japanese cuisine, the ones worth seeking out at least once during the trip:

• Sushi and sashimi. Sushi combines vinegared rice with fish or other ingredients; sashimi is the raw fish alone, with no rice. From a cheap conveyor belt (kaiten-zushi) to a high-end counter, there is sushi for every budget.
• Ramen. The star dish of Japan for many travellers: noodles in an intense broth that varies by region (soy, miso, salt or pork bone). It is eaten quickly, in small places and at a good price.
• Udon and soba. The other two great noodles: udon is thick and soft, made of wheat; soba is thin and made of buckwheat. They are had in hot broth or fresh with a dipping sauce.
• Tempura. Vegetables and seafood coated in a light batter and fried until crisp. It is served alone, over rice (tendon) or alongside noodles.
• Tonkatsu and katsudon. Tonkatsu is a breaded and fried pork cutlet; when served over a bowl of rice with egg and onion, it is called katsudon. Hearty and very popular.
• Yakitori. Charcoal-grilled chicken skewers (and other parts), the classic accompaniment to a beer at an izakaya.
• Gyoza. Filled dumplings, usually of pork and vegetables, browned on one side. They go very well with a bowl of ramen.
• Okonomiyaki. A kind of savoury griddle pancake with cabbage, batter and the ingredients you choose (its name means "grilled how you like"). It has very distinct regional schools.
• Takoyaki. Batter balls filled with octopus, made on a dimpled griddle and topped with sauce and bonito flakes. Street food par excellence.
• Sukiyaki and shabu-shabu. Two ways of cooking at the table: sukiyaki stews the meat and vegetables in a sweet soy sauce; shabu-shabu blanches them in a broth. Designed to be shared.
• Donburi. A bowl of rice topped with something: beef (gyudon), tempura (tendon), raw fish (kaisendon) or breaded pork (katsudon). Fast, complete and cheap.
• Japanese curry. Milder and thicker than the Indian kind, with a sweet touch. It is served over rice and is one of the most beloved home dishes in the country.
• Kaiseki. Traditional haute cuisine: a tasting menu of many small, seasonal, beautifully presented courses. The most refined dining experience in Japan.

Wagyu (literally "Japanese cow") is the most famous beef in the country, celebrated for its intense fat marbling that melts in the mouth. The quality is classified on a scale up to the maximum grade A5. The three most prestigious brands, all from the Kansai region, are Kobe beef (from Tajima cattle in Hyogo prefecture), Matsusaka (Mie prefecture) and Omi (Shiga). Authentic Kobe beef is subject to such strict certification that it represents a tiny fraction of all wagyu production.

You do not need to spend a fortune to try it: besides high-end teppanyaki, you can enjoy it at a yakiniku (table barbecue where you grill the meat yourself) or, more cheaply, in a bowl of beef gyudon or a wagyu skewer at a market. In Kobe there are specialised restaurants where the local beef is the star.

Eating in Japan with dietary restrictions is possible, but requires some planning. It is worth knowing what you are up against before travelling.

Vegetarians and vegans. The big challenge is not the visible meat, but the dashi: the base broth of a great many Japanese dishes is made with bonito flakes (dried fish), so it appears in unexpected places, such as miso soup, stewed vegetables or even tofu preparations. The best option is shojin ryori, Buddhist temple cuisine, 100% plant-based and especially present in Kyoto and Koyasan; that said, check that the place uses kombu seaweed dashi and not fish. In the big cities there are more and more dedicated vegan restaurants, but outside them it is worth carrying your restrictions written in Japanese.

Halal. The halal offering in Japan has grown a lot with tourism: in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto there are certified or "muslim-friendly" restaurants serving ramen, sushi and even halal wagyu, and the major airports and many shopping centres now have prayer rooms. Even so, it is still a minority, so it is worth locating the places in advance.

Allergies. Flagging an allergy at a restaurant where they do not speak English can be tricky. Carry your allergies translated into Japanese (on a card or your phone) and be careful with soy, wheat, egg, shellfish and nuts, present in many sauces and batters. The guides to Japanese phrases and customs in Japan help you communicate respectfully at the table.

Knowing what type of place you are looking for is half the work. In Japan restaurants usually specialise in a single dish, and each type has its own atmosphere and price range:

• Konbini (24-hour stores). 7-Eleven, FamilyMart and Lawson are an institution: onigiri (filled rice balls), sandwiches, bento (meal trays) and hot dishes of very good quality for little money. Ideal for breakfasts, picnics and quick meals between sights.
• Ramen-ya. Small places dedicated to ramen, many with a counter and a ticket machine at the entrance. You go in, eat and leave: fast and cheap.
• Izakaya. The Japanese pub-tavern: you go to drink and to share many small plates (yakitori, edamame, fried food, sashimi). The best place for a relaxed, social dinner at night.
• Sushi-ya and kaiten-zushi. Sushi restaurants range from kaiten-zushi (conveyor-belt sushi, cheap and fun) to the traditional counter where the master prepares it in front of you.
• Depachika. The food basements of department stores: a world of counters with bento, sweets, tempura and delicatessen. Perfect for buying a luxury dinner to go.
• Shokudo and teishoku-ya. Simple canteens serving set menus (teishoku): a main dish with rice, miso soup and pickles. Good old Japanese home cooking.
• Gyudon and curry chains. Chains such as the beef-bowl or curry ones serve complete, lightning-fast and very cheap dishes. A lifesaver for tight budgets.

Eating cheaply in Japan is very easy: with konbini, gyudon chains and ramen stalls you eat well while spending very little. If you want to stretch your food budget, the guide on how to save money in Japan has more tips.

If you want to concentrate a lot of good food in one place, food markets are the best bet. They are lively places where locals and travellers try specialities stall by stall:

• Nishiki Market (Kyoto). Known as "Kyoto's kitchen", it is a covered shopping street about 390 metres long (five blocks) with more than four hundred years of history and well over a hundred stalls: pickles, traditional sweets, tofu, seafood and snacks to eat standing up.
• Kuromon Market (Osaka). "Osaka's kitchen": nearly two centuries of history and about 150 stalls famous for their very fresh seafood and street food, from grilled scallop skewers to freshly made takoyaki.

A great way to discover these markets without missing the best of them is to take a guided food tour: a local takes you stall by stall, explains what each thing is, how it is eaten and where the best stops are. It is especially useful at the start of the trip, when you do not yet know the names or what to order, and it solves the language barrier with a menu only in Japanese at a stroke.

Beyond the markets, there are night izakaya tours, ramen routes and cooking experiences (classes to make sushi or ramen) in the big cities. They are a way to eat and, at the same time, understand what you are eating.

Traditional Japanese confectionery, wagashi, is a world apart: delicate sweets, lightly sugared and very seasonal, designed to accompany tea. The best known are mochi (glutinous rice cake), dorayaki (two sponge cakes filled with sweet red bean paste) and dango (rice balls on a skewer).

Matcha — powdered green tea — is the star flavour of many modern desserts: ice creams, cakes, lattes and kit-kats. Kyoto, and specifically the Uji area, is the matcha region par excellence, so it is the best place to try it in its most authentic version, whether at a tea ceremony or in an ice cream while you stroll.

Eating in Japan is easier than it seems, even without speaking the language. These are the practical points worth knowing:

• Ticket machines (shokkenki). Many ramen, udon, soba and curry places have a machine at the entrance where you choose your dish (often with photos or numbers), pay, collect a ticket and hand it to the staff. They usually work with cash, although modern chains accept IC cards (Suica/Pasmo). It is a fast, very convenient system for those who do not dare order in Japanese.
• Plastic replicas and photo menus. Many restaurants display realistic replicas of their dishes in the window (sampuru) and almost all have photo menus. Pointing at what you want is perfectly normal and accepted.
• Almost everything is paid at the till at the end, not at the table (except where there is a ticket machine). In many places you pay in cash only, so carry yen with you.
• Chopsticks. They are used for almost everything, and noodles are slurped (making noise when eating ramen is not only fine, it is considered a sign that you are enjoying it). Two gestures to avoid: sticking chopsticks upright in rice and passing food from one set of chopsticks to another, because of their funeral connotation.
• No tipping. In Japan you do not leave a tip at restaurants; the service is already included and leaving one can cause confusion.