Ryo Iwa– Author –
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Kobe Bokkake (ぼっかけ)
Most visitors to Kobe go straight for the steak. That is completely understandable. Kobe beef is one of the most celebrated ingredients in all of Japan. But the city has another beef dish. It is less famous. It costs a fraction of the pr... -
Monjayaki vs Okonomiyaki: What’s the Real Difference?
You have probably heard of okonomiyaki. But monjayaki? That one trips up a lot of first-time visitors to Japan. Both dishes involve a hot iron griddle, batter, and a group of people crowded around a table. Yet they taste, look, and feel ... -
What to Eat in Yokohama: 20 Must-Try Foods for Every Visitor
Yokohama is Japan's most cosmopolitan food city. As the country's first modern port, opened in 1859, it became the birthplace of Japan's ramen culture, home to the nation's largest Chinatown, and the city where Western-style dining first... -
What to Eat in Sendai: 20 Must-Try Foods for Every Visitor
Sendai is Tohoku's gateway city, and its food scene reflects everything the region does best. Surrounded by mountains, rivers, and the Pacific coast, the city earns its title as 杜の都 (Mori no Miyako) — the City of Trees — and that natu... -
What to Eat in Nagoya: 20 Must-Try Foods for Every Visitor
Nagoya is Japan's most underrated food city. Situated at the heart of the Chubu region, it gave the world Hitsumabushi, Miso Katsu, Tebasaki, and a singular obsession with Hatcho miso that defines every dish on every table. Nagoya cuisin... -
Mito no Ume (水戸の梅)
What Is Mito no Ume? Some foods carry a place's entire identity in a single bite. In Mito, the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, that food is Mito no Ume (水戸の梅). At first glance, it looks almost exactly like a real pickled plum. Unwrap ... -
What to Eat in Sapporo: 20 Must-Try Foods for Every Visitor
札幌ラーメン うに丼 ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ SAPPORO · 札幌 HOKKAIDO · 北海道 Sapporo is Japan's most underrated food city. As Hokkaido's capital, it sits at the center of Japan's most productive agricultural island, drawing on exceptional dairy, wor... -
Hokkaido Milk (北海道ミルク)
Some things you just have to taste to believe. Hokkaido milk is one of them. It is thick, naturally sweet, and somehow more satisfying than what you expect from a glass of milk. If you have been to Japan and grabbed a small carton from a... -
Okukuji Shamo (奥久慈しゃも)
What Is Okukuji Shamo? There is a chicken in Japan that chefs talk about in the same breath as Wagyu beef. It comes from the mountains of northern Ibaraki Prefecture, and once you taste it, ordinary chicken feels like a pale imitation. T... -
Japan’s Teppanyaki and Hibachi Culture: A Complete Guide
🔥 Japan Grilling Culture Japan's Teppanyaki and Hibachi Culture: A Complete Guide The history, techniques, wagyu grades, and regional traditions behind Japan's most celebrated grilling culture from Kobe's 1945 birthplace to today's worl...