11 must-try food and drink dishes when visiting Japan

Of course, when you think of Japanese food you probably think of sushi. And this is for good reason – wherever you go in Japan there is delicious sushi on offer. Sushi is vinegared rice topped or rolled around fish, meat or vegetables. You’ll find a huge range available all over Japan with different ingredients, so you certainly won’t get bored of the same flavours.

Tempura usually consists of seafood or vegetables deep-fried in a light batter. It is often served as part of a larger meal, although it can also be served on rice – a dish called ‘tendon’ or with soba noodles.

A very popular dish in Japan, ramen can be found on almost every street. It’s made up of wheat noodles served in a broth (usually meat or fish-based) and flavoured with soy sauce or miso, then topped with extra ingredients. Again there are regional variations – toppings can include sliced pork, egg, seaweed or seafood and the broth base varies by location. In some restaurants you'll even find a vending machine, which you use to pay for your ramen. You get a ticket and then your order is brought to your table.  And when eating your ramen don’t worry about slurping – it’s not considered bad manners in Japan as it shows you’re enjoying your meal! Japanese people also believe slurping enhances the flavour.

This soup has a stock broth base, called “dashi”, made from seaweed and smoked and dried fish into which softened miso paste is mixed. It’s often served with tofu in, to complement the savoury flavour, and topped with spring onions. You may also find it served with vegetables or seafood.

When eating miso soup it is customary to lift the bowl to your mouth and drink from it. Use your chopsticks to eat the solid pieces.

Another type of noodles, these are much thicker and chewier than other types. They can be served cold, with a dipping sauce, or hot, often in miso soup or with tempura. Use chopsticks to eat these noodles and don’t hold back on the slurping – in Japanese culture it is also believed that slurping helps to cool down the hot noodles.

Yakitori is grilled meat skewers with bitesize pieces of meat, most often chicken. The meat comes in different shapes depending on the cut; most commonly its thigh meat but you can also get minced meat, wings or chicken skin skewers. You can also get skewers with vegetables like peppers, mushrooms or asparagus. They’re quite often found being cooked over charcoal on food stalls.