Top 5 Eats in Japan.

Today’s guest post is from Erica. She is the beauty & brains behind OverYonderlust.com. You can learn more about her at the end of this great post she put together for BeersandBeans.

There is something magical about Japan. Whether it is the culture, the people, or the amazing architecture found everywhere, Japan won our hearts through our stomachs. Shaun and I spent 3 weeks backpacking through Japan in 2008 and had some of the most life changing food we had experienced to date. Here are our top 5 eats to try while in Japan.

Hida Beef
I think Shaun still had dreams where he wakes drooling on his pillow with this one. There is a war going on in Japan between 2 regions – the Hida region in the Gifu Prefecture and the city of Kobe in the Hy?go Prefecture – in regards to whose beef is king. Shaun and I found ourselves enjoying the wonders of Takayama when our travel mate had pointed out that this region was known for the delicacy known as Hida beef. Being the Texan beef snobs we are, we headed to the nearest restaurant to experience this prize beef that had beat out Kobe that year in a taste competition.
There are many ways you can eat Hida. I grilled mine on an open charcoal grill. Shaun ate his on a magnolia leaf over an open flame, and our travel mate made the best decision of us three with the glorious sukiyaki version. This is a must try! Your taste buds will never be the same.

Okonomiyaki

Different regions are known for their local culinary expertise and we decided to try the Hiroshima version of Okonomiyaki per our host dad’s suggestion. My suggestion would be to ask around to find this one Okonomiyaki arcade that is hidden away and well known by the locals. You will know you have found this discreet building when you have to walk up 3 flights of stairs to the multilevel arcade. As you walk into the door, dozens of cooks and callers will be shouting at you to come to their stand.

Enjoy your choice of Okonomiyaki with a good beer and you have yourself a feast!

Please note that they are HUGE and one can feed multiple people.

A chef preparing a huge feast of Okonomiyaki.

Sushi
I know that it is almost a given that you have to eat sushi in Japan. The difference between sushi in Japan and sushi in the States is like comparing a golden apple to an orange you found in the discount bin.

We were lucky enough to have our host mom, Hideko, prepare us a special meal on our first night in Japan. She had spent several hours at the store gathering the fresh fish and then prepared it at home. We had a feast set in front of us and in all honesty, I couldn’t tell you how many choices we had. I do know that I like “fresh” bacon (which for all intensive purposes is raw). YUM!

Udon/Ramen
Fresh noodles differ dramatically from the dried noodles in the $.10 package you pick up at the grocery store. You can find noodles shops everywhere! There is something amazing and satisfying about the simplicity of this meal – a big bowl of broth, noodles, pork slices, and green onions. When they are feeling really fancy you get slices of kamaboko!

These are most often some of the cheapest and most filling meals you can find if you are on a budget in Japan. Just be prepared to have your stomach expand by the time you leave due to the massive amounts of noodles.

And remember, slurping is okay in Japan. It is a sign that you are enjoying the meal!

Takoyaki
This is another regional dish and is most known for originating in Osaka – where consequentially, we had tried this fried masterpiece.

Tako is the Japanese word for “octopus” and yaki denotes that it was either fried or grilled. In this case, they are fried batter balls of octopus covered in green onions, takoyaki sauce, and mayonnaise. As a native to the Southern United States, we take our fried food very seriously and this did not disappoint!

I think one of the things that is great about traveling is that it takes you out of your culinary comfort zone (if you let it), opening up many opportunities to find foods you would not normally consider. I highly suggest trying anything you come across. I had refused to eat octopus until we got to Japan and now it is one of my most favorite things in the world.

So grab your chopsticks and beer with enthusiasm!

KANPAI!

Erica & Shaun in Japan with a friend.

Erica is one half of Over Yonderlust. She and Shaun (the other half) are childhood sweethearts traveling the world the way they’ve traveled through life: no regrets, no missed opportunities and no rock unturned. Follow them as they add stamps to their passports one country at a time. You can find them at their website OverYonderlust.com on Twitter or on their Facebook page.

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