地域の食べ物

regional food

Experiencing local flavor

Going local means eating local, and in Japan every city and region has its own specialties to try. Here are some of the highlights.

Be More Japan Regional Food

Hokkaido The chill of Hokkaido’s deep winters is staved off with some of Japan’s heartiest regional dishes, from the springy noodles and miso-heavy soup of Sapporo ramen to the jingisukan mutton barbecue and the warming supu kare (soup curry).

Tohoku Morioka in Iwate Prefecture is noodle country. Its sandaimen (three great noodles) include reimen, an extra- chewy noodle served in a chilled sour-spicy soup, and jajamen, a chunky wheat noodle that’s mixed with a meaty miso paste. But the most distinctive of all is wanko soba, single-mouthful bowls of soba noodles. Consuming this dish has become an all-you-can-eat challenge, where diners see how many bowls they can devour—the record is a stomach-churning 632.

Tokyo Tokyo’s monjayaki is the epitome of B-kyu gurume—simple, soulful, low-cost food. A bubbling, gooey batter mixed with diced cabbage and other ingredients, it is best tried at one of the many monjayaki restaurants that can be found in the captial’s Tsukishima neighborhood.

Kyoto Kyoto does exceptional vegetarian food. In addition to tofu dishes such as yudofu (simmered tofu), there’s shojin-ryori, a multidish form of Buddhist cuisine heavy on tofu variations and seasonal vegetables.

Osaka A classic Osaka street food, takoyaki are chunks of octopus cooked into dough balls and then served with a thick brown sauce, aonori (seaweed flakes), mayonnaise, and bonito flakes.

Hiroshima Okonomiyaki (savory pancakes) are common all over Japan, but the way Hiroshima makes them is extra special. The key is the addition of noodles, and the gradual layering of ingredients before the pancake is lathered in a savory sauce.

Kyushu For many ramen aficionados, Hakata ramen from Fukuoka is the best. With a milky broth that comes from pork stock, it has slightly thinner noodles than other ramen and is topped with sliced roast pork and chopped green onions.

Okinawa Pork is highly prized as an ingredient on menus in Okinawa; local specialities include mimiga (vinegared pig ear) and tonsoku (simmered pigs’ feet). Arguably the most Okinawan dish of all, however, is goya champuru—a filling stir-fry of firm shima-dofu (island tofu), egg, Spam, and a bitter local gourd that’s known as goya.

Be More Japan Regional Food