Japanese cuisine is famous for showcasing local and seasonal ingredients, and as a result, each region has its own distinctive culinary style and regional dishes. So take a foodie tour of the country by sampling each one of these traditional Japanese dishes from all 47 prefectures of Japan!
Wondering what regional souvenirs to bring back from your trip to Japan? Check out our article 47 Prefectures, 47 Food Souvenirs: Japanese Regional Omiyage!
Traditional Japanese Dishes: 47 Prefectures and Their Specialty Foods
Here's every Japanese prefecture and one of the most popular traditional dishes to try when you visit each!
- Hokkaido – Jingisukan
- Aomori – Senbei-jiru
- Akita – Kiritanpo
- Iwate – Wanko Soba
- Yamagata – Imoni
- Miyagi – Gyutan
- Fukushima – Negi Soba
- Tochigi – Utsunomiya Gyoza
- Gunma – Mizusawa Udon
- Ibaraki – Anko Nabe
- Saitama – Hiyajiru Udon
- Tokyo – Monjayaki
- Chiba – Namerou
- Kanagawa – Shirasu Donburi
- Niigata – Hegi Soba
- Ishikawa – Kanazawa Curry
- Toyama – Black Ramen
- Nagano – Shinshu Soba
- Fukui – Echizen Oroshi Soba
- Gifu – Keichan
- Yamanashi – Hoto
- Aichi – Hitsumabushi
- Shizuoka – Sakura Ebi
- Hyogo – Kobe Beef
- Kyoto – Kaiseki Ryori
- Shiga – Funazushi
- Osaka – Takoyaki
- Nara – Miwa Somen
- Mie – Ise Udon
- Wakayama – Wakayama Ramen
- Tottori – Kanimeshi
- Shimane – Izumo Soba
- Okayama – Barazushi
- Hiroshima – Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki
- Yamaguchi – Fugu
- Kagawa – Sanuki Udon
- Ehime – Taimeshi
- Tokushima – Tokushima Ramen
- Kochi – Katsuo no Tataki
- Fukuoka – Hakata Ramen
- Saga – Onsen Yudofu
- Nagasaki – Chanpon
- Kumamoto – Basashi
- Oita – Toriten
- Miyazaki – Jidori no Sumibiyaki
- Kagoshima – Satsuma-age
- Okinawa – Goya Champuru
1. Hokkaido – Jingisukan
Hokkaido’s version of the traditional Japanese food yakiniku, jingisukan is a meaty dish that's packed with juicy grilled lamb and served with assorted vegetables such as kabocha and cabbage.
Find out what else to eat in Hokkaido >>
2. Aomori – Senbei-jiru
Aomori Prefecture's specialty is senbei-jiru (literally "rice cracker soup"). This hearty stew is unique for adding rice crackers, which are broken up and added to a soy-based broth alongside mushrooms, root vegetables, and fish or meat.
Find out what else to eat in Aomori >>
3. Akita – Kiritanpo
Akita's distinctive rice cakes, kirtanpo, are made by shaping pounded Japanese rice into tubes around wooden skewers. These are grilled over hot coals and flavored with miso, before being added to hot pot dishes. Sometimes they are served on the skewer, freshly grilled and glazed with miso sauce.
4. Iwate – Wanko Soba
Iwate's wanko soba is an all-you-can-eat food challenge! Soba noodles are served fresh in tiny bowls, with each one instantly replaced as soon as it’s empty. Put a lid on your bowl to indicate you’ve finished, and count up your bowls!
5. Yamagata – Imoni
One of many hot pot dishes in Japan's cuisine, imoni is so popular it has its own festival in Yamagata. Imoni is made with taro, konnyaku, thinly-sliced meat, and vegetables all simmered in a large pot full of soy sauce or miso soup style broth.
6. Miyagi – Gyutan-yaki
Gyutan-yaki, Miyagi Prefecture's specialty, consists of thinly-sliced beef tongue grilled over charcoal. The meat is aged beforehand to give it a richer flavor and soft texture.
Find out what else to eat in Miyagi >>
7. Fukushima – Negi Soba
In Fukushima, negi soba is served with a long green onion that diners use as a utensil instead of chopsticks. Trying to scoop up noodles with it is definitely a unique experience!
8. Tochigi – Utsunomiya Gyoza
The bite-size Utsunomiya gyoza in Tochigi can be enjoyed freshly grilled, fried, or boiled with various fillings including minced meat, vegetables, and garlic chives. Ease off the condiments to let the dumplings shine!
9. Gunma – Mizusawa Udon
One of the highest quality noodles in Japanese regional cuisine, Mizusawa udon noodles from Gunma have a smooth, firm texture and translucent appearance. Try this chewy noodle dish served cold on a bamboo plate with a sesame dipping sauce.
10. Ibaraki – Anko Nabe
Anglerfish is one of Ibaraki’s delicacies, and the traditional winter hotpot dish anko nabe mixes chunks of the fish with vegetables in a miso or soy sauce broth.
11. Saitama – Hiyajiru Udon
These chilled noodles from Saitama are perfect for summer. Dip your thick Hiyajiru udon into the accompanying sesame, miso, and dashi soup, that’s topped with cucumber for ultimate refreshment.
12. Tokyo – Monjayaki
This liquidy, savory pancake is made from a flour-and-water base mixed with ingredients such as meat, vegetables, and cheese. Tokyo's monjayaki is best enjoyed fresh off the grill with a tiny spatula.
13. Chiba – Namerou
This fresh minced fish dish is made using horse mackerel and sardine, combined with miso, shiso herbs, green onion, and ginger. Give namerou a try when you're in Chiba!
Find out what else to eat in Chiba >>
14. Kanagawa – Shirasu Donburi
For Kanagawa's specialty, shirasu donburi, freshly-caught whitebait fish are served either raw or lightly boiled on top of a bed of white rice for a simple but tasty meal.
15. Niigata – Hegi Soba
Niigata's hegi soba noodles are made using local funori seaweed for a green hue and slippery texture. Served in bite-size bundles on a wooden tray, the dish is visually appealing and delicious.
Find out what else to eat in Niigata >>
16. Ishikawa – Kanazawa Curry
Characterized by a thick brown sauce that completely covers the rice, Kanazawa curry from Ishikawa is sweet, rich, and served with shredded cabbage and a deep-fried pork cutlet.
17. Toyama – Black Ramen
This award-winning ramen is named for the dark color of its soy sauce broth. Toyama's Black Ramen comes with slices of pork, shredded green onion, bamboo shoots, and plenty of pepper.
18. Nagano – Shinshu Soba
Nagano’s soil is great for growing buckwheat, producing soba noodles with a rich and earthy flavor. Shinshu soba is served in a simple broth, topped with grated daikon and green onion.
19. Fukui – Echizen Oroshi Soba
This popular rural dish features buckwheat noodles in a dashi soup, topped liberally with grated daikon radish to add a hint of sharpness. Try Echizen oroshi soba if you're in Fukui.
20. Gifu – Keichan
For the Gifu comfort dish keichan chicken is marinated in local miso and then grilled with cabbage, onions, and other vegetables.
21. Yamanashi – Hoto
Made with thick, flat noodles prepared in a similar way to dumplings and served in a miso-based soup loaded with seasonal vegetables, Yamanashi's hoto is deliciously filling.
22. Aichi – Hitsumabushi
One of the best traditional Japanese dishes for summertime, hitsumabushi has a layer of grilled eel (unagi) served over a bed of white rice in a special wooden bowl. Hitsumabushi from Aichi is similar to unagidon (an unagi dish that's served simply in a bowl of Japanese rice), but it is eaten in a few different steps. First, try the eel on its own with the eel glaze, then try it with condiments, before finally enjoying it ochazuke-style, pouring a broth made of dashi and tea over the remaining rice and eel.
Find out what to eat in Nagoya, the capital of Aichi >>
23. Shizuoka – Sakura Ebi
These little shrimp can only be caught in Shizuoka. After sakura ebi have been dried in the sun, you can enjoy them pickled, boiled, fried in batter, or prepared as sashimi (raw food).
Find out what else to eat in Shizuoka >>
24. Hyogo – Kobe Beef
Kobe’s legendary melt-in-your-mouth beef may be expensive, but it’s worth every yen. Splash out on a tender Kobe beef steak in Hyogo – you won’t regret it!
Find out what else to eat in Kobe, Hyogo >>
25. Kyoto – Kaiseki Ryori
Kyoto’s refined multi-course extravaganza is as much a work of art as a meal. Made with strictly seasonal ingredients, a wealth of dishes are beautifully presented and perfectly balanced in a kaiseki ryori meal.
Find out what else to eat in Kyoto >>
26. Shiga – Funazushi
Shiga's funazushi is a special type of sushi that's made with fish from Lake Biwa, which is salted, aged, and fermented to give it a distinctive strong flavor and tangy scent. It is one of the most traditional foods of Japan, the precursor to what we know of as sushi in Japanese cuisine today.
Find out what else to eat in Shiga >>
27. Osaka – Takoyaki
A perennially popular street food in Japanese cuisine, the gooey grilled takoyaki octopus balls from Osaka are flavored with pickled ginger and green onion, then served piping hot slathered in brown sauce and mayonnaise.
Find out what else to eat in Osaka >>
28. Nara – Miwa Somen
Somen is among the most popular Japanese dishes eaten during the humid summers in Japan. These extra thin, delicate noodles from Nara have a subtle flavor suited to Japanese tastes and are renowned due to the purity of the water they’re made with. Enjoy chilled Miwa somen noodles paired with local narazuke pickles or sweet sake.
29. Mie – Ise Udon
Mie's Ise udon noodles are thicker and softer than normal udon, while the concentrated soy sauce broth is slightly sweet and acts as more of a dipping sauce.
Find out what else to eat in Mie >>
30. Wakayama – Wakayama Ramen
Wakayama ramen comes with a rich, thick soup made using pork broth, often topped with freshly-caught seafood from the waters surrounding the prefecture.
Find out what else to eat in Wakayama >>
31. Tottori – Kanimeshi
Tottori is famous for snow crab, so their local specialty kanimeshi features chunks of crab meat flavored with sake, soy sauce, and mirin, and mixed with steamed rice.
32. Shimane – Izumo Soba
The dark and earthy Izumo soba noodles from Shimane are made using the entire buckwheat grain, and served with the sauce poured on top rather than on the side.
33. Okayama – Barazushi
Barazushi translates as "scattered sushi," and consists of a whole mix of different vegetables and seafood heaped on top of a plate of sushi rice (Japanese short-grain rice seasoned with a sweet vinegar mixture). Be sure to try it when you're in Okayama.
Find out what else to eat in Okayama >>
34. Hiroshima – Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki
Hiroshima's unique take on iconic okonomiyaki savory pancakes sees the ingredients – including everything from noodles and cabbage to local oysters – layered rather than mixed together.
Find out what else to eat in Hiroshima >>
35. Yamaguchi – Fugu
This mild-tasting pufferfish is famously poisonous, but rest assured the fugu chefs here know what they’re doing. Try it thinly-sliced as beautifully arranged sashimi in Yamaguchi.
36. Kagawa – Sanuki Udon
Made from local Kagawa wheat and characterized by a firm, chewy texture, Sanuki udon noodles can be enjoyed in an unbelievable variety of styles in the area’s 700+ udon joints.
37. Ehime – Taimeshi
Ehime is famous for tai sea bream, and taimeishi sees the fish either cooked whole with the rice in an earthenware pot, or served raw on top as delicate (sashimi).
38. Tokushima – Tokushima Ramen
There are three varieties of Tokushima ramen – brown, yellow, and white – distinguished by the color and richness of the soup. It comes topped with a raw egg for extra creaminess.
39. Kochi – Katsuo no Tataki
Katsuo no tataki is Kochi's specialty dish. Bonito tuna is grilled over a straw fire for an extra smoky flavor, then the seared meat is cut into thick, juicy slices and coated in a soy sauce and citrus dressing.
40. Fukuoka – Hakata Ramen
The indulgent Hakata ramen has a milky broth thanks to the collagen-rich pork bones used, and thin straight noodles with an extra firm texture. It is a type of tonkotsu ramen that originated in Fukuoka.
Find out what else to eat in Fukuoka >>
41. Saga – Onsen Yudofu
Tofu made from local soybeans is cooked in Saga Prefecture's hot spring water, making it so soft it turns the broth milky white. Onsen yudofu literally melts in your mouth.
Find out what else to eat in Saga >>
42. Nagasaki – Chanpon
Chanpon is an eclectic dish from Nagasaki, consisting of ramen noodles topped with pork slices, vegetables, and seafood, in a rich and creamy broth made with pork and chicken bones.
43. Kumamoto – Basashi
One for adventurous diners not afraid of raw food, Kumamoto’s signature dish basashi is thinly-sliced raw horse meat served in a similar style to sashimi and popular for being low in fat.
Find out what else to eat in Kumamoto >>
44. Oita – Toriten
Chicken is widely consumed in Oita, and toriten (chicken tempura) is particularly popular. This regional Japanese food is made from bite-sized pieces of chicken seasoned with sake, garlic, and ginger, then deep-fried. It’s wonderfully moreish.
45. Miyazaki – Jidori no Sumibiyaki
Miyazaki's specialty is jidori no sumibiyaki. Top-quality chicken is grilled at a high heat over a charcoal fire, giving the meat a smoky flavor, juicy texture, and distinctive blackened exterior.
Find out what else to eat in Miyazaki >>
46. Kagoshima – Satsuma-age
Kagoshima’s famous satsuma-age fish cakes are made from a minced fresh fish paste sometimes mixed with vegetables and other seafood, and fried until a rich golden-brown.
Find out what else to eat in Kagoshima >>
47. Okinawa – Goya Champuru
Okinawa's goya champuru is a stir-fried dish that mixes goya (bitter melon) with tofu, eggs, pork, noodles, and all sorts of other ingredients from different cultures to create something uniquely Okinawan.
Find out what else to eat in Okinawa >>
The sheer variety of traditional Japanese foods is impossible to cover here. This is only a small selection of the wealth of regional Japanese foods, so get out there and find your own favorite traditional Japanese dishes – there’s no better way of exploring this fantastic country!
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