What to Eat in Tokyo? | 12 Traditional Flavors

Are you planning to visit Tokyo and looking for a food guide about Tokyo? What are traditional Japanese foods? Where to go for the best meal in Japan? You can find answers to such questions in our article.

Jump ahead to:

What to Eat in Tokyo? What to drink?

Tokyo, which has been the political center of Japan for more than four hundred years, has naturally been one of the places that direct Japanese cuisine. “What to eat in Tokyo? What to drink?” In our list, we have included information and photos about the dishes that should be tried in this long-established and traditional city.

Now, if you wish, let’s take a look at our list of 15 items about traditional Tokyo dishes;

1-Sushi

If you are visiting Tokyo, sushi is unquestionably the first among traditional Japanese dishes that you cannot ignore. In Tokyo, which has the largest fish markets in the world, there are many special places where you can go for delicious sushi. Eating sushi is a work of art. For sushi, you should use traditional sticks and dip the sushi into specially prepared sauce. Turning the sushi down while eating will help you get more fishy flavor instead of rice.

2.Ramen Noodles

If you’re looking for an inexpensive and tasty meal in Tokyo, ramen noodles will definitely be a good choice. The fact that there are many ramen restaurants in Tokyo shows us how much the people of Tokyo love ramen. You can definitely find a type of ramen according to your taste in Tokyo.

3-Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is a flavor that is very popular in Japan and people often make it even at home. It is generally made with okonomiyaki flour, cabbage, green onion and lard. On the other hand, it can be made in different types such as negiyaki, hiroshiimayaki, monjayaki according to the regions in the country.

4-Soba Noodles

Served with various sauces and different foods, soba noodles is a meal alternative that you can fill your stomach without tiring your stomach due to its lightness. This food is especially consumed with fried shrimp and vegetables. The soba is consumed slightly cold.

5-Nigiri-Zushi

A type of sushi, nigiri-zushi is extremely popular as a fast food in Tokyo. It is possible to find this type of sushi anywhere, from cheap snacks to Michelin-starred luxury restaurants.

6-Tempura

Another famous dish in Tokyo is tempura. Although it is crispy on the outside, there is a soft taste in this food. Although it is actually prepared with vegetables, this dish has recently started to be made with seafood. By trying both, you can decide for yourself which one is better. For this, you can visit restaurants in the city that specialize in tempura.

7-Chankonabe

Chankonabe is an essential food source that is necessarily present in the diets of sumo wrestlers. Its content includes vegetables determined according to the season as well as chicken or fish meat. Many restaurants where you can try this dish are already run by former sumo wrestlers.

8-Monjayaki

Monjayaki is a kind of pan frying. Mixture formed by the addition of various seafood, meat, flour and water, especially sliced cabbage, is put on a hot pan and fried. The cook receives a spatula to help scrape the monjayaki from the pan.

9-Tsukudani

Prepared by boiling small seafood or seaweed and soy sauce, tsukudani is usually served with rice. If you are interested in street food, you can find plenty of traditional Tokyo dishes, especially in this style of seafood.

10-Ningyo Yaki

Ningyo yaki, cooked in molds with Japanese baby shapes, is one of the foods you can choose as a snack, not to fill your stomach. Although it is mostly made with cake dough, flour and sugar, this food is sometimes filled with red beans.

11-Namerou

Namerou is a fisherman’s dish made off the coast of Tokyo. Namerou, which is a very healthy meal, also surprises with its taste. Fish is cut into thin pieces, leek and ginger are added. Green basil is used to smell the fish.

12-Tokyo Sayama Tea

Sayama tea, which is harvested twice in spring and summer, is one of Tokyo’s important values. This tea, which has less harvest than other teas, is considered to be much better in taste and is consumed in the city.

Japanese cuisine culture is very comprehensive and has a wide food list that cannot be fit into a single article. In order to get to know this food culture closely, we said “What to eat in Tokyo? What to drink? ” We tried to fit the food and drinks that could answer the question into 15 items. If there are things that you think should be on this list, you can always write in the comment section.