Food & Drink in Japan
Culinary experiences
Kanazawa: Japan's Secret Capital of Sushi and Gold Leaf Cuisine
A food-first guide to the samurai city that out-eats Kyoto: market mornings, two-star sushi counters, black curry, gold-leaf sweets, and serious sake.
Food & DrinkSapporo Food Guide: Miso Ramen, Soup Curry, and Genghis Khan in Japan's Most Food-Obsessed Northern City
A comprehensive food and drink guide to Sapporo, Japan—from the birthplace of miso ramen and soup curry to Genghis Khan lamb grills, Nijo Market seafood, Hokkaido dairy desserts, and the izakaya circuit. With specific addresses, prices, opening hours, and what to skip.
Food & DrinkNara, Japan: Where Monks Invented Sake and Pickles Still Taste Like Rebellion
Nara's cuisine carries 1,300 years of history — from Buddhist temple vegetarian traditions to the birthplace of Japanese sake. This guide covers where to eat persimmon leaf sushi, drink sake in a 140-year-old brewery, and find the noodles most visitors never hear about.
Food & DrinkNagasaki: The City Where 250 Years of Isolation Cooked Up Japan's Strangest Food
A food and drink guide to Nagasaki's unique cuisine — from the 1899 birthplace of champon to 1642 geisha houses serving Portuguese-Chinese-Dutch fusion banquets, with specific addresses, prices, and the best after-dark eating.
Food & DrinkHiroshima Food & Drink: From Okonomimura to Saijo Sake Street
A comprehensive food and drink guide to Hiroshima, from okonomiyaki at Okonomimura to sake tasting in Saijo, with specific addresses, prices, and hours.
Food & DrinkKobe, Japan: Where Port City Grit Meets Culinary Grace — A Field Guide to Beef Worth the Hype, Sake Breweries Older Than Your Country, and the Chinatown That Refuses to Assimilate
An Irish food writer's deep dive into Kobe's layered culinary culture — from certified Kobe beef and 400-year-old sake breweries to the egg-heavy takoyaki predecessor that Osaka forgot.
Food & DrinkOkinawa: Where Spam Meets Imperial Pork, Bitter Melon Divides Families, and Every Meal Tells a War Story
A comprehensive food guide to Okinawa's rebellious island cuisine—Agu pork, goya champuru, Okinawa soba, awamori distilleries, and the American military influence that created taco rice. With specific addresses, prices, hours, and what to skip.
Food & DrinkFukuoka: The City That Simmers Pork Bones for 15 Hours, Serves Ramen at Dawn, and Refuses to Let Street Food Die
A food lover's guide to Fukuoka's yatai stalls, tonkotsu ramen origin, mentaiko obsession, motsunabe hot pots, and the city that protected street food culture while the rest of Japan let it vanish.
Food & DrinkKyoto's Kitchen: What to Eat in the City That Invented Japanese Cuisine
Beyond the temples and gardens lies one of the world's great culinary capitals—kaiseki refinement, tofu mastery, sake brewing since 1637, and the spiritual home of matcha.
Food & DrinkNagoya: Where 600-Year-Old Miso Fermentation, Four-Stage Eel Rituals, and ¥480 Morning Coffee Shops Create Japan's Most Underrated Food City
A deep-dive food guide to Nagoya, Japan's overlooked culinary capital. Discover Hatcho miso katsu at Yabaton, the four-stage hitsumabushi ritual at Atsuta Horaiken, Nagoya cochin chicken, morning coffee culture, working-class markets, and izakaya nightlife—with specific addresses, prices, and hours.
Food & DrinkTokyo After Dark: Eating in the City Where a ¥900 Bowl of Noodles Will Ruin You Forever
A food critic's no-bullshit guide to Tokyo's ramen counters, izakaya alleys, basement coffee shops, and the eating rituals that make this city unlike any other.
Food & DrinkOsaka Uncovered: Eating Japan's Kitchen Like a Local Who's Been Here for Fifteen Years
A food-first guide to eating Osaka like a local: Dotonbori stalls, Kuromon Ichiba market, Shinsekai kushikatsu, Umeda depachika, okonomiyaki masters, 2026 prices, entry formalities, and what to skip.
Food & DrinkOsaka's Kitchen: Where Kuidaore Was Born and the Takoyaki Never Stops
A deep-dive food guide to Osaka, Japan's kitchen — from takoyaki and okonomiyaki to udon, fugu, wagashi, kissaten breakfasts, late-night ramen, Michelin-starred kushikatsu, and hidden izakayas. Written by Sophie Brennan with specific addresses, prices, and the stories behind every bite.
Food & DrinkKyoto Food Guide: From Nanzenji's Temple Tofu to Late-Night Ramen in Pontocho
Kyoto's food culture decoded: temple tofu at Nanzenji, counter kaiseki in Gion, soba from a shop that opened in 1465, depachika food halls, Pontocho alley dining, and the seasonal philosophy behind every plate. From ¥900 ramen to ¥25,000 kaiseki.
Food & DrinkTokyo Eating: The Neighborhoods, Counter Seats, and 2 AM Bowls That Define Japan's Capital
A food writer's guide to eating Tokyo like you belong—ramen counters, izakaya alleys, sushi at dawn, and the neighborhoods where locals actually eat.