Japan is famous for its cuisine, but due to the number of ingredients indigenous to Japan, many of the names and terms associated with traditional Japanese food don’t translate directly. The elusive “umami” flavor mentioned by famous chefs around the world even retains its Japanese name. But don’t let that stop you from exploring Japanese traditional food! Use this guide to familiarize yourself with the feast of dishes and food vocabulary Japan has to offer.
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Table of Contents
What is traditional Japanese food?
Traditional Japanese foods are a part of the broader category of washoku (和食), or Japanese cuisine. Simply put, washoku is food intrinsic to the Japanese identity, whether it originated on the archipelago of Japan or not. This separates what is “traditional” from Western-style Japanese food (yōshoku, 洋食) and Chinese-style Japanese food (chūka ryōri, 中華料理).
Traditional Japanese cooking combines the elements of four essential categories:
- Gohō (五法): “Five cooking methods,” which are cutting, simmering, grilling, steaming, and deep-frying
- Gomi (五味): “Five tastes,” which are sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness, and umami
- Goshiki (五色): “Five colors,” which are red, yellow, blue (or green), white, and black
- Gokan (五感): “Five senses,” which are sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste
The ideal Japanese traditional meal brings all of these aspects together.
Traditional Japanese food: seafood dishes
Being a relatively small nation made of several islands, it’s only natural that seafood—both raw and cooked—has become such a large part of Japanese cuisine.
Sushi
No list of traditional Japanese foods would be complete without sushi (寿司). While it typically calls to mind various types of seafood, the word “sushi” actually refers to the vinegared rice, the most essential ingredient. That being said, it’s most often paired with a raw fish filling or topping.
The range of price and quality for sushi stretches from a few dollars per piece at a kaiten-zushi (回転ずし, conveyor belt sushi) restaurant to several hundred dollars for a full omakase (お任せ, chef-selected menu) meal.
There are several popular types of sushi:
- Maki-zushi (巻き寿司): sushi rice and fillings rolled into a cylinder with dried seaweed and sliced into bite-sized pieces
- Nigiri-zushi (握り寿司): sushi rice molded into bite-sized mounds with the seafood laid on top
- Temaki-zushi (手巻き寿司): hand rolled with dried seaweed wrapped around sushi rice and fillings in a conical shape
- Inari-zushi (稲荷寿司): fried tofu pouches (abura-age 油揚げ) stuffed with sushi rice
- Chirashi-zushi (散らし寿司): festive and colorful, served on a platter or in a bowl where the toppings (cooked seafood and / or vegetables) are mixed and piled on a bed of sushi rice
Sashimi
Also made with raw fish, sashimi (刺身, “pierced meat”) is often confused with sushi. However, the two are not the same. Sushi is defined by its use of vinegared rice, but sashimi is thin, plain slices of raw fish or seafood (and on some occasions, other types of meat) without rice.
The same types of fish favored in sushi are often found on sashimi platters: tuna, salmon, sea urchin, squid, and more. The flavor and texture of the meat are the primary focuses in sashimi, but simple additions like soy sauce, wasabi, and lemon are typical. The visual appeal of the plating is also important, with bright garnishes like shiso leaves and edible flowers creating a colorful presentation with the warm hues of the seafood.
Unagi
One of the more exotic delicacies in traditional Japanese cuisine, unagi (鰻, “freshwater eel”) is a savory and seasonal treat. It’s traditionally eaten in the summer due to its purported health benefits of increasing stamina and combating heat exhaustion.
Kabayaki (蒲焼き) is a popular style of preparation where the eel is butterflied, brushed with a sweet soy-based sauce, and then grilled or broiled. Once cooked (unagi is poisonous when eaten raw!), it may be served on sushi, on skewers, or atop rice in a rice bowl known as unagidon (うなぎ丼), or unadon for short.
Traditional Japanese food: rice dishes
In Japanese cuisine, rice is arguably the most important ingredient. Even a bowl of plain white rice is a quintessential part of traditional Japanese food. In fact, the word for cooked rice, “gohan” (ご飯), also means “meal.” While delicious on its own, rice is also used in other, more complex Japanese dishes.
Onigiri
Onigiri (おにぎり) is named for how it’s made: by grasping the rice firmly to mold it into a convenient, fist-sized rice ball. Usually triangular in shape with a dried seaweed wrap, onigiri has been the perfect on-the-go meal for over five centuries.
The types of ingredients added to onigiri to create each unique flavor are virtually unlimited, but here are a few popular ones:
- Shio (塩): salt
- Sake / sāmon (サケ・サーモン): salmon
- Tsuna-mayo (ツナマヨ): canned tuna mixed with mayonnaise
- Ikura (いくら): salmon roe
- Okaka / katsuobushi (おかか・鰹節): chopped, dried bonito mixed with soy sauce
- Konbu (昆布): dried sea kelp
- Umeboshi (梅干し): pickled Japanese plum
Donburi
Donburi (丼ぶり) is a Japanese rice bowl. With “don” (丼) meaning “bowl,” it’s primarily a rice dish topped with any number of savory ingredients to create unique varieties. Rather than the long form “donburi,” the names of most of these dishes start with the primary topping plus the suffix “-don” (丼).
Some common types include:
- Gyūdon (牛丼): rice bowl topped with thinly sliced beef and onions
- Oyakodon (親子丼): “parent and child” rice bowl topped with chicken and egg
- Katsudon (カツ丼): rice bowl topped with sliced tonkatsu (豚カツ, “fried pork cutlet”)
This is a perfect starter meal for someone new to traditional Japanese food—and a great chance to practice ordering food in Japanese!
Traditional Japanese food: noodle dishes
Made of wheat or buckwheat, Japanese noodles are in many traditional dishes. They’re frequently served in a dashi (出汁) broth: an essential component of Japanese cuisine made from konbu seaweed and dried katsuobushi.
Some of Japan’s most popular noodle dishes have made it into microwavable packages for a quick meal, like the famous Cup Noodles rāmen (ラーメン), all around the world. While the history of rāmen in Japan dates back to the late 1800s (it was initially a Chinese food), traditional Japanese noodles are just as delicious.
Soba
Highly regarded in Japan for its versatility, health benefits, and symbolism, soba (蕎麦) is a Japanese noodle made with buckwheat rather than wheat. This gives it a nuttier, earthier flavor that sets it apart. Buckwheat may reduce cholesterol and boasts a higher amount of protein and fiber than other wheat products, making it good for heart health. Soba is also a traditional food on New Year’s Eve in Japan, called toshi-koshi soba (年越しそば), where the length of the noodle symbolizes longevity and stability in the next year.
Preferred styles of serving soba vary by region and prefecture. For example, nishin soba—served in a dashi broth topped with dried herring and flavored with soy sauce, mirin, and sugar—is a Kyoto staple. Yamaguchi Prefecture, on the other hand, has a unique style where tea-infused kawara soba (瓦そば) is grilled with beef or fried egg, dried seaweed, and other toppings.
Udon
Udon (うどん) are thick, chewy noodles made with wheat and eaten most often in a hot broth.
Like donburi, names and varieties of udon dishes are based on the other main ingredients:
- Kake-udon (かけうどん): udon in a simple dashi broth, with optional toppings of any variety
- Niku-udon (肉うどん): udon topped with thinly sliced beef in dashi broth
- Kitsune-udon (狐うどん): “fox” udon topped with fried tofu pouches and fish cake in dashi broth
Sōmen
Sōmen (素麺) is another type of Japanese noodle made of wheat, but it’s exceptionally delicate compared to udon. It’s comparable to the Italian capellini (angel hair) pasta for how thin it is.
While sōmen can be served hot or in a broth, it’s more often served cold with a dipping sauce on the side. Diners pick up the noodles with chopsticks and dip it in the mentsuyu (麵つゆ)—or just tsuyu—dipping sauce made of soy sauce, dashi broth, mirin, and sugar. The combination of the cold noodles mixed with the refreshing flavor of the mentsuyu makes it the perfect meal on a hot summer day!
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Traditional Japanese meals
While all of the above dishes can be meals on their own, certain combinations of foods create a complete meal in traditional Japanese cuisine.
Ichiju sansai
The ideal Japanese meal composition, ichiju sansai (一汁三菜) means “one soup, three dishes.” The basics are self-explanatory: A meal should include one soup in addition to three larger dishes, usually two sides and a main dish, along with rice and pickles.
The concept is similar to the food pyramid taught in the West in how it sets guidelines for a balanced, healthy meal. While the soup and rice are more or less the same all year round, the three other dishes rotate throughout the year based on what’s in season.
- The soup provides hydration and various nutrients.
- The rice is full of carbohydrates for energy.
- The main dish is typically some sort of protein, such as fish or egg.
- Side dishes are usually nutrient-heavy, including vegetables, potatoes, beans, seaweed, and more.
- Tsukemono (漬物) pickles refresh the palate between dishes and strengthen the digestive system.
Nabe
Japanese hot pot, or nabe (鍋), is a cherished winter meal with lots of variety. It’s generally prepared family style at the center of the dining table where everyone can add ingredients and take the cooked food onto their own plates. Due to the mix of broth, vegetables, and protein, nabe is a hearty, complete meal.
There are several styles within the nabe category, including:
- Sukiyaki (すき焼き): thinly sliced meat (usually beef) cooked with vegetables and noodles together in one pot
- Oden (おでん): a stew that often includes ingredients like vegetables, fish cakes, tofu, and egg simmered for two or more hours
- Shabu-shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ): a more modern style of nabe with thinly sliced meat and vegetables cooked individually in a pot of boiling water or broth with dipping sauces on the side
Kaiseki ryori
The epitome of Japanese fine dining, kaiseki ryōri (会席料理) is a traditional multi-course meal that dates back to the Edo Period (1603-1868 A.D.) of Japanese history. It focuses heavily on the seasonality and aesthetics of washoku and follows the basic principles of the ichiju sansai format, but often has more courses and is overall more elaborate.
Kaiseki ryōri is served at fancy events and in some luxury accommodations, such as at a Japanese classic inn, or ryokan (旅館). For the Japanese New Year, a special variety called osechi ryōri (お節料理) is prepared to welcome the new year. While the exact courses vary, the following components can be expected in most kaiseki meals:
- Sakizuke (先付): appetizers
- Suimono (吸い物): soup
- Mukōzuke (向付): sliced, seasonal sashimi
- Yakimono (焼物): grilled course, usually fish
- Gohan (ご飯): rice
- Mizumono (水物): dessert
Traditional Japanese side dishes
Traditional Japanese side dishes complement and add variety to the main course. In many cases, they fulfill aspects of the aforementioned four essential Japanese cuisine categories that the main dish does not.
Tsukemono
Tsukemono (漬物) translates to “pickled things” and is a deceptively diverse category with several of its own subcategories depending on how the food is pickled. It plays an important role in the Japanese traditional meal structure of ichiju sansai, providing color, texture, flavor, and more between the other dishes.
While there are too many types of tsukemono to list, here are a few of the more common ones:
- Gari (ガリ): thinly sliced ginger, often served with sushi
- Umeboshi (梅干し): pickled Japanese plum, sometimes used as an ingredient in onigiri
- Takuan (沢庵): daikon radish pickled with salt or rice bran
- Kyūrizuke (きゅうり漬け): raw cucumber pickled in soy sauce, salt, and sugar
Miso soup
Miso soup, or miso-shiru (味噌汁), is a familiar staple in Japanese restaurants around the world. This comes as no surprise, given its frequent role as the soup in a traditional Japanese ichiju sansai meal.
Miso itself is a paste made from fermented soybeans, rice, and/or barley. It’s as essential to Japanese cooking as soy sauce and miso is also a significant contributor to the umami of a dish. Dashi broths create the foundation of miso soup, with miso paste mixed in. Additional ingredients like tofu, green onions, and wakame (若布) seaweed are optional.
Traditional Japanese desserts
Japanese desserts tend to be less sweet than their American counterparts, but while they lack high quantities of sugar, they are no less delicious.
Mochi
Made of cooked glutinous rice, mochi (餅) is one of the oldest Japanese traditional foods that’s been around for thousands of years. Homemade mochi is made through a labor-intensive, yet widely cherished, process where one person pounds the mochi with a wooden hammer and another person keeps the dough soaked. While it does have savory varieties—such as the traditional New Year’s soup, ozōni (お雑煮)—mochi is primarily used as a sweet treat. Daifuku (大福), a round ball of mochi stuffed with a sweet filling like fruit or red bean paste, is the most common example.
Mochi has a chewy texture that lends itself well to mixing with other desserts. Popularized by the Japanese chain restaurant Mister Donut, mochi donuts combine the texture of mochi with the sugary sweetness of Western donuts. Mochi ice cream is also popular for how closely it resembles daifuku, but using ice cream instead of more traditional fillings.
Wagashi
Wagashi (和菓子) are traditional Japanese sweets that are equal parts dessert and art form. They come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, designs, flavors, and colors, and some have specific associations with holidays or other uses. They play a particularly frequent role in a Japanese tea ceremony, where the subtle sweetness of the dessert pairs well with the bitter tea.
These wagashi are some of the most popular:
- Daifuku (大福): a ball of mochi with red bean paste, fruit, or other sweet fillings
- Dango (団子): mild-flavored dumplings on a skewer, often served at festivals
- Taiyaki (タイ焼き): fish-shaped cake stuffed with red bean paste, chocolate, custard, or other sweet fillings
- Yatsuhashi (八つ橋): thin mochi sheets filled with brown sugar, plum, sweet potato, or other sweet fillings
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