Food of Japan

Vinegared rice with raw fish, seafood or vegetables, pressed or rolled.

Seafood and vegetables fried in a light, crisp batter.

Breaded pork cutlet served with cabbage and tangy sauce.

Chicken or fish glazed in a sweet, glossy soy sauce.

Mild, thick curry stew of meat and vegetables over rice.

Thin beef and vegetables simmered at the table in sweet soy broth, dipped in egg.

Paper-thin beef and vegetables swished in a pot of hot broth and dipped in sesame or ponzu.

Chicken and egg simmered in sweet dashi over a bowl of rice.

Thin beef and onion simmered in a sweet soy broth over rice.

Breaded pork cutlet simmered with egg and served on rice.

Home-style stew of beef, potatoes and onions in a sweet soy broth.

Rolled sweet omelet cooked in layers in a rectangular pan.

Salted grilled salmon, a classic breakfast and bento item.

Savory steamed egg custard with shrimp, chicken and mushrooms.

Rice, miso soup, grilled fish, pickles and tamagoyaki, served together.

Sticky fermented soybeans served over rice, with mustard and soy sauce.

Hot rice topped with a raw egg and soy sauce, mixed until creamy.

Cabbage-filled savory pancake with sauce and mayonnaise.

Crisp octopus balls with sauce, mayonnaise and bonito flakes.

Grilled chicken skewers glazed with tare sauce.

Stir-fried noodles with cabbage, pork and tangy sauce.

Juicy Japanese-style fried chicken marinated in soy and ginger.

Fish-shaped waffle cakes filled with sweet red bean paste or custard.

Hand-formed rice balls with savory fillings, wrapped in nori.

Pan-fried dumplings with pork and cabbage filling.

Wheat noodles in rich broth, topped with pork, egg and scallions.

Thick, chewy wheat noodles in mild dashi broth.

Dashi broth with miso paste, tofu and wakame.

Buckwheat noodles served hot in broth or chilled with dipping sauce.

Winter stew of daikon, eggs and fish cakes simmered in light dashi.

Hearty miso soup with pork and root vegetables.

Blanched spinach dressed in a sweet toasted sesame sauce.

Cucumber and seaweed salad in a light vinegar dressing.

Creamy mashed potato salad with cucumber, carrot and Japanese mayonnaise.

Assorted Japanese pickled vegetables served with rice.

Fluffy milk bread, thick-sliced for toast and sandwiches.

Sweet bun with a crisp, cookie-like crust, shaped like a melon.

Crustless milk-bread sandwich with a crisp pork cutlet.

Soft chewy rice cake, plain or filled with sweet bean paste.

Two honey pancakes sandwiching sweet red bean paste.

Skewered chewy rice dumplings with sweet soy glaze.

Mochi stuffed with sweet filling, sometimes a whole strawberry.

Cool dessert of agar jelly, fruit, red beans and dark syrup.

Light honey sponge cake with a moist, fine crumb.

Shaved ice drizzled with fruit syrup and condensed milk.

Powdered green tea whisked into a frothy bowl.

Everyday green tea with a fresh, grassy flavor.

Green tea blended with toasted rice, nutty and comforting.

Roasted barley tea, served cold in summer.

Soft, milky-tangy cultured milk soda.

Fizzy Japanese lemon-lime soda in a bottle sealed with a marble.

Sweet autumn fruit eaten fresh or dried as hoshigaki.

Fragrant citrus used for its juice and zest in sauces and baths.

Crisp, juicy Asian pear with a mild sweet taste.

Seedless, easy-peel winter mandarin.

Sour plum used in pickles, drinks and sweet syrups.

Large, sweet Japanese strawberries, often given as a treat.

Very sweet, fragrant cantaloupe-style melons grown with great care.