As you will be able to see below, Japan had ridiculously amazing food! It is no doubt some of the best food we have ever had. We are sad to leave but are glad to have added so many new dishes in our repetiteur.

Kobe beef – Best steak ever! Seriously, the meat just melted in your mouth. We don’t have enough words to describe it.

Takoyaki – one of the most popular Japanese street foods and can be found literally everywhere. The balls made out of a wheat batter stuffed with octopus and other ingredients. We did not like them very much but obviously lots of people do.

Okonomiyaki – Osaka style savory pancake. One of our favorite dishes in Japan. The cabbage is mixed with a pancake-like batter. Chefs then form them into a domed circle and topped with the ingredients of your choice. We tried pork, shrimp and beef. Once it was cooked, it was slathered in a sauce made up of ketchup, Worcestershire, oyster sauce and sugar. Cooper then topped it with Japanese Mayo, Mason added bonito flakes and dried seaweed powder. It is a must-try!!

Omurice – fried rice wrapped in an omelet. Then they cover it in Hayashi curry sauce which contained chunks of beef. Ours was served with tempura shrimp. Another one of our favorites!

Tonkatsu – tempura-battered deep-fried pork cutlet. We had it served over rice with a brown curry sauce. There was a restaurant near our place where we had this dish several times. The curry sauce was so enjoyable.

Yakitori – skewered chicken cooked over a charcoal fire. We tried teriyaki Yakitori in Kyoto. It was so juicy and had such a great flavor.

Kushikatsu – meat, seafood, vegetables and cheese covered in panko-breadcrumbs and then fried on a bamboo skewer. They are then dipped in a tonkatsu sauce. But do not double-dip! It was one of the more fun meals in Osaksa. The skewers arrived on a toy bullet train each time we ordered.

Tori Nanba – Udon noodle soup with chicken and scallions. Cooper loved slurping up the big long noodles. It was a nice reward on top of the mountain at the Fushimi Inari shrine.

Ramen – we couldn’t visit Japan without trying some Ramen, and try it we did! There was a stretch where we had it four days in a row at different places. It was incredible, and we were very sad to leave. There was a place called Tiger and Dragon down the street that we ate at six times and are now friends with the owners on Instagram.

Yakisoba – a Japanese stir fry noodle dish with meat and vegetables. It was really good on a cold day at Kuromon Market.

Fugu – or pufferfish is said to be 1200 times more poisonous than cyanide and contains enough in one fish to kill up to 30 humans. If prepared wrong you can die within 24 hours and it takes cooks years to become properly trained. Tom was dumb enough to try it. The meat was tough and not very good. But he lived!

Butaman – giant steamed minced pork and onion buns. This was the first real Japanese food that we tried after arriving at the train station. They hit the spot after a long day of travel and were a sign of great food to come. We had them at 551 Horai several times and even tried a pizza one from 7-Eleven.

Shrimp Shumai – another one of our favorites from 551 Horai. They were little shrimp dumplings and were awfully tasty.

Gyoza – Japanese pan-fried dumplings. To cook them you first fry on the bottom and then steam to finish them off. This makes them crispy, soft and delicious. They are extremely popular and can be found as an appetizer in many restaurants around Japan. We had them several times.

Grilled Crab skewers – we tried these from an outdoor vendor near Osaka Castle. They fry crab leg with Japanese mayonnaise then drizzled on top. They were so good. We would have eaten way more if they weren’t so expensive.

McDonald’s Rice Burgers – these were awesome! We wish they had them back home. There were three kinds, the Gohan Bacon Lettuce Burger, Gohan Teriyaki burger, and Gohan Chicken Filet O’. They all had a rice patty dipped in soy sauce instead of a bun.

Nikumaki Onigiri – bacon-wrapped rice balls basted in a soy sauce-based glaze and then sprinkled with sesame seeds. Incredible!

Japanese souffle pancakes – The fluffy, light, jiggly pancakes that taste so good!! We took a train, and then a long walk to track these guys down. We can’t wait to try and make them when we get back home.

Cup Noodle – very popular in Japan and super easy. You must know about these. You just need to add boiling water, let it sit for three minutes, and you’re ready to eat. Our Airbnb host left us some in our welcome basket and we got some more at the grocery store. They were perfect for a quick noodle lunch.

Rikuro’s Cheesecake – fresh off the train in Osaka we saw a long line of people. Upon further inspection, they were waiting in line for a freshly baked cheesecake. It was super light and fluffy, not nearly as dense as American cheesecake but every bit as good.

Obanyaki – we found these at a street food market in Kyoto. Two pancakes are cooked in a special pan and one is filled with custard cream. They then flip the upper pancake on top of the bottom custard-filled pancake to make a sandwich. They are more traditionally filled with red bean paste. It’s hard not to like a custard stuffed pancake.

Taiyaki – similar to Obanyaki in that the filings are the same. We bought a matcha flavored one with bean paste. Taiyaki was not our favorite.

Japanese Crepes – very similar to French Crepes except the Japanese like to roll them up and then stuff them. The fillings and toppings are endless. Chelsea and I tried a marshmallow, oreo and fresh cream one and the boys had a strawberry, banana, Oreo and ice cream one. They were awesome, we wish we got to try some more of them.

Baked goods – the Japanese people love their baked goods, and for good reason. You can find awesome bakeries all over the city with all sorts of delicious goodies.

Genji Pie – baked pie crust with sugar in the shape of a heart. Tom’s mom makes a similar treat with leftover pie crust, cinnamon, and sugar. They reminded us of home.

KitKat – Japan has over 200+ varieties of KitKat. It is the number one selling candy in the country. The Japanese have a saying “Kitto katsu” which translates to “win for sure”. They hand them out to students before they take exams to wish them good luck. We tried a few flavors like Shinshu Apple, Strawberry Cheese Cake, Lemon, and Ruby.

Pocky – biscuit sticks covered in chocolate. We had tried them a few times in Minnesota, but it was fun to try several new flavors! Our favorite was the limited edition Sakura (cherry blossom) flavor.

Crunky – one of our favorite candies in Japan. We loved the cookies and cream, chocolate-covered strawberries and the plain crunchy chocolate bars.

Lemon Sour – this was Chelsea’s “go-to” drink at Mr. Kanso, our neighborhood bar. It has Shochu, lemon juice, and soda water.

Umeshu – Japanese plum wine. It was really sweet but we really liked it. We found it best over ice or mixed with some sparkling water or club soda. Hopefully, we can track some down in Minnesota.

Coca-Cola – special addition cities and cherry blossom Coke bottles. The collector in Tom just couldn’t resist. They are very artistic and fun.