Famous Foods

· Deep-Fried dishes (Agemono)

· Donburi - one-bowl dishes of hot steamed rice with various savory toppings

o Katsudon - deep-fried breaded cutlet of pork (tonkatsudon), chicken (chicken katsudon) or fish (e.g., magurodon)

o Oyakodon - (Parent and Child) Usually chicken and egg but sometimes salmon and salmon roe

o Gyudon - seasoned beef

o Tempuradon - battered, deep fried bite-sized foods

· Grilled and Pan-Fried dishes (Yakimono)

o Teriyaki - grilled, broiled, or pan-fried meat, fish, chicken or vegetables glazed with a sweetened soy sauce.

o Gyoza - Japanese version of Chinese dumplings (potstickers), usually filled with pork and vegetables

o Hamachi Kama - grilled yellow tail tuna jaw and cheek bone

o Okonomiyaki - pan-fried batter cakes with various savory toppings (see also Okonomiyaki restaurants)

o Unagi - grilled eel

o Yakitori - chicken kebabs

o Kushiyaki - meat and vegetable kebabs

o Takoyaki - a spherical, fried dumpling consisting primarily of octopus and batter

o Yakisoba - Japanese style fried noodles

· Nabemono (One Pot Cooking)

o Sukiyaki - mixture of noodles, thinly sliced beef, egg and vegetables boiled in a special sauce made of fish broth, soy sauce, sugar and sake.

o Shabu-shabu - noodles, vegetables and shrimp or thinly sliced beef boiled in a thin stock and dipped in a soy or sesame sauce before eating

o Motsunabe - cow intestine, hakusai (bok choi) and various vegetables are cooked in a light soup base

o Kimuchinabe - similar to motsunabe, except with a kimuchi base and using thinly sliced pork. Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish, but it has also become very popular in Japan, particularly in the southern island of Kyushu, which is situated closest to South Korea.

· Noodles (Menrui)

o Soba - thin brown buckwheat noodles served chilled with various toppings or in hot broth

o Ramen - thin light yellow noodle served in hot broth with various toppings; of Chinese origin, it is a popular and common item in Japan

o Udon - thick wheat noodle served with various toppings or in a hot shoyu and dashi broth.

o Champon - yellow noodles of medium thickness served with a great variety of seafood and vegetable toppings in a hot broth; originated in Nagasaki as a cheap food for students

· Other

o Agedashi Tofu - cubes of deep-fried silken tofu served in hot broth

o Bento or Obento - combination meal served in a wooden box

o Hiyayakko-cold tofu dish

o Osechi - Traditional food eaten at the New Year

o Natto - fermented soybeans, stringy like melted cheese, infamous amongst non-Japanese for its strong smell and slippery texture. Often eaten for breakfast. Typically popular in Kanto and less so in Kansai.

· Rice (Gohanmono)

o Mochi - rice cake

o Ochazuke - green tea poured over white rice.

o Onigiri - Japanese rice balls

o Sekihan - red rice with Azuki beans

o Kamameshi - rice topped with vegetables and chicken or seafood, then baked in an individual-sized pot

· Sashimi - raw, thinly sliced foods served with a dipping sauce and simple garnishes; usually fish or shellfish but can be almost anything including beef, horse and chicken.

o Fugu - poison blowfish, a uniquely Japanese specialty

· Soups (Suimono & Shirumono)

o Miso soup - soup made with miso, dashi and seasonal ingredients like fish, kamaboko, onions, clams, potato, etc.

o Dangojiru - soup made with dumplings along with seaweed, tofu, lotus root, or any number of other vegetables and roots

o Butajiru - similar to Dangojiru, except with pork being its principle ingredient

· Sushi - Vinegared rice topped or mixed with various fresh ingredients.