Japan consists of eight regions, including Okinawa, and 47 prefectures. Each prefecture offers its unique cuisine. We have compiled a list of famous foods to reference when travelling in Japan. However, this list may not be exhaustive, so we plan to update it regularly. We welcome your suggestions to make the list more comprehensive.
| Prefecture | Food |
|---|---|
| Hokkaido /hokkaidoː/ | Soup curry, seafood, dairy products, lamb barbeque called “Jingiskan” |
| Aomori /aomoɾi/ | Apples, apple pie, seafood, tuna |
| Iwate /iwate/ | Wanko soba, Morioka cold noodles, seafood, Iwate beef |
| Miyagi /mijaɡi/ | Gyutan (cow’s tongue), seafood, Zunda (green soybeans) rice cake |
| Akita /akita/ | Kiritanpo (rice-based cake), Akita Komachi rice |
| Yamagata /jamaɡata/ | Yonezawa beef, cherries, boiled potatoes (called imoni), evil’s tongue (tama konjac) |
| Fukushima /fukuʃima/ | Peaches, sake, Namie yakisoba (fried noodles), gyoza, ramen |
| Ibaraki /ibaɾaki/ | Natto, melons, dried potato, monkfish |
| Tochigi /totʃiɡi/ | Tochiotome strawberries, gyoza, Sano ramen, mimiudon (ear-shaped noodles) |
| Gunma /ɡunma/ | Mizusawa noodles, Himokawa noodles, Takasaki ramen, evil’s tongue (konjac) |
| Saitama /saitama/ | Kawagoe sweet potatoes, Soka race crackers, eels (Urawa area) |
| Chiba /tʃiba/ | Soy sauce, peanuts, white gyoza |
| Tokyo /toˑkjoː/ | Sushi, ramen, yakitori (skewered chicken) |
| Kanagawa /kanaɡawa/ | Pork dumplings in Chinese town, Shonan shrimp, Yokohama ramen, whitebait |
| Niigata /niːɡata/ | Sake, rice, soba |
| Toyama /tojama/ | Hotaru ika (firefly squid), yellowtail, white shrimp, Toyama black ramen |
| Ishikawa /iʃikawa/ | Kaga vegetables, crab, sushi and raw fish, especially black throat (fish), Kanazawa curry |
| Fukui /fukui/ | Echizen crab, Echizen soba, sea bream, sake |
| Yamanashi /jamanaʃi/ | Houtou noodles, fruits such as grapes and persimmon |
| Nagano /naɡano/ | Shinshu soba, apples, grapes, peaches |
| Gifu /ɡifu/ | Hida beef, miso, hoba sushi, Takayama ramen |
| Shizuoka /ʃizuoka/ | Wasabi, green tea, sakura shrimp, red bream |
| Aichi /aitʃi/ | Sasebo burgers, Champon noodles |
| Mie /mie/ | Matsusaka beef, Ise udon, Akafuku (sweets), tekone sushi |
| Shiga /ʃiɡa/ | Omi beef, funazushi, Omi vegetables |
| Kyoto /kjoːto/ | Matcha, tofu, kaiseki set meal, yatsuhashi (sweet) |
| Osaka /oːsaka/ | Takoyaki (octopus balls), okonomiyaki, Ikayaki (squid) |
| Hyogo /hjoːɡo/ | Kobe beef, sake, Akashi yaki |
| Nara /naɾa/ | Kakinoha sushi, sake, tea porridge |
| Wakayama /wakajama/ | Kishu Umeboshi (pickled plum), tuna, Wakayama ramen |
| Tottori /tottoɾi/ | Matsuba crab, Tottori Wagyu beef, pickled leek |
| Shimane /ʃimane/ | Izumo soba, sake |
| Okayama /okajama/ | Okayama Momotaro peaches, barazushi, kibi dango (rice cake) |
| Hiroshima /hiɾoʃima/ | Okonomiyaki, oysters, Onomichi ramen |
| Yamaguchi /jamaɡutʃi/ | Blowfish, kawara soba |
| Tokushima /tokuʃima/ | Sudachi citrus, Tokushima ramen, conger pike, Naruto seaweed, Naruto kintoki, gamecock |
| Kagawa /kaɡawa/ | Sanuki udon, olive udon |
| Ehime /ehime/ | Mikan (mandarinorange), sea bream chazuke |
| Kochi /koːtʃi/ | Seared Bonito, yuzu citrus fruit, whitebait, potatos |
| Fukuoka /fukuoka/ | Hakata ramen, mentaiko, stall food |
| Saga /saɡa/ | Saga beef, Imari beef, Ice plant |
| Nagasaki /naɡasaki/ | Sasebo burgers, Champon noodle |
| Kumamoto /kumamoto/ | Basashi (hours meat), Lotus root with mustard |
| Oita /oːita/ | Toriten (chicken tempra), kabosu citrus, dango (rice cake) soup |
| Miyazaki /mijazaki/ | Mangoes, chicken nanban (tartar source) |
| Kagoshima /kaɡoʃima/ | Black pork, shochu (distilled spirits), Kagoshima ramen, satsuma-age (deep-fried fish cake) |
| Okinawa /okinawa/ | Goya champuru (stir-fry), soki soba, pork cuisines |
When travelling to Japan, it would be greatly beneficial to consult the “Japanese basic words 100”.
https://japanese-life.jp/2023/07/29/japanese-basic-words-100/
1 Comment
Add Yours →[…] Japanese regions, prefectures and famous foods […]