What I ate in Japan 2020

[Raymond Lin]

Pre-Covid, well, at the start of it, Feb 2020.

First day, didn't do much, actually, the first meal was this tiny TINY burger at Burger King at the airport whilst waiting for my train to Kyoto. When i got to Kyoto, checked in then grabbed a strawberry Sandwich with this drink that I honestly have no idea what it is but I love it. The sandwich is supposed to be dessert, fruit, cream and carbs. Amazing.



Then I popped into Kyoto Station's food court area and had conveyor belt sushi. Been here before, it's average but I was hungry.

Minced Tuna



Mackeral



Salmon Roe



Only 7 plate, nothing really. Came to like £15 or so



Jet lag hit me so I got a coffee at Starbucks, I asked for Soya, which they give you a card to hand back when you collect. This is to remind/double check by the person giving you the drink that the drink they are handling over is Soya.



I went to Niskishi Market and had Dango. Which is Mochi (rice pounded until sticky), with a sweet soy glaze.



I then got another snack, a Shrimp burger. Not processed, actual pieces of shrimp. With grape soda, it's green!





Then I went to a temple at night (so quiet during Covid!), hardly anyone around.



Afterwards I got a proper-ish dinner at Yoshinoya. A Gyudon, translate as Gyu - beef, Don - rice bowl. So it's literally Beef Rice Bowl. Japanese food names are very literally. It comes with a raw egg. The silver thing at the top of the photo is a strainer.





Then you add some pickled ginger for acidity.



Then I wanted some dessert (ice cream and jelly and an egg...of course. I always wanted to try it, seen it before, a soft boiled egg sold in 7-11. It is a perfect ramen egg.





And then of course the ice cream



Day 2

Some reason I didn't take photos of my breakfast...

Went to a temple, hardly anyone around.





Saw the first of the cherry blossom (or plum blossom) But as you can see on the map, this place would be full of it, lots of Sakura trees.



Drink.



Went to Gingakuji



Green tea Ice cream with real gold flakes.



Went to Nishiki Market again and this time I had a beef katsu and some fried squid.





Then a Taiyaki (its a waffle shape like a fish, this one with custard inside)



Then I spent an absolutely AGES taking photos at this place, the main reason I went back to Kyoto is to take photos at this location.



For dinner it was Ramen and Gyoza at the Kyoto Train station.





Dessert from 7-11



Day 3

Got photo of breakfast today. A traditional one, consists of rice, salmon, some pickles, egg, fish cake, daikon











Then went to Osaka for the next 2 days.

Checked in and got some tampura with miso soup and rice



Daifuku - It's a strawberry in a mochi.

Japan's strawberry season is Christmas to about late Feb. They grow their strawberry in greenhouses because for some reason they have a tradition to eat strawberry cake as a Christmas cake.



I then saw a stand selling Soya milk...unsweetened, fresh. I like Soya milk but this is totally different. Not totally in a good way either, I can almost taste the texture of the bean!



This is the market, pretty typical.



Another snack, grilled crab meat.



I also picked up some "white" strawberries for later.



Then walked to Shinsekai - side note, Shin means new, Se Kai means world. It means New World. The world in Chinese is exactly the same, pronounced slightly differently. I found that quite interesting.



Then I finally found my Kushikatsu meal! Basically fried stuff on a stick. The pickled cucumber is amazing.





The next place I went into by accident but only realised after I was shown to my seat, so i didn't want to be embarrassed and ordered some stuff.







Then I went next door which was what I wanted...and got my Yamachan Chicken Wings. A must have when you come to Japan.



Next Day.

Breakfast!



Got a drink from the vending machine. I think it is full of Vitamin C?



Then went to Himeji Castle, on the way I got a Ekiben.



On the way back I found a bench (hard to find in Japan!) with a table.





Then I went to Den Den Town (it's like Akihabara of Osaka) and went for Ramen in this tiny joint.





Completely random...one of the store I went into, I got into a lift and was greeted with this. Random, Japan!



Then went to Dotonburi



Sakura Frap at Starbucks.





Next morning, at the airport to Korea I got a Procari Sweat. Must!



Oh, if you go to Japan, get these on the way out at the airport. FANTASTIC crisps...or chips.

 

[Raymond Lin]

"Karupisu" water? I had to look that up. At first I was like (ahem) cow urine water?!

Apparently, this is why they are going to market Calpis under a different name in the West!



That's a great shot!



That looks a totally awesome meal!



This is also a great shot. Some of the temple scenes in Japan are so peaceful and idyllic and this really captures that.



Ah, is that the area around Hanami-Kouji? We walked around there at night-time and it was like being transported to another world. Just a few minutes earlier we were in the ultra-modern station building and then here.



I really liked those pickle and rice based breakfasts. My wife hated them, though.




Never heard of these. Will put them on my list for our next visit!

Ace photos. This has really got me determined to make sure we manage to arrange a trip back there in 2022!

I love Gyudon, it’s simple, quick and cheap, plus relatively healthy for a fast food. They are open 24hrs and people who generally eat there are salary men so every one just have their head down, shut up and eat. I notice I really don’t eat that extravagant in Japan. May be 1 or 2 meals I hit the £30+ range plus but most of the time I just snack and eat something under £10 as a meal like Ramen. Sushi also is something of a treat, only had it once the whole trip.

Ah, Calpis, thes the word! I almost forgot. It’s great!

Yamachan Chicken is a chain, Yamachan is the restaurant bar. It originates from Nagoya. It’s actually more than just a restaurant, it is a popular places for Japanese to go have food, chat and drink. People smoke there (yes, smoking indoors is not banned), so whereas a lot of food places in Japan are quiet, Yamachan is not. It’s almost has a pub feeling to it. Some of the places you can order via an iPad, but otherwise press a button on the table to call a waitress to order. The Chicken wings comes in a serving of 5. There is a way to eat them with 1 bite, they just come off the bone.

Fascinating insight Ray. Always been curious about Japanese food so the effort is appreciated! Photos are average.

I feel like when i do actually make it to Asia, it would benefit so much having a guide/going with someone who knows where to eat.

Thank you.

Most places has English menus, ramen places have machine out the door where you can order. A lot of places have fake food display showing what your meals looks like and they almost always come looking exactly like it. One thing to look out for is vegetarian or vegan is not really a thing in Japan. If you ask them that you want vegetarian food, unless you are absolutely sure or the restaurant is advertised as for vegetarian or vegans, some things are still made with meat or fish broth at its core. People, or Asia in general, who are not used to this new western life style or veggies only, they often think if you ask for no meat, it merely means no meat pieces and that meat based broth is okay. Or at worse, a little bit doesn’t matter. This is especially dangerous if you have allergies, like a nut allergy. “I can’t have peanuts”, to them it just means peanuts, it doesn’t mean they can’t cook with peanut oil or cooking utensils that was cooked with peanuts previously.

Anyway, that is way off track. Food wise, and knowing where to eat. It helps having grown up partially in Asia and I have no allergies and I am not picky. I also am not big into massive process foods so I know what ingredients looks like and taste like, which means I can tell what most things are from looking at it. I also watch lots of foodie channels on YouTube and after a while they cover almost everything you can think of, including regional speciality. For example I had Beef Tongue in Sendai. I will do another thread for a previous trip.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Oh man the pickled cucumber has my mouth watering bringing back memories! In Singapore we went to a Japanese vegetarian place called Herbivore and the pickled veg was just incredible.

I didn’t go in there for that but when I saw it on the menu I had to have some. Plus, the pickles really goes with greasy food, it cuts the fat down between each skewers. They also sell them in convenient stores too as a snack. It’s such a great snack.

 

[Raymond Lin]

We went to a katsu place in Osaka, my girlfriend was vegetarian at the time so tried to get it across that she didn't want the meat. Just the rice, sauce and egg. The chef was completely unable to process such a request and refused. I was delighted, as I got two bits of meat but it was quite funny.

She also accepted that there would be broths with meat/bones in and that sort of thing. She's now vegan, but on holiday she accepts that she can only do her best and doesn't want to stop me eating anywhere.

This concept of changing parts of the recipe is alien in Japan and can be consider quite rude, especially in some higher class place. Like if you go to a £200 a head sushi place, you don’t even need to add wasabi, if the piece you are eating is best with wasabi, it will be on it. You are going there because you trust the chef and like their food so just be open minded and eat what is served. That's the idea.

If you are eating £1 plate sushi however, eat it however you like.

They probably think this eating veg only thing to be healthy is weird anyway, Japan has the longest life expectancy on earth and hardly anyone obese yet most people eat meat. If you need statistical proof that a healthy balanced diet is the key, there are 125mill walking examples in Japan. So if you try to explain veganism or vegetarianism to them as a way to eat healthily, you might get a confused look back.

 

[Raymond Lin]

This thread tempted me to dig out some of my old pics of Japan after seeing these. They're nowhere near as good as yours, but some great memories.

First, some Japanese friends took us to one of their favourite restaurants in Tokyo. One of the best meals I've ever had. So much food, and sake, and so delicious.

One of the places we just stumbled across when looking for dinner one night served sashimi, which I went for again. I was chatting with the waiters and one of the cooks on my way back from the loo, and our food must have been taken to the table while I was there, because my wife came running in part way through the conversation and said "you've got to see this... your food is still breathing!"

Sure enough, it was. Well, the mouth was twitching like the fish was breathing in and out. Definitely the freshest seafood I've ever had! And it was really fabulous.

I've had that style of sushi. This was at a Ryokan that i stayed at in Hanoke, part of the dinner.

Funny fact, Ryokan often charges room per 2 persons at a time, so when I booked, which I should have known at the time, as the booking insisted on me putting in Person B's name (I put down Taylor Swift!), and when I checked in, they asked me if I want the 2nd dinner too. Basically 2 for 1, even though I paid for it. I should have really considering the night (dinner and next morning's breakfast included), set me back close to £500! (not as bad for 2 people if you break it down with room and food)



There are still things i've not had a chance to eat yet in Japan, things like Shabu Shabu (hot pot), Yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) and Sukiyaki, and also the Sumo wrestlers' meal call chankonabe.

 

[Raymond Lin]

What is in the small tomato shaped dish?

Salt.

 

[Raymond Lin]

These pictures are amazing! Is it quite expensive to visit Japan compared to other Asian countries? I've only been to Malaysia and Thailand but have always wanted to visit Japan.

You can make it expensive or cheap to be honest. I'd say the most expensive part is the accommodation (flights are as a given, it is what it is). But you can make it cheap and stay at Business hotels, by business hotel I mean hotel for businessmen, they are basic, no thrills, just room, bed, ensuite. Very little amenities. They can be like £50 a night, I've stayed in a couple. You can go even cheaper and say at some capsule hotels, as little as like £20 a night. Something like 9hr (that's the name). However, capsule hotel you are playing russian roulette in who your neighbour is, how loud they are etc. So I never bother with them. They are also separated by sex so if you travel with your other half they you will be separated.

An average hotel is about £100 a night, I consider something comparable to the Hilton to be average. For £150 up you can stay in some nicer places, traditional Japanese Ryokan are much more, from about £300 and up per night is not out of the ordinary. So it is up to you. My first trip back in 2017 cost me £5k (£1k was flight) for 2 weeks. Out of that £2k was accommodation but £500 was for 1 night hotel. So basically I paid £1500 for 12 nights of hotels.

In late 2019 I went for 9 days (8 nights) and including flight and hotel it cost £1300. I think it was about £70 a night.

In 2020 I paid £170 for 2 nights in Osaka and £34 for 2 nights in Kyoto (that's not a typo, thirty-four pounds!) I had some expedia points to spend, it would have been £130 for 2 nights so that's £300 for 4 nights.

Food wise, totally up to you. You can all balls to the wall and eat £50 sushi meals and then £200 waygu every meal. Or you can go like me and happy with a £5 beef rice bowl and a £2 strawberry sandwich. I can spend as little as £10 a day on food.

Local transport, if you are within the city and don't leave, it's cheap. It cost about £2-3 or so to cross inner city. Here is some journeys that I took in Kyoto and Tokyo. Yup, you can pay by Apple Pay at the gate.

ps the building icon are me buying things with it at shops. You can use the same card for both travel and buying stuff.



But...my budget is, after flight and hotels are paid for, I allow for £100 per day on everything. That includes 3 meals, snacks, money on vending machines, local transport and also entry fee into temples and museums. That's often works out about right.

 

[Raymond Lin]

If you're eating your dinner and someone says to you that it's a Sumo wrestlers' meal, should you be fearful or insulted?

Looks like a great food adventure - would love to get to Japan some day!

I would say "Hai, sugoi!!" It means, yes, amazing!

 

[Raymond Lin]

Sorry for the 'how long is a piece of string' sort of question but that's really helpful. I find Thailand is on the super cheap end of the scale and I found Malaysia was a bit on the higher end, especially KL at least. So I figured I would just act like I'm going to a more expensive version of Malaysia.

I'm all about the cheap food on holidays however I'd totally want to try the Wagyu - and that Olive Wagyu that someone here mentioned or I saw on YouTube.

Your pictures have made me very hungry and I only just ate dinner!

Btw, if you are cross country, Osaka to Tokyo or vice versa, 1 way is about £100 on the Shinkasen. If you use it more than a return, say go to Hiroshima too, it is cheaper to get the Japan Rail Pass. You can get 7-14 or 21 days.

Or get cheap internal flight. I once took a 1 way flight from Tokyo to Fukuoka for about £75.

 

[Raymond Lin]

There are so many things I have since learned of that I want to try. One thing I wasn't aware of at the time was the regional culinary variety and specialisations, and how proud each region is of their own signature food.

This presents a dilemma for when we go back. We don't want to make it just a culinary tour, but we've only visited two cities on the main island and one on Okinawa, so where to go is something already on my mind.

Tokyo is a must to do again, obviously. I don't feel we got the most out of Kyoto either due to having a toddler with us at the time, but we did spend a week there. Last time we ruled out visiting Osaka because we thought it was going to be just a large industrial city and less interesting, but your photos make Osaka look great!

It's going to be tough deciding on an itinerary for when we go again...

Osaka’s nickname in Japan is “The Nation’s Kitchen”. So for a foodie, it is great. Quite a few things originate from Osaka, such as Takoyaki, Kushikatsu, their version of the Okinomyaki to name a few. Also, each region has their own ramen flavours too. As you probably realise, the Ramen scene in Japan is huge (There is a Ramen Database website that is in Japanese which ranks the best ones) and to stand out you need to either be REALLY good (which most of them are) or offer something really unique, like the fire Ramen in Kyoto, or the Blue broth in Tokyo, or get yourself a Michelin Star. That’s besides the differences in style of ramen, types of noodles and toppings.


The Japanese, as a workforce, don’t get as many holidays as we do in a year, a week is the most one would take in 1 go in a year so a lot of them going on holiday means going within Japan locally. This may be the reason why the local identity is really strong within each Prefecture. At the local train station of each place, you will find Omiyage stores, souvenir stores, it is a custom when returning from holiday to bring a souvenir to the people at work or family. And the popular thing to buy is snacks, this goes hand in hand with the local specialty. So this is how you end up with lots of like Hokkaido milk cookies as they are famous for their cows or down south in Fukuoka with their mentaiko packets (fish eggs you put on ramen). At the airport, you will find most of these come together at one place if you look carefully too.


So yes, a foodie tour of Japan would be absolutely FANTASTIC, like the best wagyu beef in Japan (which probably means the world) can only be found mainly in 1 prefecture, and they do not export it. These are the cows you hear about that the farmer feeds them beer and treat them really nicely, lots of fields and they have only like 3 cows or something at any one time. So the meat is very limited. It's in Matsusaka.

 

[Raymond Lin]

For hotel, I’ve stayed in 2 in Tokyo. One is a more expensive near Ginza, very nice room but it’s in Shimbashi district, the area where a LOT of the salary men go out drinking after work. The other hotel is the Hotel Metropolitan in Ikebukuro which I prefer. It’s like half the price but Ikebukuro is like the baby version of Shinjuku. Most foreigner would never go there or even heard of it but it has the 3rd busiest station in Tokyo I think, it has everything, and it’s only 2 stops north from Shinjuku. Also, the lobby of the hotel has a bus shuttle service to both airports. I literally got out of my room 5 mins before the bus left and was in the bus 5mins later.


Most people’s first time going to Tokyo they want to stay central and naturally they think Shinjuku is central or they think Shibuya (crossing) is central but in actual fact that’s not strictly correct. Tokyo has a circle line like London call the Yamanote line, and the middle of that is Raponggi Hills, a popular ex-pat area since there are lots of Embassy there. But in actual fact, most of the popular districts to visit in Tokyo is on the Yamanote Line, so if you stay on a station near the Yamanote Line, you are fine. Shinjuku is on the west side, Akihabara is on the East side, as is Asakuka also on the east side. Tokyo Skytree is north east, Ginza is south east, the fish market too is on the east side. There are actually more interesting things on the east side (IMO) than the west side where Shinjuku is. Also, if you are getting on the Shinkasen, they all starts at Tokyo Station, which is on the east side, and if you go to Osaka, it goes south for a little bit on the same line as the Yamanote line before leaving the centra Tokyo area. Meaning it is more convenient really to stay on the east side. Ueno is a nice place, Asakusa is a more old school Tokyo area and accommodation there is cheaper.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Speaking of train stations/airports, we were blown away by Kyoto station. The food there was actually really good and the whole station felt like a mini-town in itself.

I think our trip will have to be a combined foodie-culture-tech exploration. Very exciting!



We stayed in the Shibadaimon area when we went, which was pretty convenient and somewhere we'd look at again. It has two stations in easy reach, with one on the Yamanote line and the other on two of the main underground lines. Not as crazy busy as some parts of the city, either.

Will have to have a look at Asakusa and Ueno as well, though.

Yeah, a lot of stations in Japan have great food. The reason being they are the hub of the commuters so they know there are foot traffic meaning it’s a great place to put in a restaurant. Did you know the No.1 ranked Ramen place in Japan has a branch in a building near the Tokyo Station (their original store is like 45mins outside the city).


So, whilst it is a strange concept at first coming from the UK, you’d think, Station food? Yuck! Not really, not in Japan. Same thing with convenient store food, Lawsons' fried chicken? amazing!


I will do another thread (or 2) on the food I had in the other 2 trips, and perhaps more info on hotels and location too.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Great! Will look out for those. This thread has redoubled my determination to make sure we all go as a family before the kids get too old to want to come away with us anymore.

I will go into more detail in another thread but in case I forget, taking kids to Japan is great. They have 2 Disney them parks. Disneyland and the world’s only Disney Sea. And depends when you go, and if it will still be there, I found Teamlabs borderless, interactive digital art thing that is great for both adult and kids. There is a room for drawing and painting too, I see lots of kids there colouring. p.s. I've yet been to either Disney in Japan. I was going to go to Universial Studio in Osaka last trip but I opted for Himeji Castle instead.


But be mindful of food with kids, depends where you go, for a ramen place you are expected to order food per person. As most ramen shops have very limited seating, so each seat counts and they rely on high turnover of customers. So that means your 4 year old sitting there would really need to order her own bowl of ramen or it will be a loss to the restaurant when they could have made money. In a table sitting restaurant perhaps this is less of a problem like a Yakiniku but if its a small place, look out for that little unwritten rule.