Reasonable and Delicious! 5 Japanese Soul Foods

Even overseas there are many fans of Japanese ramen and of course it’s immensely popular in Japan. There is a great variety of flavors from “Tonkotsu” soup made by boiling pork bones, to those made from seafood stock, to the traditional soy sauce based ramen. The various flavors offered depends on the shop so you will surely find your favorite.

To be able to grasp how much Japan loves ramen, consider that convenience stores have entire sections dedicated solely to cup ramen which you add hot water to and eat. Prices start at around 100JPY so you can buy freely. There are also luxury cup ramen where ingredients like roasted pork fillet come in a sealed plastic pouch so you can enjoy the genuine ramen flavor.

Japanese dagashi (inexpensive candies) come in a wealth of varieties and it’s not uncommon for visitors to Japan to be astonished at the many variations. In Japan, dagashi is immensely popular among children. Long ago when school was over, little kids with their pocket money clutched tightly in their hands would run to the neighborhood candy shop. Nowadays, these small candy shops are few and convenience stores have taken over their role. There are lots of items ranging from 10~100JPY so many people buy large quantities for souvenirs. Definitely try some for yourself.

There are some over the counter sushi restaurants that don’t clearly state their prices, making it a pretty high hurdle to overcome. For your first time having sushi, kaitenzushi is recommended. Kaitenzushi is where a continuous flow of sushi is placed on a conveyor belt before you. Based on the sushi toppings that they like, customers pick what they want to eat. Most kaitenzushi places decide the prices based on the color and pattern of the plates so you can enjoy yourself according to your budget.

Kaitenzushi places also have many menu items geared at persons who dislike raw fish. Rotating on the conveyor belt are options from tuna salad to desserts, many things that over the counter sushi restaurants do not offer. Even if you don’t know the name of the sushi, it’s possible to pick based on the appearance so by all means, feel free to challenge yourself and give it a try.