My Fave Foods in Japan by Shenelle King
Former student Shenelle King shares with us her fave foods in Japan. Thanks for these succulent selections!
I thought it would be a fun idea to introduce a few of the foods that I have declared as my favorites here in Japan.
Okonomiyaki/お好み焼き
Okonomiyaki is a popular Japanese dish, originating in Southern Japan. It is often described as a Japanese pancake, which is kind of accurate. In addition to being made with a special flour, thinly sliced cabbage is also mixed in, and an wide array of ingredients can be added. My favorite style of Okonomiyaki is with added kimchi and pork. The standard way of eating Okonomiyaki is to add the Okonomiyaki sauce, followed by Nori (seaweed flakes), Bonito flakes (fishy thingies), and mayonnaise.I add all but the bonito flakes, and I also add some salt and pepper on top. Not a fan of mayonnaise? Try and give Japanese mayonnaise a shot, the flavor is different and I actually enjoy it!
Price: 650yen – 1350yen
Samgyeopsal/サムギョプサル
Samgyeopsal is actually a Korean dish, but my friends and I go to Korean Town (Shin Ookubo) here a lot, so it has quickly became my favorite food. Thick pieces of pork are grilled, along with kimchi, onions, and as you see in this picture, potatoes and sweet potatoes. Once the meat is thoroughly cooked and cut into small pieces, you can dip the meat in a variety of sauces. You then wrap it, along with kimchi and the other vegetables, with lettuce and shove it all into your mouth. It is a little messy, but delicious.
Price: 2000 yen
(This is usually eaten as all you can eat, so you pay once and eat endless amounts for around two hours.)
Yakiniku/焼肉
Yakiniku is similar to Samgyeopsal, but a little different. Yakiniku is typically much thinner than Samgyeopsal. You also don’t eat Yakiniku with lettuce. You just dip it in sauce and eat it with rice, or just pop it straight into your mouth. I really enjoy Yakiniku because I can cook the meat to my liking. For yakiniku, you can get a lot of different cuts of pork and beef. I am not sure about chicken.
Price: 2500-3500yen
(This food is also all you can eat, and each restaurant differs in quality, selections, etc.)
Shabu-shabu/しゃぶしゃぶ
Shabu-shabu is another delicious way to eat MEAT. The Japanese really like their meat. For Shabu-shabu, you are given a pot that you put on a burner for the water to boil. The liquid inside can have a variety of flavors. On the left side of the Shabu-shabu photo is Sukiyaki flavoring and on the right is the standard Shabu-shabu sauce. Once the liquid starts to boil, you can add vegetables and meat. The meat, pork, and beef are so thinly sliced they literally take fifteen seconds to cook. With Shabu-shabu, you are given a few different bowls and sauces so you can make anything you like for flavor. Sukiyaki is already a sweet teriyaki soy flavor, so I don’t usually eat it with anything. But the Shabu-shabu sauce has no spices and so I make a spicy concoction with ponzu and rayu.
Price: 2000-3000yen
(This food is also all you can eat, and each restaurant differs in quality, selections, etc.)
I hope that you will enjoy my favorites as much as I do!
Want to read more about Shenelle’s faves? Check out her Purikura post.
