11 Foods that Japan Isn't Famous For - But Should Be

Must-Have Foods That Japan Isn’t Famous For (But Totally Should Be)

You know that it just wouldn’t be a trip to Japan without trying the ramen and the sushi, but you probably didn’t have curry on the menu plan. You’ve heard about mochi and sweet beans for dessert but didn’t make room for apple pie.

These things aren’t purely “Japanese” foods per se, but they are things that Japan has taken and turned truly awesome. They often go unheralded in tourist media, but let me tell you, these things should absolutely be on your to-eat list. After living here for a year, these treats are my easy go-to’s for a mix of a little taste of the world splashed up with a whole lot of Japan.

Not listed in any particular order because I have a hard time scaling and comparing at such dangerously high levels of awesomeness.

And yes, most of these are desserts. What about it?

Apple Juice

Unleash your inner kid – you will want to. You would think that 100% apple juice is 100% apple juice anywhere in the world but I’m sorry U.S.A....you just can’t compete here. I have no idea what it is that they put in it to make it so objectively better, I just know that whatever it is, it’s mind-blowing. Even Minute-Maid! You thought you knew it but you just have no idea. So when you sit down at a restaurant, forego the Sprite (you can get that back home) and get the apple juice. And whenever you pass by a convenience store or vending machine, keep your eyes open for my ultimate favorite: red AND green apple juice. Get it in a juice box for old time’s sake or do it the big kid way: if you buy a full liter of juice at a convenience store they’ll give you a loooooong straw so you can still sip it on the go like a boss. You didn’t do that in elementary school!

So I totally would have been the coolest kid in school...

Apple Pie

While we’re on the subject of apples, let’s talk about the symbol of American home-cooked cuisine. Turns out, American isn’t the only way to do it. The Japanese have a knockout take on it.

So part of it is the apples. Maybe it is all in the apples. The thing I like about it is you can take a bite and not get a sugar high. Don’t get me wrong, I do really miss that in a pie, but there’s also something to be said for letting the apples speak instead of the sugar. Also, the crust. Think less flour-butter paste and more croissant, sometimes lightly glazed. In other words, something you actually look forward to eating. The Japanese are also pros of making confectioneries both incredibly stylish and portable, though there’s certainly the good-old round and latticed variety if that’s what tickles your fancy.

And a pro tip for those on a budget: don’t make your own apple pie. A slice of apple pie is cheaper than an apple and the bakery CAN do it better than you (sorry).

This beauty was picked up at a convenience store for \135. Money well spent. Also had custard in it! (See entry on custard)

What it lacks in diameter it makes up for in taste! Also, totally cute.

Shaved Ice (Kakigori)

Never has method been so vital, I’ve learned, as in the preparation of shaved ice. You know that snow that skiers dream of? The angel-light, powder de fluff that scatters with the slightest breath? That’s what you’re eating. It’s so much less sand and so much more flake. The results are not only immediate refreshment and delight factors, but the syrup doesn’t take an express route to the bottom of the cup. It’s magical. And oh yeah, you can usually get it topped with ice cream and sweetened condensed milk as if it wasn’t enough on its already. Gilding the lily? Maybe. But I still take it.

The king of shaved ice is "Monster Ice" in Omotesando. It's actually Taiwanese, but epic enough for me to overlook the technicality and include it on this list. And yes, that shot glass is totally sweetened condensed milk.

Pancakes

I love me a stack of fifteen flapjacks, but when the Japanese say “pancake”, they mean something a lot closer to cake, and you only need one or two of them to achieve that kind of height. These things are gloriously fluffy, sweet, and FAT. To make them right, you need a special mold for your pan so they grow up instead of out as they cook. Again, I don’t know what the secret ingredient is, I just know that even the cheap-o mix that I always keep on hand produces some different kind of special. I prefer mine with tart fruits or berries because, in odd contrast to most other cakes and sweets, the Japanese variety tends to be sweeter than its American counterpart. In fact the other day I broke with the norm and made my American recipe pancakes and straight-up thought I did it wrong because I actually needed syrup.

They do have the thinner variety too. They still taste better.

And ICE CREAM on top?!? And another thing about Japan, when you order, it actually in reality looks at least as good as it does in the picture.

Your run-of-the-mill mix. It's no exaggeration, they are that fat, and turn out that way even if you have no cooking skillz.

Custard – Especially in the Case of Cream Puffs (Shu cream), but also ALWAYS

In case the cream literally spilling out of the puff wasn’t clue enough for you, I’ll say it outright: these things are awesome. Of course, it’s all about the cream, which is more than just whipped cream. My favorite variety is custard filled, which is the Japanese word for “deliciousness incarnate”. I’m not sure how to describe the flavor exactly – the closest I can come is creamy, light vanilla pudding or something. Maybe pudding is the best way to describe it. Cousin of flan? Anyway, it’s thicker, creamier, and more flavorful. And you can get the “cookie” variety where the puff is harder, like a cookie. Those are a magic mix of crunch and soft.

But you should absolutely invest in anything labeled as “custard”. Seriously. Anything. Had a “crème brulee custard donut” the other day and oooooooohhhhhhh yeeeeaaaahhhhhhhh…

Never miss a chance for cuteness. Ever.

This Shu Cream is filled with a literal pudding (Japanese: purin). And when the Japanese say purin, you should not think of a snack pack, but a flan. Also available on their own for less than a dollar. Beats all the snack packs hands down. 

A custard filled Taiyaki. Pancake-like outside (sort of?), in the shape of a fish, filled with custard goodness. Get fresh from a shop or street vendor for ultimate happiness, but your convenience store will have them stocked 24/7 too.

Chestnuts (kuri) and Goodies Made Therefrom

I never had chestnuts roasting on an open fire growing up, and it’s on my bucket list, but I’ve eaten way more than my fair share of them in other ways since I got here. These treats are pretty easy to come by any time of year, but are especially highlighted in the fall. The uncontested king of these has got to be monburan, which was imported from France – you fancy foodies might know of it as Mont Blanc. It's a little cake or tart, topped with delicately flavored chestnut cream, and then mountained with strings of chestnut paste, and yes, “mountained” is the only word for it.

But as with custard, if it’s labeled as chestnut, you should probably put it in your mouth ASAP. This method has not failed me yet.

This gem from my local bakery had chocolate cake layers on the inside for total overkill.

Monburan doesn't have to be chestnut! This beauty is sakura (cherry blossom) flavored.

Curry

No, you’re not in India, and you won’t feel like it either (unless you go to an Indian curry restaurant, I guess). The Japanese have their own take on curry that’s as distinct as it is delicious. It's become a staple in our house because I can whip it up in 10 minutes with a box of roux for less than $1.50. And you can use it to dress up a lot. Curry rice, curry naan, curry bread, curry steamed buns, curry udon (noodles), curry, curry, curry. Get you some - you will find it easily and cheaply wherever you go.

What's for dinner when you're about to drop dead from the woes of the day? Curry. And it will be delicious.

Melon Flavored Anything

The color is a bit off-putting, I admit, but this flavoring is everywhere for a reason. Anything melon flavored is delicious. A standard example is melon soda, which you can get from a vending machine or even turned into a float at fast food restaurants. But there's plenty of melon love elsewhere in the world of candies and desserts.
An only semi-related product is melon bread. This is actually not usually melon flavored (but it can be!). Named more for its shape, this bread is soft on the inside but covered with a sugar cookie-like, sweeter exterior, sometimes filled with cream just to blow your mind even more. 

It only looks radioactive, I promise.

Melon bread. So cheap, so easy to find, so good.

McDonald's

Yes, read it again and again, I said it.

McDonald's here is SO. MUCH. BETTER. I don’t know how Japan got around to out-Americaning America so very, very hard. It’s kind of embarrassing. But here I am, sitting scratching my head as to how I got beat at my own country's game. 
McDonald's Japan has some items you can't get on the American menu, plus they are really good about pumping out limited-time seasonal items. Try a double cheeseburger and fries that actually count as food, or shake it up with a teriyaki or shrimp burger and chicken nuggets (which are a "side dish" in Japan, not an actual meal!). Don't turn your nose up at the purple sweet potato shake or cherry blossom soda - they're probably pretty good!
My personal favorite is the shaka shaka chicken. It's basically a chicken patty in a wax paper bag. Yeah, big whoop. But the magic starts when you pick the flavor packet of your choice (cheese or red pepper are standard, but they sometimes have a limited time third option too), dump it in the bag with the chicken, and shake to coat. Enjoy the "shaka shaka" sound as you do the cha-cha with it (don't you judge me), and then eat it. Fun and food for about $1.50. For you LDS out there, try a "missionary burger", which is a shaka shaka chicken put on a teriyaki burger. Fast food bliss on a missionary budget!
Fair warning though, your drink will be smaller than anticipated. Also no refills. Kind of a bummer but you know, you can never have it all.
And while you're at it, pick up a cone or soda float for a dollar and have your mind blown (see next list item).

Soft Serve Ice Cream
Do it. It doesn't even matter where. I'm thoroughly convinced that there's no such thing as a cheap tasting soft serve cone on any of Japan's 6,852 islands (random geography fact for the win). Japan puts the "soft" in soft serve. And it's so creamy. No grainy pastiness, ever. Feeling exotic? There are plenty of exotic flavor options, from melon to black sesame!
Get it from a machine to honor tradition, or pre-served and packaged with all the other Popsicles in a convenience store to experience something you never thought you'd see. Fresh is still better. And also triple combo score for anything coming from Hokkaido. 

Bet you never thought you'd see a pile of ice cream cones. Well, now you have.

Gummies

Another flashback from your childhood improved, now with 5000% less guilt. Gummies aren’t just for kids anymore, and some varieties are even particularly marketed to adults. My favorites have a high percentage of real fruit juice, meaning they taste like fruit and sugar instead of just sugar. I like the flavorings much better, pretty much across the board. Get them infused with scads of vitamins or even collagen (faaaaancy) and pretend like they’re actually part of a balanced diet. All things considered, you could do a whole lot worse.

Behold, the gummy aisle.

Sakura

Once a year, at the turn of spring, the entirety of Japan turns from this...

...to this:

Now before I get into all my words, take a minute and just look at the photos below. Take a good, long look. 

I know I'm no pro photographer but...can you feel it?

Now as stunning as these trees are, equally or even more amazing is how perfect every single petal is. Every one. Every solitary petal on every single one of the uncountable millions of blossoms.

Look.

Sakura (cherry blossoms) inspire so much more than happiness in Japan. They are far more than just the heralds of spring. The experience, to me, can only be described as spiritual.

Let me see if I can do it even some bit of justice with a low-grade camera, questionable photography skills, and mere, mortal words.

Sakura bloom en-masse only once a year: when it becomes warm after a long period of cold. Great resources are expended to predict when exactly this will be, but no one can tell for certain. Because they are tied to the weather patterns, they can be extremely fickle. Sometimes, if you get a warm spell in winter, a tree or two will decide to bloom - treasures, for sure, but very isolated ones. They can also tease you, like they did this year. They'll start, popping out a glorious bloom or two...

...and then decide that it's too cold and wet and hold back their splendor for another week. Though I can't say I blame them, it was aggravating all the same. 

The most iconic sakura is white and has five, full and rounded petals. 

But there are many varieties in shape, number of petals, and of course, color.

One of my favorites (and I'm clearly not alone in this) - the weeping sakura.

These ones grow in adorable little pompoms!

Bonsai sakura.

My personal favorites - the beloved five-petal shape with a mix of blossoms with yellow-green and pink centers, interspersed lightly with the green of leaves. 

All of them are perfection.

Here are some more varied scenes for your enjoyment:

Sakura lead beautiful, brilliant lives.

But the thing about sakura is that their lives are only half the story. Lots of things are beautiful. Roses, waterfalls, a blue sky, these things can take your breath away too. 

What sets sakura apart isn't just their lives, it's equally or more about their deaths.

Bear with me while I try to explain what the sakura mean to me.

Sakura symbolize mortality, and are a reminder of just how quickly life fades. Their lifespans are staggeringly short. In about a week they reach the mankai, or full-bloom, and from there, they have about another week to gradually wane, and sometimes significantly less if there is wind or rain.

As beautiful as it is, it is also incredibly sobering. Rivers run white with fallen petals, and if you stop to think of what that symbolically is, it's heartbreaking.

There is a word in Japanese - setsunai - that has always intrigued me. There is no true English equivalent - though one dictionary defines it simply as "cruel", and another as "melancholy". It was first explained to me as the feeling you get remembering a past love when a song that was special to the both of you comes on, something beautiful and terrible at the same time. It's sadness, but colored with nostalgia - a mixture deeper than sadness alone for the beautiful memories of the past. 

Whether or not I have the true meaning of setsunai right, that's the kind of feeling I get walking alone through the remains of the sakura.

The poet Kobayashi Issa said:

"What a strange thing!

To be alive

beneath cherry blossoms."

If you look up Japanese poems and quotes on sakura, you will find that for every one that is celebratory, there is at least one more that is sober, pensive, or outright sad. This is why I don't like to say that salura are just a "symbol of spring". Yes, they are, but that's only a fraction of the story! I do not think anyone in Japan looks at sakura and feels the same way we in America feel about, say, Easter bunnies and chicks and tulip buds. It's not a giddy, light-and-sparkles happy. From the very first blossom, everyone knows that this will not last. They are, in every sense, a reminder that life is short.

Which brings me to my favorite lesson of all to be learned from the sakura:

Life will not last, so live it. 

Now.

Everything grinds to a halt for the sakura. People travel great lengths to see sakura, or wait for twenty-hours or more to stake out a picnic spot beneath the trees. The teen with her smartphone is trying to preserve on her smartphone as many precious sakura moments as the seventy-year-old man is with his camera, despite how many sakura cycles he has seen. It is a time to be happy, to enjoy, now, while it lasts. It is a time made precious precisely because it is so short. It's a time to forget the future and let go of the past and live in the moment - to literally stop and smell the flowers.

Live now, and live beautifully.

It's a lesson I need every single year. 

Luckily, they will be back to remind me.