Figured I’d share photos from Japan for my first official post; of all the places and food I’ve tried thus far, Japan was definitely one of the most memorable. Additionally, I’ll be traveling back to Japan in a few weeks so why not post these now so I can look back and compare the different things I would have ate the second time around? I’ll share a small anecdote with each photo as well!

Croquette This croquette was bought while heading down from the Inari Taisha Shrine, there was a small storefront with their own seating area just selling croquettes and water. One interesting bit that surprised me about croquettes in Japan; I’ve tried 3 separate croquettes and each one was on the sweeter side. Whereas all the croquettes I’ve had in the States is on the salty/savory side.

Takoyaki Still one of my favorite snacks all time, the takoyaki in Japan were honestly amazing. Interestingly, in Japan they’re slightly crispy on the outside and soft/runny inside. When you pick them up with the skewers, they’ll sag, almost as if they’re about to drop. They are extremely hot though, so lot’s of ‘hufshuhshuh’-ing.

Bluefin Tuna / Chu Toro Aside from how good the tuna was, my favorite thing about purchasing this was the fact that they allowed to me to select the cut of tuna I wanted. The store laid out the selections of tuna they had, each priced differently depending on size and fattiness, and you could select the exact cut you wanted and how you wanted it prepared. This was the medium fatty cut.

Gyoza Unassuming as far as most food goes, but to be entirely honest, this was one of the foods I was most excited for during my visit to Japan. I’d always seen Japanese gyoza being perfectly crispy on the outside yet soft and tender on the inside. This store only sold gyoza, and they were exactly how I had imagined. Absolutely delicious.

Okonomiyaki Originally I had hoped for the staff to cook this okonomiyaki for us, however my sister decided that we should cook it ourselves. At the time I thought that was a really really bad idea, but to be honest I feel the experience of doing it ourselves, messed up or not, was well worth it. Of course, I’ll never admit that to her. Crispy exterior, soft and fluffy interior, perfectly salty and slightly sweet. My favorite variety included yakisoba noodles which just paired amazingly with all the other ingredients.

Wagyu Skewers with Uni The highlight of Tsukiji Market for me; really self explanatory as far as most foods go. I won’t go into much detail for this one. I do want to visit Tsukiji Market again during this next trip to Japan. I feel like I must have missed a lot more than I realized.

Midnight Ramen This certainly wasn’t the best or most delicious meal I had in Japan, but it certainly is the one that stood out to me the most. We were in Kyoto, and since it was still the early part of our trip, I hadn’t fully transitioned to the local time yet. So, feeling hungry at midnight, I was craving ramen and found this little gem online. This store closed at 2am, and even at 12:30, there was a line out the door. With a mix of old drunks, and young high school students, it just seemed so ‘local’ and enticing. The ramen itself was hearty and filling, and honestly exactly what I had been craving at the time. If I ever have the opportunity to visit Kyoto again, I’ll be sure to visit this location again (if I can find it). Funny anecdote and slightly TMI, they didn’t have a restroom in the store. Right as I finished the food my stomach was starting to churn (from the lactose I had earlier in the day) and I waddle-walked back to the hotel. A little too close for comfort.

That concludes the first post! I’ll try to post at LEAST one more time before I actually go to Japan.