WASHOKU AND OTHER JAPANESE FOOD – WHERE TO FIND WHAT - PART 1

Here’s a list of all the Japanese food items, both recommended and not so recommended, that we ate or passed by during our 15 day trip including Kyoto, Osaka, Fujikawaguchiko (Mount Fuji) and Tokyo.

#1 Japanese sweets at Haneda Airport (Tokyo)

So we had just landed in Japan and our excitement knew no bounds. Although we did relax a bit on taking a ton a photos as the trip progressed, the initial madness resulted in us pointing and clicking away at whatever we laid our eyes on. These are images of typical Japanese sweets. They were so elegant and delicate looking that we didn’t have the heart to eat them. Or that is what we told ourselves because they were far from being pocket friendly.

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#2 Melonpan and Other Bakery Items

Food wise, Japan impressed us most with its bakery items! Since most of Japan and Kyoto more so, must be traveled on foot, it gives a much wider scope to explore local restaurants or food stores. One such we encountered was a small bakery while treading our way to Ginkakuji Temple, Kyoto.

Although we were stuffed enough with scrumptious breakfast our host had served us early morning, we couldn’t commit the crime of just walking past this store especially when its sweet smell wafted into our noses. We stepped into a world of a variety of delicious looking breads, cakes, pasties and rolls. Everything looked both wonderful and expensive at the same time.

So we decided to grab a single melonpan for both of us and as we bit into the sweet bread we knew at once that we would be eating a lot of these everyday. It was the lightest, airiest and melt-in-mouth bread we had ever tasted. During the next few days of the trip, we were delighted to know that supermarkets like the Seven-Elevens and Family Marts also keep these at a much cheaper rate. But there’s a world of a difference in the way they taste. So if you’re travelling Japan like us for a limited number of days, don’t give it much thought to spend a little extra on baked items offered in local bakeries. They are positively much much better than what you’ll find in chain stores.

#3 Ginkakuji Temple

The small street that leads to the temple sells souvenirs and snacks. We relished these shu cream puffs and chicken karaage and takoyaki. I had heard a lot about takoyaki but neither Daniel nor I enjoyed them a lot. The filling inside was too soggy and undone. I don’t know whether they are supposed to be that way or we ate the wrong ones. But the cream puffs- all three kinds- Matcha, caramel and vanilla flavoured were just awesome!

#4 Kyoto Station – The Food Heaven

Daniel and I both instantly fell in love with Kyoto station and without a doubt this became my favourite place to be in all of Japan. It is nothing like a station ought to be. The night view is so romantic and breathtaking! It has a huge open staircase that covers ten stories and, of course, an escalator alongside. The last floor is all about food! Among others like pizza, pasta and curry-rice stores, there are plenty of ramen shops which are all equally crowded and you must wait in queues for seats to get empty. But here’s where Japan excels. Outside every store is a vending machine which displays the menu with images of the dishes where you must pre-order, pay and get a coupon. On one hand it seems that the queue is getting longer but on the other, people keep gushing out and the seats keep getting empty quickly.

We ate huge bowls of pork and chicken ramen to our heart’s content and all the exhaustion of air travel was long forgotten.

#5 Fushimi-Inari Taisha Street Food, Kyoto

After attempting the 3 hour trek of Fushimi Inari and failing at it halfway for being out of shape we consoled ourselves with a vanilla soft serve each before starting the descend to the base. By the time we came down the hill, we were famished and were relieved to find a narrow lane full of food stalls just before exiting the premises.

This guy posing happily for all his customers.

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Rice cake dipped in sweet soy sauce

Potato fries. These were too oily and strictly OK taste-wise

Bacon wrapped o-nigiri or rice balls topped with pickled ginger. These were the best of the lot. Too bad we didn’t find these anywhere else again.

This desert was superb! Both the custard and chocolate varieties were delicious!

#6 Mount Fuji – Hoto Noodles and Fuji shaped food stuff

During our pre-tour research we read a lot of great reviews about Hoto noodles which are only found in Fuji. So we looked forward to try these once we reached Fuji Q Highland. We ordered one all mushroom and one pork hoto noodles. Personally, I didn’t find them all that great. Since I had already tasted ramen a couple of times before and had fallen head over heels for it, I found these thick noodles a little too rubbery and the stew salty. The one attractive element though, is the way it’s served. Plus, it’s too much for a single person. So if you’re hell bent on trying this make sure you order just one between two persons.

Fuji-san shaped cookies. We bought these near lake Kawaguchi

Mt Fuji shaped ice candy. Although it was biting cold outside, we snacked on this while waiting for our bus that would take us back to Tokyo and kept fighting for the white jelly on top.

#7 Osaka ExpoCity

We were dizzy with joy when we exited the Pokemon Gym in ExpoCity, Osaka. To top that, we lunched in Gundam cafe and everything we ordered was worth the money.

You can select the character of your choice for your mug of hot chocolate