There are many food alleys you can wander to and join the locals and many markets. Of course, apart from all the restaurants and food stands. Japan is a paradise for your taste buns.

Depending on what you prefer, you can go to specific places. However, we did it freestyle. We had a list of foods we wanted to try (see the list at the end of the post). We even researched the best places but didn’t manage to go there.

It was sometimes hard to get to a particular place as Tokyo is huge. Moving to the site you find can take up to an hour or more. Hence we went freestyle. Thankfully all the food in Japan is delicious. No matter where you get it.

This post includes foods and snacks we ate and recommend to try.

I bet the first thing on the food list is sushi. For us, it was the same. Being in Japan, you can get sushi on each corner. For those not from this planet and don’t know, sushi is prepared with vinegared rice, usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by various ingredients, such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. And there are different types, but let’s leave it for another time. 

We had our share of sushi at Sushi Zanmai Takumi Ginza.

Ramen is another popular dish many want to try, especially if you are a Naturo fan. As with sushi, you have a lot of ramen shops scattered around Tokyo.

We went to Ichiran Shinjuku, which is in the Shinjuku Area. This ramen shop we found while waddling around and when hunger struck us. 

Ramen is a noodle dish that consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a broth; common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including sliced pork, nori, and scallions.

The seating area is designed for people (or penguins) coming alone. Each window is divided by a wooden wall, and you can slurp your ramen in privacy.

Before the staff takes your order, you circle some extra information. You choose how spicy, how much broth you want, and other things.

Once again, we were a little helpless, but the staff was friendly and helped us out.

Staying with the noodle dishes, another one you should try is udon noodle soup. Udon are thick noodles made from wheat flour and are comfort food for many people in Japan.

You can find many places serving udon, but we ended up in the one located directly inside Tokyo Central Railway Station.

It was thanks to our plushie friend we ended up here.

Takoyaki is a ball-shaped snack made of a wheat flour-based batter cooked in a specially molded pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus, tempura scraps, pickled ginger, and green onion.

We lived near Ameyoko Shopping Street; therefore, we checked out the nearby market, and the food one can get here.

One stall was especially popular, and they served takoyaki. We didn’t hesitate and ordered right away.

You won’t miss it when you are there as people always surround it and they only make takoyaki.

You can order from four, six, or eight takoyaki. We managed to order it with our basic knowledge of Japanese and had no issues. It is a bustling corner. A small table is close, where you put on your favorite sauce and eat your takoyaki.

Of course, we ate a ton of sweets and desserts while in Japan, and one of them was taiyaki. I can’t get enough of it. 

It is a fish-shaped cake commonly sold as street food with sweet fillings such as red bean paste, chocolate, vanilla pudding, etc. You can also find ones with salty fillings, but we were interested only in the sweet ones.

We could not find it on every corner but bumped into it enough to try a few times.

Crepes are not only popular in Japan but are a beloved desert worldwide. Still, Japan brings it to a whole new level.

The crepes have a big following in Japan and are commonly enjoyed as street food.

Popular fillings include ice cream, whipped cream, sliced fruit, chopped nuts, chocolate sauce, and even decadent bites of cheesecake and brownies.

The crepe is rolled up in a paper cone, making it easier to hold and eat while standing.

We bought ours when we visited the Venice Fort Shopping Center in Kōtō City. Many places are selling them, and you can find them on each corner. If you like crepes in general, don’t miss out on these. 

Mochi is our favorite dessert from Japan, but we realized we hadn’t had the real deal when visiting.

Mochi is a rice cake made of mochigome, a short-grain japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch. Many people mix it up with dango, but that is something else. 

Wagyu beef is famous around the world and known for how expensive it is. Of course, since we came all the way to Japan, we wanted to try it out.

You can go to a restaurant where you will be served and pay a lot. Or, you can go as we did to the Tsukiji Outer Market and buy a smaller piece for the people who “just” want to have a taste. 

To be short – totally worth the money!

It is a shame that in 2021 the cafe was closed. It was a whimsical place featuring colorful themed rooms. It was a great experience if you were looking for something crazy.

Bidding farewell to the technicolored monsters is bittersweet, but there will always be more room in Harajuku for the weird and wonderful.

I am happy I had a chance to visit the cafe, but I believe something similar will come soon.

We were in a rush when we bought it and did not properly read what was written on it. We ran into a convenience store and just wanted to buy orange juice.

We had a craving for a nice cold cup of orange juice. There was a variety to choose from, but as we did not have time, we grabbed the first thing that popped into our hands.

Imagine our surprise when we later opened it (still with the craving), and it was orange-favored but orange-flavored milk—an actual milk drink.

We had our doubts about drinking it as milk and citrus fruits were not our thing, but it was delicious. It was weird, but it tasted good in the end.