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Quirky but Crazy Addictive! Japanese Gourmet Food Foreigners Loved Right Away

Last updated: 3 February 2021

Sushi, sukiyaki, shabu-shabu, and others are Japanese dishes that are known to foreigners as well. In addition, there are a lot of other Japanese gourmet dishes that may not be as famous, but they are just as delicious.

This time we asked a few foreigners who lived in Japan for more than two years about some dishes that they discovered and liked after moving to Japan. And now we will introduce them to you!
We chose some dishes that the interviewees didn’t like before coming to Japan, or didn’t even know, but got addicted to after trying them in this country.

You’ll see a lot of “very Japanese food” as well as a lot of unexpected and unique dishes, so let’s dive in!

“I love sushi! In Japan I go eat it very often, but I wouldn’t want to eat sushi in my country. I would be worried about whether the sashimi is fresh.” (Woman/30’s/Malaysia)

“I knew about sushi but the things that I was eating in my country were basically fusion (like dragon roll, or California roll). I started liking the traditional sushi (fish placed on rice) after I came to Japan.” (Woman/20’s/Slovakia)

Nowadays, everybody in the world knows of Japanese sushi, however the sushi you eat abroad is different from the one you eat in Japan. The Japanese dish is prepared only with fish and rice seasoned with a particular vinegar, while we hear that the sushi you eat abroad is more of a fusion dish prepared with ingredients like mayonnaise, avocado, or teriyaki sauce.

For some foreigners, the first time they could experience eating real sushi was only after they came to Japan.

It seems like people do like sushi, but they would rather not eat it in their own country. The freshness of the sashimi is a very important aspect of the dish. Sashimi is a dish that is best eaten in Japan because of how fresh it is here.

“I never had raw eggs before I came to Japan! Raw egg is used for Tamago kake gohan (raw egg on top of rice), or sukiyaki (a kind of Japanese hot pot), and it’s really good.” (Woman/30’s/Slovakia)

For a moment you may be worried that raw egg might not be good for you. In other countries it’s pretty rare to eat raw egg. Some foreigners said that they had never tried raw eggs before coming to Japan, but they are now crazy about it. There are also people that say that this food is so good that they consume a lot more eggs than they used to since they came to Japan.

“I had never had okonomiyaki before coming to Japan, but it’s really good! When I went back to Holland, I looked for a Japanese restaurant that served okonomiyaki. In Holland it’s expensive, so I can only eat it when I’m in Japan.” (Man/40’s/Holland)

The popular Japanese okonomiyaki (even among locals) has plenty of vegetables, seafood, and meat within a soft dough. There are places abroad where you can find okonomiyaki, but it seems like Japanese food is quite a luxury overseas. One of the foreigners we interviewed said that they only eat okonomiyaki when they are in Japan and that they love Hiroshima okonomiyaki.

“I knew of the Osaka okonomiyaki even in the UK, but I didn’t know the Hiroshima one. I love that they also add noodles to it. It’s delicious.” (Woman/20’s/England)

The delicious Hiroshima okonomiyaki is made with yakisoba and medamayaki (fried noodles and eggs). Someone said that they had okonomiyaki before in their country but when they traveled to Hiroshima, they were surprised by how good the dish was there.

They also added that while the Osaka variety of okonomiyaki may be the better known abroad, foreigners who love noodles might like Hiroshima okonomiyaki better.

”I had no idea what oden was before coming to Japan, but I was shocked to have found such a delicious dish.” (Woman/30’s/Malesia)

“Oden looked odd, but after I tried it, it was really good.” (Woman/20’s/Slovakia)

Most foreigners don’t know about oden before coming to Japan. A popular opinion is that while its looks make it a little difficult to try, once you do, it’s amazing. The reason why people come to like it is that the kneaded food is delicious, and you get to enjoy many different foods at once in one dish.

Oden is one of the staple Japanese winter dishes and it seems that many foreigners who have lived in the country for more than two years enjoy it often as well.

When I was in Shanghai I didn’t like any fried food, but when I came to Japan I tried tonkatsu and I was shocked! It wasn’t greasy and it was perfect with rice. Since then I like Japanese fried food.” (Woman/30’s/China)

Tonkatsu, tempura, fried chicken and karaage, are a few of the many Japanese gourmet fried dishes. This Chinese woman who didn’t like fried food, came to Japan and started enjoying it.

Japanese fried food goes very well with rice or soba, and it’s popular among foreigners in Japan. In fact, many people also make it at home.

“Ramen is popular all over the world, but I ate tsukemen for the first time in Japan. I think it should be more famous because it’s delicious.” (Woman/30’s/China)

The number of foreigners who are familiar with ramen is increasing as more and more shops open all over the world. However, there are still many foreigners who don’t know tsukemen. A Chinese woman who came to Japan three years ago, tried tsukemen and loved the flavor of the soup and noodles, as well as their texture. What she mostly liked was the seafood soup.

Japanese noodles have received high marks across the board.

“Ramen, udon, fried noodles, soba… I have eaten a lot of japanese noodles and they are all delicious. I’m impressed.” (Woman/20's/UK)

“The Japanese soy sauce ramen I had in Japan was different from the one I tried in Slovakia. The soup in Slovakia was sweeter. I liked it but I prefer the Japanese one.” (Woman/20's/Slovakia)

Many people said that not only did they love ramen, but also udon and yakisoba, which they tried for the first time in Japan.

Noodles themselves can be found all over the world, so people are used to them. It’s the soups that make the delicious difference. Furthermore, there are many foreigners who cook yakisoba at home, and have become regular daily meals.

We will now talk about one thing that divided people's opinion.

“Most foreigners may feel differently, but I like natto. I had never eaten it before but I tried it when I came to Japan. It was healthy and it tasted good." (Man/30's/USA)

“I didn’t find natto to be too weird. I love it and I eat it often.” (Man/40’s/Holland)

We thought foreigner didn’t like natto, but there are those who love it! An American man who has been in Japan for over two years said that he didn’t like the appearance of natto, but liked the taste. He is also vegetarian, so, after realizing how good natto was, he started eating it very often.

The Dutch man, also had no particular problem eating natto. On the other hand there are some people who hated it.

“I really love all Japanese food, but I can’t stand natto. I tried it many times, but its texture, stickiness, and the smell make it really impossible for me.” (Woman/20’s/UK)

This British woman has been in Japan for 4 years. During her time here she seemed to have tried natto many times, but could never get into it.

Natto is not for everyone, but we were surprised to find foreigners that liked it at all.

We have looked at a variety of dishes, from kaiseki cuisine, to local dishes and Japanese soul food. We found out that many foreigners like dishes that can only be found in Japan. While in Japan, make sure to visit many places and try many Japanese dishes.

Written by: Fujico