What to Eat in Japan, Region by Region

Produced by Virtuoso with the Japan National Tourism Organization - February 15, 2024

Take a culinary-inspired tour through the Land of the Rising Sun.

Across Japan, mealtime provides so much more than just sustenance. It’s a glimpse into the country’s cultural traditions, pristine craftsmanship, and time-honored care. Dishes feature fresh, seasonal ingredients; service showcases the art of omotenashi (Japanese hospitality); and culinary surprises wait around every corner. 

And Japanese cuisine is more than just sushi, ramen, and tempura. Social and economic shifts over time, along with Japan’s varied landscape and climate – mountains and valleys divide its islands, where temperatures range from subzero during northern winters to subtropical conditions in the south – helped shape the country’s diverse culinary footprint. 

Beyond the gastronomic powerhouse of Tokyo, the city with the world’s highest concentration of three-Michelin-starred restaurants, each of Japan’s eight main regions – Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu and Okinawa – has its own unique food scene, embodying a spectrum of flavors and traditions. Tour companies crisscross the country leading culinary-themed journeys, and Japan’s array of luxury hotels host travelers for memorable meals and provide comfortable home bases for tasting excursions around a destination. Here, a primer on the different cuisines that define Japan’s regions.

Hokkaido: Seafood Central

Bordered by the Sea of Japan to the west, the Sea of Okhotsk to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the east and south, Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido produces plump oysters, enormous king crabs, and sweet sea urchins. The province’s cold winters inspire comforting dishes such as miso-enriched Sapporo ramen. Virtuoso travel advisor Kay Fahlberg recommends exploring Sapporo’s yatai (food stalls) – with 17 specialty shops, Ganso Ramen Yokocho (aka Ramen Alley) in the city’s Susukino district is an excellent starting point.

For a taste of the food culture of the Ainu, an Indigenous group in northern Japan, Fahlberg suggests seeking out ruibe, a style of sashimi that involves freezing fish outdoors before slicing it. Travelers can try a rustic salmon version at Kuidokoro Shakebanya in Kushiro; chef Hiroto Murai crafts an elegant take on the dish, served with pickled grapes, at Yoichi Sagra, an Italian restaurant in the heart of Hokkaido’s wine country. Yoichi is also home to the 90-year-old Nikka Whisky Distillery, one of Japan’s top whisky producers.

Tohoku: Sake, Pickles, and Seafood 

Sprawling 26,000 square miles across the northeastern part of Japan’s main island of Honshu, Tohoku encompasses six prefectures: Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. With its cool climate and rugged coastlines, the region historically thrived as a hub for fishing and agriculture, and today is considered to be Japan’s rice granary. In Aomori, women fishmongers staff the stalls at Hachinohe’s bustling Mutsu Minato morning market, where travelers can savor fresh seafood on the spot, eaten as sashimi with a bowl of rice and miso soup, or cooked by one of the market’s vendors. The local seafood pairs well with Tohoku’s smooth, aromatic sake. In Akita, fermented hatahata (sandfish) sushi and iburigakko (smoked, pickled daikon radish) demonstrate the region’s long-standing tradition of food preservation. 

Kanto: The Birthplace of Edomae Sushi

In eastern Honshu, the Kanto region’s eclectic cuisine reflects the influence of the country’s capital, Tokyo. Its greatest culinary legacy, however, is Edomae sushi, originally created as street food during the nineteenth century. Tachigui Sushi Akira, a standing-room-only bar in Tokyo's Shimbashi district, serves fresh-caught seafood à la carte, prepared Edomae-style, while its esteemed sister restaurant, Sushi Shoryu, offers exquisite omakase (chef’s selection) meals. (It's what many travelers seek out in Tokyo, but the city is home to a diverse array of international cuisine as well, from French to Italian to Indian.)

Beyond Tokyo, Kanto surprises with specialties such as wide mizusawa udon, noodles served with a sesame dipping sauce – sample them at Gunma Prefecture’s 400-year-old Shimizuya. Rice bowls topped with namero (mackerel tartare spiked with miso, ginger, and scallions) star at Kanaya in Futtsu City, where scenic views of Chiba’s Boso Peninsula complement the meal. Other prefectures worthy of culinary exploration are Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tochigi.

Chubu: Endless Soba and Stew

At the center of Japan, the Chubu region’s mountainous landscape – notable for Mount Fuji and its omnipresent hot-springs-bathing monkeys – informs its cuisine. From the Sea of Japan in the north to the Pacific Ocean in the south, Chubu’s nine prefectures include Ishikawa, Nagano, Yamanashi, and Toyama. Buckwheat grows abundantly in Nagano, and shinshu soba, buckwheat noodles served hot or cold with a soy-based dipping sauce, is the region’s soul food. True fans trek to the prefecture’s Togakushi village to slurp the noodles at Sobanomi, a cozy restaurant surrounded by forest.

Imoni, a hearty stew of beef and taro, is popular in chilly Yamanashi city, in its namesake prefecture. At Yoshihisa restaurant in Kanazawa, travelers can sample jibuni, Ishikawa’s iconic soy-simmered duck stew, along with the region’s famed sake. In Toyama, Oryouri Fujii specializes in kaiseki, showcasing seafood delicacies such as snow crab and yellowtail, served at a wooden counter overlooking a Japanese garden. The region is also one of Japan’s top producers of Japanese green tea. Known to boost energy and help with focus, travelers can try the Japanese shade-grown tea in the Shizuoka prefecture.

Kansai: Land of Kaiseki and Street-Food Snacks

In south-central Honshu, Kansai is a treasure trove of diverse culinary gems scattered throughout the prefectures of Hyogo, Kyoto, Mie, Nara, Osaka, and Wakayama. The ancient capital of Kyoto is the birthplace of ultra-refined kaiseki cuisine, found at restaurants such as three-Michelin-starred Hyotei, established 450 years ago. In Osaka, street food takes center stage: Snacks such as takoyaki (octopus-filled dumplings) are served piping hot from the family-run food stall Umaiya. And atop the sacred mountaintop of Koyasan in Wakayama, travelers can experience monastic life during a stay at a Buddhist temple, where they dine on thoughtfully prepared shojin ryori, or Buddhist vegetarian dishes.

Chugoku: Where History and Food Intersect

Stretching from the Seto Inland Sea to the Sea of Japan, Honshu Island’s Chugoku comprises the western prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori, and Yamaguchi. Local specialties such as Matsuba crab from Tottori and oysters from Hiroshima highlight the region’s abundant seafood. Famed for its iconic 1875-era torii gate that appears like it’s floating, Miyajima Island in the Seto Inland Sea offers travelers the chance to sample treats such as Miyajima Island and Hiroshima’s distinctive okonomiyaki, savory pancakes layered with cabbage, meat, and noodles; Fahlberg recommends Miyajima’s Matochan, a local favorite, as the place to try it. 

In Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, travelers can stroll along the boardwalk at Karato seafood market and try blowfish from the Sea of Japan, the city’s claim to fame. Down the street, innovative fine dining is on display at Takatsu. At its helm, chef Kenichi Takatsu uses local ingredients in simple dishes such as smoked sardines with garlic, eggplant, and pickled red onion.

Shikoku: Udon, Yuzu, and Bonito 

South of Honshu, the under-the-radar island of Shikoku is home to the 750-mile 88 Temple Pilgrimage route and the mesmerizing Naruto whirlpools. Here, bonito fish reign supreme, and travelers can find the region’s signature flame-seared bonito, katsuo tataki, in the Kochi prefecture. 

“We can’t talk about Shikoku food without mentioning Sanuki udon,” Fahlberg says, referring to the island’s thick and chewy wheat noodles. For an authentic experience, she suggests Uehara-ya, a classic udon canteen located in Takamatsu, Kagawa.

The region is also a top producer of yuzu citrus, and Fahlberg recommends that travelers pick up a bottle of yuzu ponzu (citrus-flavored soy sauce) in Tokushima to bring home. 

Kyushu and Okinawa: Ramen and Savory Meats 

Kyushu’s legacy as a former maritime trading hub and crossroads of culture contributes to the region’s dynamic food scene. Ramen enthusiasts flock to the southern island’s city of Fukuoka for Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen, made with rich pork-bone broth, at spots such as Shin-Shin in the city’s Tenjin district. Inspired by Chinese cuisine, champon, a stir-fry of pork and seafood with vegetables over noodles, is the specialty of Nagasaki, while tender Kurobuta pork shabu-shabu, thinly sliced and quickly cooked in dashi, steals the spotlight at restaurant Umeya in Kagoshima. In addition to its famous shochu (a distilled white spirit that’s often made from rice, barley, or sweet potatoes), Miyazaki Prefecture takes pride in its lusciously marbled Miyazaki beef, sourced from Japanese-bred cows.

Okinawa, Japan’s southernmost prefecture, comprises 160 subtropical isles located in one of the world’s blue zones – areas where a population has a life expectancy higher than the global average. With its mix of influences from China and Southeast Asia, the cultural heritage of the former Ryukyu Kingdom has bequeathed culinary signatures such as goya champuru, a stir-fry of bitter melon and tofu. In Naha, Okinawa’s capital city, the izakaya (Japanese pub) Karakara Tochibuguwa pairs island specialties with awamori, a spicy alcoholic beverage made from long-grain indica rice.