Tag Archives: japanese food

Street Food in Japan

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If you’re looking for an exciting Japanese experience while saving some money, make sure to check out the street food in Japan. I’ll talk mostly about the Tokyo area because that’s where most people visit.

There are a lot of street food vendors around the city, but of course, most of them move around.  I’ll tell you where they usually are, but I can’t guarantee 100% they will be there. The weekends are your best bet to catch them.

japanese street food vendors

japanese street food vendors

Ramen – lots of vendors around the city. One of the more popular ones is in front of Shinjuku West Exit. This is a highly recommended ramen chain –it has a huge following and you can expect to stand in a long line during lunch time and dinner time. Visit the site here.

Takoyaki – fried octopus balls with special sauce and bonito flakes. Famous from Osaka, it`s also widely enjoyed in Tokyo.  Especially during weekends, Yoyogi Park will have a few vendors.

Yakisoba – Fried noodles with meat, nori (dried seafood flakes) and sometimes with pickled ginger is found during festivals, or you can also find vendors in Yoyogi on weekends.

Yakitori – skewered chicken with a variety of sauces. They are usually found in streets during festivals, sometimes Yoyogi park, or just order them from Izakaya (like “EN”)

Okonomiyaki – fried pancake type food (see it here). I think it kind of tastes similar to Takoyaki. There are restaurants throughout Shinjuku, like this one in Kabukicho.

Crepe – Although crepe are not Japanese, there are modern Japanese versions of crepe. They are not healthy and usually strange ingredient combinations, but they are most definitely a Tokyo thing.   You can find them everywhere, especially Harajuku Takeshita Street (across from the Harajuku station Takeshita Exit. (Harajuku and Yoyogi are walking distance, so if you would like to see Yoyogi Park from Harajuku station, just take the “Omotesando Exit” instead of Takeshita.)

Street food in Japan seems to be the cleanest atmosphere when I compare it to other countries I’ve visited. Ramen and Yakisoba are my favorites.

random street food in japan

random street food in japan

Featured Recipe: Onigiri (Japanese rice ball)

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The Japanese rice ball (Onigiri), which is shaped like a triangle instead of being complete round, is a handy snack that you eat any time and take almost anywhere.

To make onigiri you will need the following:

  • 3 cups freshly cooked rice
  • Sea salt
  • 2 sheets of Nori (dry seaweed sheets) cut into strips approximately 5cm wide and 10cm long
  • Black and white sesame mix
  • Small bowl of water

For the onigiri filling:

  • 3 Umeboshi
  • 1 grilled salmon (shredded)
  • 3 tablespoons bonito mixture (mix bonito flakes with a little soy sauce)
  • 1 small cup of mixed tuna with mayo

Instructions to make onigiri

  1. In a small rice bowl, add a little salt and a scoop of rice.
  2. Make a hole in the middle with your thumb and place one umbeboshi inside.
  3. Cover with a little more rice.
  4. Wet your palms with a little water and add a little salt.
  5. Place all of the rice in your hand and gently roll into a ball.
  6. Shape the ball into a triangle with rounded edges and place a strip of nori on top or sprinkle with sesame mix.
  7. Follow these steps for all of the other fillings.
  8. Optional:  You can also evenly mix the rice with salmon or bonito mixture and shape into a triangle without nori.
Japanese Onigiri

Japanese Onigiri

Japan: It’s cheaper than you think

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Ok, so no one is saying it is the cheapest country in the world – flights to Japan alone make most people shudder – but on arrival and with a few ’in the know’ travel tips, you can get by in Japan on a budget. After all, this trip could turn out to be one of the most compelling experiences of your life as you absorb a country that is both technologically driven yet deeply committed to its historic traditions. So, take your travel essentials; accommodation, transport and food, and let’s see what cut backs we can arrange to make your travel currency go further…

Accommodation

Turn your attention away from the slick high rise hotels, especially in the big cities. Instead, look for cheap Tokyo accommodation in a local hostel, many of which are family-run and which operate on a friendly and more intimate scale. Suddenly, you will find yourself paying more like €15-€25 per person ($22-36 / 1750-2900 JPY), per night in a shared – and sometimes private – room in a hostel, than in excess of €50 in a hotel ($72 / 5800 JPY). You will still have plenty of great facilities to hand including air-conditioning, self-catering facilities, free Internet access and a central location. Geared to budget travelers, you can also quiz hostel staff on the best budget places to eat, drink and where to experience life as a local. You can find cheap accommodation all over Japan including a Kyoto hostel or the family-run ryokans some with traditional tatami sleeping mats if you fancy an authentic experience.

Transport

The efficiency of the Tokyo metro is infamous and late-running trains are almost unheard of. They are also a cost-effective way to get around and a one-day ticket for use on the Tokyo metro costs about €6 ($9 / 700 JPY). A combi ticket which includes unlimited journeys on the metro, Toei lines and buses will set you back €12 a day ($18 / 1400 JPY). If you don’t want to mess around with tickets each day, order yourself a PASMO card. Similar to the London Oyster card, this is a reloadable card which you place on an electronic reader as you go through the gates. You can use it on all Tokyo public transport too so it is very convenient. Purchase at ticket machines and station offices. But the ultimate cheap way to get around Tokyo is…on foot.

Tokyo underground subway sign

To travel further afield, skip Japan domestic flights, these are pricey. Instead, buy a JR Rail Pass before your trip – you cannot buy these within Japan – which permits travel on trains (except the fastest bullet train, ‘shinkansen’), ferries and buses too. You might also want to consider overnight buses which are not only cheap, they will save on a night in a hotel. However, this can be quite a tiring and uncomfortable way to travel.

Food

Hit the supermarkets and pick up some ingredients to cook back at your hostel’s guest kitchen. These might include fresh produce, but you’d be forgiven if you reach for the ultimate cheap food in Japan – instant ramen noodles at about €2 pop! You can also pick-up little containers of pre-prepared sushi and rice balls from the supermarket too which are ideal for a picnic.

The conveyor belt sushi shops in Japan are a world apart from the stuff you are used to back home. As long as you can demonstrate some self-control – the bill starts adding up if you scoff too many dishes – you can expect to pay between €2 and €4 per plate ($3-6 / 233-466 JPY).

convenyor belt moving sushi

Standing will also save you money. You can slurp away at a bowl of hot noodles in low-key noodle shops and curry houses. The cheapest can be found down the backstreets, away from the main roads. It’s a sort of Japanese fast food with business men and locals after a quick bite before heading to the office. The yatai, small mobile food stands serve a similar purpose in the evenings, but while you might have experienced dodgy kebab vans or questionable hot dog stands back home, here, the yatai dish up grilled skewered fish, octopus legs and frozen yogurt.

Madeleine Wilson is a travel writer for HostelBookers, the budget accommodation specialist. She lives and works in London.

Breakfast in Japan

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I know this might get long so before I start I’ll give you a summary so you don’t die of boredom. I’ll talk about what I’m eating, why I’m eating it, how things are different, oatmeal, and 15.7 Yen!

Japanese BreakfastBreakfast in Japan is very different from what I’m used to in America. After arriving here when I ate breakfast it was usually a variety that changes daily. Sometimes it was toast… but huge pieces of bread aka ‘Texas Toast’. Other times it was a bakery breakfast sandwich that tastes more like lunch to me. Sometimes it was rice with mackerel. And sometimes a restaurant style breakfast which includes pancakes, eggs, and some bacon. When I ate breakfast alone and I was on my own I would to end up with some toast or some fruit (as a side note – bananas kick ass!) and some coffee.

What food am I used to in the United States? I would usually whip up some instant oatmeal (I’m a big fan of this), cream of wheat, cereal, or some toast with peanut butter. I usually included 8 oz of orange juice (236 ml) and 20 oz of coffee (591 ml). Albertsons usually had the 10 for $10 deal that included a good selection of cereal, granola bars, or instant oatmeal. Continue reading →