Ask what Japanese food is and you get sushi. Travel 300km in any direction and the answer changes completely. Regional specialisation runs deeper here than almost anywhere, partly because the mountains historically made everything a long way from everything else.

Ramen changes with the latitude

  • Sapporo — miso, rich, with butter and sweetcorn. Built for a Hokkaido winter.
  • Tokyo — soy-based, clear, restrained, with curly medium noodles.
  • Yokohama — iekei, a pork-bone and soy hybrid with thick straight noodles and spinach.
  • Kyoto — heavier than its reputation suggests, often with a layer of back fat.
  • Hakata (Fukuoka) — tonkotsu: opaque pork bone broth, thin noodles, ordered by firmness.

Ordering by noodle firmness in Hakata is standard; *barikata* is very firm, *futsū* is normal. You can order a refill of noodles (*kaedama*) for a couple of hundred yen.

Kansai versus Kantō

The Kyoto–Osaka region uses lighter soy and dashi built on kelp; Tokyo's is darker, saltier and bonito-forward. The same dish — udon, oden, eel — arrives visibly different. Neither is better. Order both and take a side.

A bowl of ramen with sliced pork, egg and spring onion on a wooden counter
Ramen is a regional map disguised as a bowl.

Dishes worth planning a route around

  • Okonomiyaki in Hiroshima, layered with noodles, versus Osaka's mixed batter version.
  • Basashi in Kumamoto, if raw horse is within your range.
  • Kaisendon in Hakodate's morning market — rice under whatever came in that night.
  • Hitsumabushi in Nagoya: grilled eel eaten three ways from the same bowl.
  • Sanuki udon in Kagawa, where self-service shops let you order by the bowl and add your own toppings.

How to order without stress

Many specialist restaurants use a vending machine at the door: insert cash, press the button, hand the ticket to the counter. Others use a paper form with pencil marks. Neither requires Japanese.

Say *gochisōsama deshita* on the way out. It means "that was a feast" and it is the one phrase that visibly lands.

Vegetarian and vegan travel

Harder than it should be, because dashi (bonito stock) is in almost everything. Shōjin ryōri — Buddhist temple cuisine — is entirely plant-based and outstanding, particularly in Kyoto and on Kōya-san. Elsewhere, look for dedicated vegan restaurants rather than hoping for adaptations.

For the wider trip, see the complete Japan travel guide.