As some of you may know, I’m from Sofia, Bulgaria, but had the opportunity to study at Fukuyama University a few years ago. I lived in a small village called Matsunaga, in Hiroshima prefecture. During my time there, I practiced my kanji, learned a lot, and met many wonderful people.
Two of the people I became close to were Mr. and Mrs. Atsuchi, an elderly couple living in a house next door. Their beautiful house was 100 years old with tatami floor, kotatsu, and a beautiful view when you open the traditional doors of the house.
Mr. and Mrs. Atsuchi helped me a lot throughout my year in Japan. Mrs. Atsuchi worked as a Japanese language teacher and I had the opportunity to learn from her every day. She taught me different things about the culture and the language.
She also often prepared traditional dishes and invited me to try them. Sometimes, she even asked me to cook with her. I didn’t have a single bad meal in Japan!
Here are the best dishes I tried during my time there.
- Okonomiyaki Hiroshima style (お好み焼き広島風）
Is it a pancake? Or is it a pizza? Hmm… Okonomiyaki is a real must when it comes to Japanese food, as it is so delicious! It is a fried pancake and consists of butter and cabbage. Different toppings and ingredients are added. It can be anything from sliced meat and seafood to wasabi and cheese. This variety is what gave it its name “Okonomi,” which means “to one’s liking.”
You can find Okonomiyaki all over Japan, in each restaurant that specialize in this dish but it is most popular in the West, particularly in the cities of Hiroshima and Osaka which have their own variations. I had Okonomiyaki in Hiroshima and Kyoto and they were very different. The Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki includes a layer of fried Soba noodles and it became the best to me.
At some Okonomiyaki restaurants each dining table is equipped with an iron griddle (“teppan”) and the customers can receives the ingredients and prepare their Okonomiyaki by themselves.
- Ramen (ラーメン)
It is a wheat noodle soup that was originally imported from China. It is one of the most popular and cheap dishes in Japan. Ramen restaurants, or “ramen-ya,” can be found everywhere in Japan, and they serve countless regional variations of this common noodle dish.
Shoyu Ramen is the most common type of ramen. This is usually what is served when the menu does not offer a specific type of soup. Shoyu ramen is clear, brown broth flavored noodle soup with soy sauce (shoyu).
The soup is usually made of chicken broth but often contains other types of meat such as pork, beef or fish depending on the region. It usually also contains hard-boiled egg and different vegetables, such as onion, mushrooms, bean sprouts, seaweed and corn.
- Yakiniku (焼肉)
Yakiniku is a Japanese version barbecue, which invites diners to cook slices of meat and vegetables on a plate or griddle in the middle of the table. Beef and offal are the most popular options at Yakiniku restaurants, but also pork, chicken and seafood are usually on the menu. If you are feeling really hungry, visit a Yakiniku that offers Tabehodai (all-you-can-eat), and stuff yourself silly!
What are some of the best Japanese dishes you’ve tried and where did you get them?
