Trip planning Updated 18 August 2026
Travelling Japan Alone
Probably the easiest country in the world to travel solo, and built for it in ways that are not accidental, because a great many Japanese people eat and travel alone too.
Food & restaurants
Every guide about Food & restaurants for a trip to Japan, in one place.
Attractions, temples & culture Updated 18 August 2026
Jewish Travel in Japan
A small, long established community, synagogues in two cities, a food question that takes planning rather than luck, and a wartime history most visitors have never heard.
Food & restaurants Updated 17 August 2026
Tokyo's Food Markets: Tsukiji, Toyosu, Ameyoko and the Best Basement in the City
Where to actually eat around Tokyo, the Tsukiji versus Toyosu split explained, the market under the tracks in Ueno, and the department store basements most visitors never find.
Food & restaurants Updated 16 August 2026
Nishiki Market: Kyoto's Kitchen in One Narrow Covered Lane
Four hundred metres of covered lane a block off Shijo, over a hundred shopfronts, and one point of etiquette that catches out almost every first time visitor.
Food & restaurants Updated 16 August 2026
Wagyu and Kobe Beef: What the Grades Actually Mean
Wagyu is the breed, Kobe is a brand, and A5 is not automatically the best meal. How Japanese beef grading works, the regional names worth knowing, and how to eat it well without the dinner bill.
Food & restaurants Updated 29 July 2026
Konbini: Japan's Convenience Stores Explained
Why you never go hungry in Japan: what to buy at each of the three big chains, the onigiri and sandwiches worth knowing, the hot counter, and the ATMs that take foreign cards.
Food & restaurants Updated 29 July 2026
Ramen in Japan: A Regional Guide
One dish and dozens of versions: tonkotsu in the south, miso in the north, shoyu in Tokyo, how to order from a ticket machine, and the etiquette of a counter you eat at alone.
Food & restaurants Updated 29 July 2026
Sushi in Japan, From Conveyor Belt to Counter
The four tiers of sushi in Japan: the conveyor belt for a cheap fast meal, the standing bar, the neighbourhood shop and the counter omakase, with what to order and how to behave at each.
Food & restaurants Updated 5 May 2026
Eating in Tokyo: How to Choose Rather Than Queue
The city with more restaurants than anywhere on earth is also the easiest to eat badly in: how to read a Tokyo restaurant, what needs booking, and what does not.
Food & restaurants Updated 27 March 2026
Japanese Food Guide: Sushi, Ramen, Izakaya and the Etiquette
What to eat in Japan and how to eat it: sushi and conveyor belts, ramen, izakaya, convenience-store gold, plus the table manners and ordering tricks that make it all easy.
Food & restaurants Updated 17 January 2026
Dotonbori and the Osaka Street Food Rules
A canal lined with mechanical crabs and a running man sign, and underneath it the best street eating in Japan: what to order, where to stand, and the one rule not to break.