Japan is a nation of healthy food that blurs the line between cuisine and art, but it is also a country of fantastic snack foods.

Japanese snacks are sometimes clever reinventions of traditional foods; other times, they’re influenced by the snack foods of Europe and beyond.

If you also want to learn more about the best Japanese drinks (both alcoholic and soft drinks) you can read all about Japanese drinks here.

Must-Try Japanese Snacks

Having consistently survived off convenience store food in Tokyo, and always tracking down our favourite Japanese snacks when visiting Korea, Taiwan, and China, we are well verse in our Japanese snacks.

And so, here is a list of some of the best, most delicious, and most varied Japanese snacks from around the country, as well as (at the bottom) where to buy Japanese snacks online and offline. Itadakimasu!

Pocky

There aren’t any Japanese snacks more famous than Pocky. They’re referenced in anime and video games; they’re beloved by Japan’s youth; they’ve even inspired a Korean version which is thicker and more heavily chocolate-coated: Pepero.

Pocky are long, thin sticks of biscuit, lightly coated in chocolate or any one of a hundred other flavours.

Pocky flavours include: banana, cookies and cream, matcha, strawberry, coconut, mango, and more. Many are limited edition, tied in with a festival or cultural moment.

The best thing about Pocky is how much they do with so little. They come in a small box that provides a perfect afternoon sweet snack for two (or one, if you’re me).

They work as sharing food; they’re a sweet snack, but they’re not heavy and guilty. They are also, most importantly, so very delicious.

The minimalism is bolstered by the perfect taste, regardless of the Pocky flavour you choose.

Matcha KitKats

KitKats, a simple chocolate-covered wafer sold by Nestle (an enormous Swiss food and drinks conglomerate), are an obsession in Japan.

While most countries sell KitKats in a few different forms (peanut butter, chunky, etc), Japanese KitKats are almost as much a symbol as they are a food snack.

In Japan, KitKats come in dozens of different flavours, most of which are available all year round, but some are only around for a limited time.

This feeds off the Japanese romanticism of transience: the beauty in things that exist for a time and then fade, like cherry blossoms. Many KitKats are only around during festivals or specific seasons.

The most famous of Japanese exclusive KitKats is the matcha flavoured KitKat. This is because matcha is a flavour associated strongly with Japan, and matcha is a key aspect of Japanese food culture.

Eating a matcha KitKat when you visit Japan is, like, the law.

Read More: The Best Korean Ramen

Melon Pan

The first time you walk into a Japanese convenience store, you’ll find a shelf or two lined with individually packaged lumps of yellow bread. These are melon pan: ¥100, sweet, lightly sugar-coated lumps of yellow bread.

When I worked a 9-5 job in Tokyo, a visit to the convenience store at 8am to grab a melon pan for my breakfast walk to the metro station was a daily ritual.

Melon pan come in a variety of flavours, from chocolate to strawberry to matcha and more; sometimes they’re even split in half and filled with cream like a big, soft scone.

While every convenience store sells them, they can also be bought at Japanese bakeries, and this is when they’re at their most soft, sweet, and fresh.

As Japanese snacks go, the Portuguese-inspired melon pan is a staple: simple yet addictive, wholesome, cheap, and irresistible.

Read More: The Best Snacks from South Korea

Onigiri

Onigiri is one of the the definitive Japanese snacks. You’ll find onigiri at any and all convenience stores across Japan, as well as at some restaurants.

No matter the konbini you visit, you’ll see onigiri of all flavours lining the shelves of the fridge section.

Onigiri are balls of sticky rice, held together by a sheet of nori (seaweed) and wrapped in plastic. The plastic wrapping should tell you what flavour you’re holding.

The most popular flavours of onigiri found in Japanese convenience stores are plain (salted), salmon, tuna mayo, teriyaki chicken, and pickled plum (though there are many other onigiri flavours and fillings to discover on your travels.

If you’re not in Japan, onigiri can easily be made at home with a simple recipe, or you can head to specialist Asian food shops like London’s Japan Centre. Japanese restaurants may also serve them as starters or side dishes.

Read More: Learn all about onigiri here!

Alfort Mini Chocolate

If you come from the UK, as we do, there’s a strong likelihood that you have a strong affinity for chocolate biscuits: bourbons, custard creams, Maryland cookies, and so on.

When I first arrived in Japan and spied a box of chocolate biscuits on my local convenience store shelf, I was elated.

Alfort are a brand of small, bite-sized biscuits, with one side heavily coated in a layer of chocolate which is then stamped with the image of a big ship (the Alfort logo).

They’re cheap, come in beautiful blue-and-gold packaging which, when you open it up, has another golden layer underneath, and they are simple bites of elegance.

In practice, Alfort Mini Chocolates are similar to Pocky: light, crunchy biscuit coated in milk chocolate, but Alfort are a lot denser and more decadent.

They also come in a strawberry flavour, which is packaged in a pink box, and a vanilla white flavour.

Chicken Karaage (唐揚げ)

Karaage is a uniquely Japanese form of fried chicken. You can find it served in izakaya, as well as in more substantial meals like rice bowls and curries, but karaage is also one of the more popular Japanese snacks found in convenience stores across Japan.

When you visit a Japanese konbini, you’ll see a hot food counter next to the cash register, and in there you will often see skewers of karaage fried chicken being kept warm and ready to eat. Karaage are always in a small ball shape, making them convenient to eat in a single bite and perfect for putting on a skewer.

What makes karaage stand out amongst other kinds of fried chicken is how light it is. Karaage is dusted and soft and fluffy; it doesn’t feel or taste heavy, greasy, or dense. It has a flavour like nothing else and is very affordable if bought as a single Japanese snack over the counter at a convenience store.

Famichiki

While we’re on the subject of Japanese fried chicken, one of the most infamous examples is Famichiki. This is like the Pocky of fried foods — Famichiki is a chunk of fried chicken exclusive to the Family Mart chain of Japanese convenience stores. It’s a popular snack, also found in the hot food counters.

Famichiki is not karaage. It has a hard and crunchy, heavily fried outer shell and tender, soft chicken meat inside. There are also two types of Famichiki: normal and spicy. The spicy isn’t actually all that spicy; more tangy in flavour, but both are great options to try.

You’re not going to find famichiki outside of Family Mart but, if you’re near one, pop in and pick one up to try!

Jagariko Potato Sticks

Whether you call them potato chips or crisps, the world loves heavily processed,salty, fried potato snacks that come in a variety of strange flavours.

The UK is famous for its weird selection of flavours like prawn cocktail, pickled onion, and worcestershire sauce (winner).

In Korea, sweet flavoured crisps (Honey Butter Chips) are strange, excessively popular, and surprisingly delicious. In Japan, the most popular crisps don’t look like crisps at all (but they are).

Jagariko Potato Sticks come in a pot and, at a glance, could very easily be mistaken for cup noodles.

The standard flavour of Jagariko Potato Sticks is simply known as “salad” but there are several other flavours to be found, including “cheese” and “potato butter”. A pot of Jagariko Potato Sticks is a simple and light snack in pretty packaging (a staple of Japanese snacks).

Read More: 13 Best Japanese Cookbooks

Hi-Chew

Hi-Chew is another Japanese version of a fruity chewy snack found all around the world. But, just like with almost everything else, Japan does it best.

As a 90s kid in the UK, Chewits were everywhere, and in Japan Hi-Chew are still an ordinary sweet snack that come in a variety of fruity flavours.

Strawberry, green apple, grape, mango, and kiwi are all available flavours of Hi-Chew that come in long packets of individually-wrapped chewy sweets. You can also get them in a bigger grab bag of mixed flavours.

The reason we say that Japan does simple snacks like this better is because sweet things in Japan never feel overdone or overindulgent. Flavours are stronger but sweetness is never overpowering.

The sugar content won’t make your teeth hurt, but the distinct flavours are still crystal clear.

Read More: 10 Must-Try Traditional Japanese Food in Tokyo

Kinoko no Yama

These are your bog-standard Japanese snacks for kids. Kinoko no Yama (meaning “mountain of mushrooms”) is a bag of chocolate-coated biscuits similar to Animal Crackers in the West. Though, admittedly Kinoko no Yama are a little more phallic in their appearance.

Similar in many ways to Alfort Mini Chocolates, Kinoko no Yama come in a box and, when opened, can be poured out into the cupped hands of a happy child for them to nibble at one-by-one or devour like they’re Godzilla and the snacks are little people.

Kinoko no Yama says so much about how Japanese snacks are made, designed, and marketed: they’re silly, simple, harmless, kind of cute, and popular with everyone.

You can’t help but wonder what the minds behind these particular Japanese snacks were thinking but they are nevertheless a lovely little sweet snack.

Kokuto Black Sugar Walnuts

Kokuto is a kind of black sugar popularly used in Okinawan cooking, and that’s exactly where these unique Japanese snacks come from. Kokuto Black Sugar Walnuts are an Okinawan delicacy, and they are exactly what their name suggests: locally grown walnuts from Okinawa, coated in black sugar which is come from local sugarcane.

Like wasabi peas, this is a snack which combines various natural ingredients to produce something wholly and delightfully tasty.

You can get these black sugar walnuts directly from Okinawa and they are, honestly, one of the best Japanese snacks on this entire list.

Kaju Gummy Sweets

Gummy sweets are not for everyone. Some people hate how they’re made, others don’t like the texture or the overwhelming sweetness. But, once again, Japan does it right. Kaju Gummy Sweets are the ultimate final form of gummy sweets.

Available in a variety of fruity flavours, including orange, strawberry, grape, and pineapple, Kaju Gummy Sweets are soft, chewy, not overly sweet, and packed with fruity flavour.

It’s this intense flavour bundle with the lack of sugary processed sweetness that makes them such a soothing, pleasant Japanese snack food, especially for those of us with a real sweet tooth.

Read More: 27 Best British Snacks to Try and Where to Find Them

Mochi

Mochi is a beloved sweet snack in Japan, traditionally eaten at festivals and, especially, at New Year’s. Do yourself a favour and find a video on YouTube of mochi being prepared; it’s incredible.

There are mochi-making contests in Japan and they are hypnotic to watch.

Mochi is made by taking rice, water, sugar, and cornstarch and mashing it all together into a sweet, chewy pulp. Mochi makers slap and hammer away at the dough-like substance for minutes at a time with big wooden mallets.

The end result is a very chewy and uniquely textured substance. A kid of cake often filled with something gooey: red bean, matcha, and chocolate are popular options.

Kabukiage Rice Crackers

Rice crackers are another Japanese snack that’s popular the world over. Brands in Korea, Taiwan, and China also sell rice crackers, and you can even buy them in European supermarkets as a lighter, healthier substitute for fatty crisps/potato chips.

Kabukiage Rice Crackers are the most popular and, probably, best of the bunch. They come in clear packets of bite-sized snacks and are delightfully indulgent, even given how healthy they are compared to various other Japanese snacks

Read More: A Guide to Japanese Onigiri Rice Balls

Seaweed Tempura

Tempura is a popular Japanese food not only around the country but the entire world. Inspired (as many Japanese foods have been) by Portuguese cuisine, tempura are simply fresh vegetables deep fried in batter and then enjoyed with a dipping sauce.

And, since you can fry anything, why not seaweed? And then turn it into a snack?

Seaweed Tempura isn’t a specific brand; rather, it is a style of food sold by several different brands in Japan. But all of it is the same in principle: a bag of salty crisps/potato chips, except instead of them being potato-based, they’re fried, salty, crunchy seaweed.

And they are absolutely delicious. In Japan, seaweed (nori) is used in tandem with rice constantly, from sushi to onigiri. Nori, by itself, is delicious, so why not turn it into a fantastic little snack!

Where to Buy Japanese Snacks

All of the Japanese snacks mentioned so far, plus many, many others, can be found and purchased in a variety of ways, both at stores and online. Let’s go through a variety of ways in which you can get your hands on all of these fantastic Japanese snacks, no matter where you are in the world.

Japanese Snacks Online

Shopping online is your most obvious avenue, especially if you’re not in Japan yourself. Literally anything can be purchased over the internet, afterall.

More specifically, there are several specific websites through which you can buy and import Japanese snacks online. The first, simplest, and most fun is via a Japan snack crate.

A Japan snack crate is a monthly subscription box (many of which we are already big fans and subscribers of) which sends a bundle of Japanese snacks right to your door. The biggest and best Japan snack crate is easily Bokksu.

Shipped from Osaka, Japan with free worldwide shipping, Bokksu provides a different selection of Japanese snacks every single month, gathered from around Japan and bundled together for your enjoyment.

Each month’s box is themed around a different part of Japan – with each area having its own local snacks – or a matsuri (festival) where certain snacks are traditionally enjoyed.

If you’d rather not subscribe to a Japan snack crate, you can cherry pick exactly what Japanese snacks you want on websites like Blippo Kawaii Shop and Japan Candy Store. Both of these websites ship worldwide and offer a huge selection of Japanese snacks.

While both of these sites primarily focus on the sweet tooth (most of their snacks are candy, cookies, and chocolates) they both also organise their snacks by unusual categories.

If you’re looking for a specific themed candy (like Hello Kitty cookies or Super Mario Chocolate), you can specify that on these sites.

Japanese Snack Stores

This option is not so universal but, depending on where in the world you live, can work out a lot cheaper than buying Japanese snacks online.

Import stores can be found in almost every major city in the world – we even found a Japanese and Korean snack store in Bucharest, Romania. Just use Google maps to find your local Japanese snack stores.

If you like your Japanese snacks to be baked (like melon pan), search online for your nearest Japanese bakery. Covent Garden in central London, for example, has two different Japanese bakeries on the same street.

These bakeries offer Japanese sweet breads, mochi, cookies, pastries, and plenty more for you to enjoy fresh.

Snacks In Japan

If you happen to be based in Japan, almost every single snack mentioned here can be bought at your local konbini (convenience store). 7-Eleven, Lawson, and Family Mart all sell melon pan, Alfort Mini Chocolate, Pocky, Jagariko Sticks, and plenty more.

Never underestimate the power of the Japanese convenience store. And, if you can’t find what you’re looking for, visit your local supermarket or try online; shipping within Japan is far cheaper than international shipping, afterall.

Read More: 13 Japanese Cookbooks for Inspiring Home Cooking

Cookbooks are a huge passion of mine, there’s very little that will stop me dropping money on a new cookbook despite my wallet crying out at me.

The history and culture you learn from African and Asian cookbooks is almost always worth the price and I often find them better for digging into the culture than many travelogues.

Here, I’ve tried to pick some of the very best Asian cookbooks to get you started with your Asian cooking journey.

Bear in mind that I’m not covering all of the wonderful and diverse cuisines in Asia, this is a list of my personal favourites which I’ve learned a lot from recently or over the years.

I generally like to buy cookbooks that cover more than one country preferring books that focus on a single country or food type as I learn a lot more — which does make for a very full bookshelf.

If you do want a fantastic cookbook which picks some of the very best food from around Asia, I do recommend East by Meera Sodha.

Below, the fourteen Asian cookbooks have been categorised into: Southeast Asian cookbooks, Indian cookbooks, Korean cookbooks, Japanese cookbooks, Chinese cookbooks, and a few others that don’t fit neatly into a single category.

We love using Sous Chef for buying our cooking ingredients. From staples like noodles and rice, to harder to find specialties. You can find everything you need here. We can also offer ten pounds off your first purchase with this link.

Southeast Asian Cookbooks

Here are two cookbooks from Southeast Asia: one all about traditional Indonesian cooking, and another about foods and meals from Vietnam.

Coconut & Sambal: Recipes from my Indonesian Kitchen

The gorgeous cover is admittedly what initially drew us in to this exceptional Asian cookbook. Indonesia is somewhere we’ve always wanted to visit and we’ve always found Indonesian food to be a delight for the senses.

But it’s definitely a knowledge gap for us so getting to experience Indonesian cuisine through these recipes and beautiful pictures of Indonesia as Lara tells stories of her childhood in Indonesia was a real pleasure.

The title comes from the fact that you will always find coconut and sambal (a chilli sauce used to season food) at any Indonesian table and the history you learn about these key aspects of the cuisine is just one takeaway from the many lesson this book offers.

You’ll learn everything from street food snacks, to main dishes including favourites like beef rendang, nasi goreng, and satay, and desserts in over eighty recipes and come out with new knowledge and appreciation of Indonesian food and culture. 

The Food of Vietnam

This book is very much a journey through Vietnam as tv host and chef takes us with him as he travels from south to north Vietnam regaling us with stories and region-specific recipes as he goes.

Whether you want to perfect your pho and understand the heritage of this belly-warming dish or dig into making some crispy banh xeo these are actionable, easy to follow recipes that will have you cooking in no time.

Or if you simply just want to enjoy the photos and learn more about the country, this hefty book is a real celebration of the culture and will transport you to Vietnam.

Indian Cookbooks

These are two fantastic Indian cookbooks, both celebrated but each very different, showcasing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the wealth and breadth, and diversity of food and cooking in India.

Dishoom: From Bombay With Love

If you’ve had the pleasure of dining in the extremely popular London chain Dishoom, then you’ll already be as excited about this cookbook as I was.

And yes, their okra fries, bacon nan, and chai recipes are in there! If you haven’t, Dishoom serve Indian comforting meals often with a Western twist and it works on so many levels.

The photography and history sections of the book, which do make up about half of the book, are a delight to delve into and the passion for Bombay jumps out at you at every page turn.

The design and aesthetics of the book make this one that you’ll want to pick up over and over again. The book also offers alternatives for difficult to source items and offers menu ideas at the end for special occasions like Eid and Diwali.

If you want your Asian cookbooks to be detailed and beautiful, there are none better than this one.

Read More: Best Asian Cooking Classes in London

Chai, Chaat & Chutney: a Street Food Journey Through India

The food of India is incredibly diverse and it’s sad that many of us in the UK think Indian cuisine starts and ends with what we can get at our local takeaway.

This amazing cookbook takes the reader through Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Delhi giving an introduction to each city, photos, and around twenty street food recipes special to the area.

A real treat is the chutney and masala section where you can learn to make favourites like tomato and date chutney and chaat masala.

This book absolutely focuses on the food and recipes rather than stories so if you want maximum new dishes to experiment with, this is a perfect book.

Read More: Cookbooks for Amazing African Food at Home

Korean Cookbooks

These two Korean cookbooks compliment each other perfectly, with one being an introduction to Korean home cooking (and Korean food in general) and the other being more intense and detailed.

Our Korean Kitchen

The cookbook that started our love of cookbooks. We bought this after living in Korea and missing all the wonderful foods that had been readily available there but painfully expensive or hard to find in the UK.

There are 100 dishes in this clear and bright cookbook, as well as recipes on how to make your own kimchi and other pickles plus a selection of savoury pancakes that are simple to make and difficult to resist.

Our Korean Kitchen is ideal if you’re looking to introduce Korean cooking to your kitchen with simple to follow recipes.

Read More: A Culinary Journey Around South Korea

Judy Joo’s Korean Soul Food

While Our Korean Kitchen is a great starting point, Korean Soul Food takes you much deeper into the cuisine and explains Korean key ingredients and basics before delving in the recipes, street food, and kimchi options.

The modern twists also give you much more to work with like the legendary Philly cheesesteak dumplings and the Korean UK fusion dish fish and mushy beans!

The recipes are consistently fun, fresh, and heartwarming. This cookbook is a joy to read. When it comes to detailed and fun Asian cookbooks, there are few as good as Korean Soul Food.

Read More: The Best Korean Cookbooks

Japanese Cookbooks

With Japanese food being so diverse, here are three unique Japanese cookbooks with three different approaches to cooking Japanese food at home.

If you’d like a longer list of Japanese cookbooks including desserts, drinks, and specialist books then enjoy our list of Best Japanese Cookbooks.

Vegan JapanEasy

Tim Anderson has written some of the most colourful and fun books on Japanese cooking with highlights including Tokyo Stories and Japan Easy, this latest gorgeous cookbook addition brings vegan Japanese food to your home.

With detailed explanations of Japanese cooking methods and flavourings, you get a thorough understanding of Japanese cooking, the vegan Japanese and how veganism lends itself well to this cuisine.

Fun recipes include watermelon sake mojitos and one-hour aubergine and courgette ramen that’s apparently easier to make than cleaning up after a naughty plant-pot-breaking cat (though I haven’t made it yet to confirm!)

The vegan sushi chapter is very welcome and clearly explained so you’ll be making delicious rolls in no time.

(Bonus: For Vegetarian Japanese food lovers, I also recommend Japan: The World Vegetarian)

Atsuko’s Japanese Kitchen

Atsuko has been running cooking classes in London for over ten years after missing her home cuisine.

We often associate Japanese food with delicate and healthy dishes served in high-end restaurants but Japanese home cooking some of the most hearty and satisfying out there and this cookbook really brings that home – so to speak.

It also takes through Japan’s eight major regions and their differences in cooking style as well as the basis for all Japanese cooking, those skills you should master and meal planning.

From easy one-plate meals to soups and noodles plus delicious desserts. If you want to start mastering Japanese cookery, this is one of the best Asian cookbooks to further your knowledge beyond the usual with simple, actionable recipes.

Read More: How to Make Katsudon at home

Sushi at Home: The Beginner’s Guide to Perfect, Simple Sushi

We were lucky enough to take Yuki’s udon making class in London so we were very happy to also indulge in her cookbook Sushi at Home.

We’ve taken sushi-making classes before but this book still served as a reminder of those tips and tricks that make rolling sushi at home easy as well as more advanced techniques and recipes that we wouldn’t have tried without this book.

From simple rolls to more complicated recipes, everything you need is explained in detail with a short background to every dish. This is everything you need for making great sushi at home.

Chinese Cookbooks

We all see something different in our mind’s eye when we think and talk about Chinese food. To try and cover as many bases as possible, these three Chinese cookbooks each explore a different tradition, region, or approach to Chinese home cooking.

The Dumpling Sisters Cookbook

Master Chinese cookery at home with sisters Amy and Julie, they also have a blog and Youtube channel so this brings all of that together in a handy guide of delicious recipes.

This is the kind of cookbook that you just keep coming back to, the recipes are achievable and it’s full of tips and tricks to master those Chinese flavours and textures that make us love the cuisine so much.

Simple tips like ‘slicing meat against the grain’ and using ‘light vs dark’ soy sauce can make all the difference despite seeming like small factors.

You’ll find chapters on dumplings, easy and quick dishes like fried rice, syrupy soy chicken, and stir-fries, noodles, and desserts. This is an all-in-one friendly recipe book that’ll get you cooking in no time.

Read More: 14 Middle Eastern Cookbooks (For Aromatic Home Cooking)

Complete Chinese Cookbook

This is the book you want if you really want to delve into the traditional cuisine of China and get to know the country’s variations across its provinces.

The complete introduction to the schools of Chinese cooking and how history has greatly impacted Chinese cuisine leaves you fascinated and want to learn more.

The author has been teaching Chinese cookery for over forty years and it shows, the recipes are clear, detailed, and  Hom is ready to impart his decades of knowledge to you here.

Aside from hundreds of recipes separated by category, you’ll also receive lessons on how to eat Chinese food, what equipment you need, and menu guidance.

The Food of Sichuan

An absolute classic cookbook of Chinese cuisine, The Food of Sichuan introduces you to the fundamentals of cooking food from the Sichuan province of China which has some unique (and incredibly spicy) dishes on offer.

This is an updated version of the original cookbook with over fifty new recipes of varying preparation times from quick side dishes to truly impressive spreads.

Also, delving into the history and culture of China and Sichuan province, this is more than a cookbook and in many ways a love letter to a gastronomically fascinating region.

Chinese Takeaway Cookbook

Since Chinese takeaway is a very different beast to standard Chinese and Cantonese cuisine, then it seemed fair to include this for those wanting to make their takeaway favourites at home!

This book is a great way to save money and recreate dishes like ’crispy seaweed’ (a confirmed addiction of mine), ‘duck pancakes with hoisin sauce’, ‘sesame prawn toast’, ‘wonton soup’, ‘honey and lemon chicken’ and other delicious dishes.

You’re also given chapters on Chinese cooking techniques and food etiquette and customs to broaden your knowledge in that area. They also offer a vegetarian version of this book!

Read More: 11 Greek Cookbooks for Mouthwatering Greek & Cypriot Dishes

Other Asian Cookbooks

Here are two Asian cookbooks which don’t fit one specific country, but rather a broader area or region. The first is a book on traditional food from the Caucasus region, and the second is an Asian cookbook showing you how to make Asian food from home that’s entirely gluten-free.

Kaukasis The Cookbook

This cookbook is a powerhouse of knowledge and storytelling from a part of the world that we perhaps at first don’t consider when it comes to fantastic cuisine.

This was a totally new ingredient set for me and not a cooking style I’d ever tried before but was perfect for recreating some of those fantastic dishes I’ve had on my travels at home.

Some ingredients are difficult to find in the UK but you can easily swap things outdoor substitute when you have to.

One of the highlights of this book are the big photographs which take you on a journey of these fascinating countries.

Dumplings and Noodles

If you’re a lover of starchy, doughy noodles and dumplings then this is the book for you. This cookbook teaches you how to make all of your favourites from scratch, from barbecue pork bao to chili oil wontons, while also sparing some room for ramen and other noodle-based dishes.

Dumplings and Noodles is ideal for someone who loves to cook and is looking for a few extra recipes or would like to learn a whole new skill such as how to hand-pull noodles or make wontons. The author also has a new Asian-inspired cookbook Bowls & Broths on the way.

The Gluten-Free Asian Kitchen

This book is fantastic for mastering the basics like sauces and dumplings if you need to make things gluten-free.

As someone who follows a gluten-free diet who almost entirely eats Asian food, learning how to easily substitute some ingredients without dramatically changing the dish has been invaluable.

I hope you enjoy these wonderful Asian cookbooks and make some incredible meals for yourself at home. If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing.

Spend time with your colleagues after work; sip on cheap local drinks (like Japanese beer, sake, and cocktails); and share platters of irresistible finger food. The definition of post-work pleasure. Wander in, take a seat, and let your laughter and conversations fade into the background noise of carefree socialisers. Ahh… a cold beer after a busy day of working or exploring. Perfect. 

Much like how the English word ‘pub’ derives from ‘public house’, the Japanese word ‘izakaya’ (居酒屋) consists of the kanji for ‘stay’, ‘drink’, and ‘place’, and that’s exactly it is: a place to stay and drink — and to let life’s troubles melt away. 

Back in Japan’s Edo Period (1603-1868), people first used to drink and eat outside liquor shops, forming a place where different classes would mingle; from samurai to commoners. Today, this inclusive feel lives on in the Japanese izakaya. Everyone is happy and equal: eating, drinking, and laughing together.

Read More: Where to Drink in Tokyo – 25 Bars and Izakaya by District

After-work Drinking Culture in Japan

Izakaya are famed as a heavenly post-work stop-off for Japanese workers craving some much-needed and much-earned refreshment.

However, amid Japan’s initial coronavirus restrictions in April 2020, izakayas were faced with a potential existential crisis due to the need for remote working to fight the spread of infection. No longer was the routine of ‘work – izakaya – home’ the norm for many people.

However, a September 2020 survey revealed that only 34.4% of businesses implemented a work from home policy, while a further 22.85% implemented one during the outbreak but discontinued it as restrictions lift. As a result, the enduring importance of the office in Japan’s working culture and the sustained life of the Japanese izakaya come hand in hand. We can certainly expect izakayas to live on going forward.

Japanese Izakaya: fit for (almost) every occasion 

In Japan, izakaya aren’t just for thirsty salarymen. These drinking spots can often range from a hole-in-the-wall to private rooms — making them fit for multiple occasions.

Some locals pop in for a quick beer and plate of tempura, while others sit there from 5pm till the last train home, perhaps making use of the all-you-can-drink option (known as nomihoudai): ranging from ¥1000 to ¥2000 for 90 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the izakaya.

Japanese izakaya provide hungry and thirsty visitors with the perfect place to catch-up with family and friends; share meaningful conversation; celebrate a birthday; host nomikai: (corporate or college parties); or simply get downright drunk. These last two often go hand-in-hand.

The only thing we would advise against is an intimate date or meeting someone for the first time since izakaya tend to boast a loud and unapologetically relaxed atmosphere.

Where can I find a Japanese izakaya?

From bustling metropolises like Tokyo to small provincial towns, izakaya are everywhere in Japan. They can be found within train stations, dotted throughout entertainment districts, shopping areas, and the restaurant floors of department stores across Japan.

Stroll down narrow alleyways (yokocho) and drink with locals in cramped cubbyholes. Look for red and white lanterns and drapes that signal you’re in the right area. If you’re in Tokyo, izakaya are perfect for exploring the local food and drink options.

Hoppy Street in Asakusa is overflowing with lively izakaya, as are the arches under Yurakucho Station (called ‘Yurakucho Gado Shita’), and the Kabukicho entertainment district in Shinjuku. Unsurprisingly, Tokyo has a few special izakayas up its sleeve.

Read More: What to Eat in Tokyo (+ Ramen Guide)

What to expect in an izakaya?

On entering an izakaya, you may be required to place your shoes in a shoe locker (or you may not). You are seated at either a regular table, lower table with tatami mats (where you can sit or kneel), a seated bar, or a standing bar (tachinomi), which is more common in smaller izakaya.

Next, you are handed a towel (oshibori) to clean your hands with — which will be hot or cold depending on the season. 

Expect a tasty appetiser upon being seated (called an otoshi), eaten with your first drink and designed to get you licking your lips in anticipation for the night ahead. These are compulsory snacks, but they only set you back around ¥300-600.

Depending on where you’re sitting, you may be able to see and smell delicious food, sizzling away in front of your very eyes.

In large chain izakaya (like Uotami and Torikizoku — look for the yellow logo with red kanji), picture menus and service call buttons (set into the table) are common. In more understated independent izakayas, manual menus and call-the-waiter service is the norm.

Unlike in countries like the UK, calling out for table service is normal in a Japanese izakaya. Simply raise your hand and confidently yell, “sumimasen!” (excuse me) and someone will happily assist you.

It has always been ordinary, when visiting an izakaya, to be engulfed in a cloud of cigarette smoke. However, in an effort to help create a tobacco-free Olympics, Japan’s new smoking law (from April 2020) has prohibited smoking in izakaya restaurants. Today, you’ll find many izakaya with a separate smoking room.

Read More: Useful Japanese Phrases Every Traveller Should Know

What is found on a typical izakaya menu?

When visiting a Japanese izakaya, you can expect to send your taste buds into overdrive with rounds of scrumptious, mouth-watering local foods and bar snacks. Expect to find these fantastic foods on a typical izakaya menu:

• Kushiyaki (grilled meat or vegetable skewers)
• Kara-age (deep-fried chicken)
• Tamagoyaki (fluffy Japanese omelette)
• Grilled fish such as hokke (grilled mackerel)
• Tempura (deep-fried vegetables)
• Izakaya sushi
• Sashimi (raw fish)
• Hotpots/nabemono
• Ochazuke (steamed rice drenched in green tea)
• Yakisoba
• Age-dashi tofu (tofu deep-fried in soup)
• Motsu nikomi (boiled meat intestines)
• Pickled cucumbers
• Edamame beans

This style of eating is incredibly addictive, which is part of the reason why so many Japanese salarymen eat dinner this way (also because they’re too tired and busy to cook). You’ll wash down these tasty treats with another drink — and then be in the mood for more! It’s a fun but vicious spiral. Typical izakaya drinks include:

• Beer
• Sake
• Cocktails
• Menshu (plum liquor)
• Highballs
• Sours and shōchū (a spirit from rice and sweet potatoes)

Since rounds of drinks and sharing foods are ordered, it’s common courtesy in Japan to split the bill evenly (unless someone has eaten and drunk significantly more than the rest). In Japan, tipping is not customary and no tip is required. In fact, tipping is typically seen as offensive and patronising, so avoid tipping even if your instincts are telling you that you should.

Read More:

13 Japanese Cookbooks for Great Home Cooking

The Ultimate Guide To Ramen In Japan

A Guide to Japanese Onigiri Rice Balls (おにぎり)

5 Shibuya Ramen Joints Worth the Hype

Types of Sushi and How to Eat It – A Guide

Have we got you excited about visiting a Japanese izakaya and sampling from an izakaya menu? Start planning a trip to Tokyo to achieve your ideal izakaya experience.

African food represents one of the most underappreciated culinary regions of them all and, by even glancing across the cuisine of each country — from north to west, to sub-Saharan Africa — you’ll find dramatically different cooking styles, traditions, and ingredients. Not to mention the huge African-American cuisine that has influenced modern cooking across the world.

African food offers foodies a wonderland of unique and delicious flavours which is sure to drive people to your kitchen in search of whatever wonderful dish smells that good.

Cookbooks for Learning Home-cooked African Food

We love African food and, in this article, we’re going to talk about some of our favourite cookbooks for making wonderful homecooked African meals. This is, by no means, a list that covers the full extent of African cuisine. It merely stands as an introduction to African food and a jumping-off point for your own African cooking adventures.

We love using Sous Chef for buying our cooking ingredients. From staples like noodles and rice, to harder to find specialities. You can find everything you need here. We can also offer ten pounds off your first purchase with this link.

The Taste of Egypt: Home Cooking from the Middle East

This wonderfully illustrated book is a great example of what can be written when cooking is treated as the art form that we know it can be. North African food often includes a huge and varied selection of delicious, rich stews and soups — along with truly spicy dishes.

This book promises a wonderful selection of recipes, all of which will certainly set your mouth watering. Whether you’re looking for breakfast staples like ful medames, or the carb-filled streetfood feast that is koshari, or the delicious dessert kanafeh, this cookbook of detailed Egyptian home cooking won’t disappoint.

Ethiopia: Recipes and traditions from the horn of Africa

The history of Ethiopia is one of the most interesting ones on the whole of the African continent, if not the entire world. Thankfully, Ethiopia’s wonderful and varied cuisine has been getting the attention it deserves — speaking beautifully to the rich history of the country — and, over time, it’s becoming easier and easier to find great Ethiopian restaurants in big cities.

As it has never been directly touched by Western colonialism and has, instead, developed its technology over time (while preserving wonderful ancient traditions), Ethiopian food is a stunning mix of a number of different classical techniques and flavours with excellent modern additions.

This Ethiopian cookbook has a number of fascinating and delicious recipes, and we’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking to learn more about Ethiopian cuisine.

Read More: 14 Best Asian Cookbooks

Hibiscus: Discover Fresh Flavours from West Africa

This beautiful cookbook is dominated by recipes and ingredients from Nigeria which, over time, have been infused into typical western dishes. Reading this Nigerian cookbook is sure to utterly transform and reinvigorate your home cooking habits.

Whether you’re hoping to put a new spin on your classic Sunday chicken, or you’d like to try something completely new, the book has plenty of Nigerian-inspired recipes as well as helpful hints and tips.

We particularly enjoy the grapefruit and guava cheesecake recipe, as it gives a wonderfully light and fruity addition to a typically heavy and dense dish. The photography in this cookbook is also stunning and will make you want to pick up this book off your shelf just to flick through it again and again.

Read More: 13 Japanese Cookbooks for Delicious Home Cooking

Afro-vegan: Farm-fresh African, Caribbean, and Southern Food Remixed

African, Caribbean, and Southern foods have longstanding legacies as being very flavour-dense and wonderfully exciting cuisines. While they also have a reputation for being mostly packed with a lot of meat and animal products, the spices in those cuisines are superb when used anywhere, and with anything.

This Afro-vegan cookbook is packed with a huge variety of delicious recipes, including a number of dishes perfect for a potluck. Some highlights include the wonderful collard greens, as well as the cabbage with lashings of garlic, a perfect pairing to jazz up an often ignore vegetable.

Truly, this book, and the recipes it contains, are wonderful for showing any chef how simple ingredients can be bought to life with unique, stunning concoctions of herbs and spices.

Throughout the book, there are over a hundred delicious recipes that draw on the author’s personal taste and styles as well as the history of food that began life on the African continent.

Casablanca: My Moroccan Food

Morocco has long been a foodie destination and Morrocan mezze and tagine have become staples in restaurants across the world in recent years.

The beautiful country at the top of Africa lies on the border with Europe and the rest of the Arab world. This unique blend of cultures leads to some amazing recipes and cuisine — if you’re looking to master those Moroccon flavours and dishes, this Moroccan cookbook doesn’t disappoint.

There are a dazzling number of recipes in the book which draw on our favourite flavour combination — umami and sweetness. It’s something typical of African cuisine, and we truly can’t get enough.

We’d love to try out the sticky ras el hanout & peach short ribs; don’t they sound delicious! Moroccan food is, admittedly, a favourite of ours, and this book sounds like a perfect entryway to that delicious world.

Read More: 14 Middle Eastern Cookbooks (For Aromatic Home Cooking)

Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking: A Cookbook

Traditional African-American cooking has a wonderfully comforting and savoury flavour palate. This book goes into great detail about the rich and fascinating history that African-American cuisine has, adapting the recipes within it from a number of historical texts.

This cookbook has one-hundred-and-twenty-five recipes, all of which come together to paint a rich, powerful picture of the true history behind African-American cooking. This book can singlehandedly break down the image of soul food to reveal the much more interesting and culturally rich background that African-American cuisine has.

Tunisian Cookbook: Enjoy Authentic North-African Cooking in Tunisian Style with Delicious Tunisian Recipes

Tunisian cooking is another utterly unique style of food that simply hasn’t been revealed to the rest of the world in its complete majesty. This cookbook promises to reveal a number of different and delicious recipes to you, allowing you to dine on truly excellent and authentic Tunisian cuisine.

From the tomato and egg brunch favourite of shakshuka to the hearty stewed lablabi which will surely become a winter staple. Throughout the book, particular attention is paid to cooking simply and completely uniquely — everything you try is sure to amaze you.

Read More: 11 Greek Cookbooks for Mouthwatering Greek & Cypriot Dishes

Through the Eyes of an African Chef

This is a wonderful book all about an extremely skilled chef rekindling their love for African cooking. Throughout the book, the chef writes about how they love the concept of returning to the soil for the freshest of ingredients, as well as reusing more traditional techniques which are just as useful and convenient now as they ever have been.

Throughout the book, there are a number of old favourites as well as unique and exciting new ways of practising, preserving, and upholding some of the finest culinary traditions in Africa.

No matter what your skill level is, you’re sure to enjoy exploring the African recipes in this book. It is aimed at people who have a deep love of cooking and food making it a perfect gift for yourself or the food lover in your life.

Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen

Ghanian cuisine has a long history of being relaxed, informal, and always delicious. This book has a number of enchanting recipes, all of which sound utterly incredible.

This book is ideal for those that are new to Ghanian cooking, it highlights how easy it can be to make food that is in line with African cuisine, while also ensuring that it’s utterly delicious. We particularly like the look of Nkruma (okra) tempura, which sounds wonderfully crispy, savoury, and satisfying.

Most of Korea’s most famous foods come from all over the country, with most towns and cities having their own proudly local dish. Taking a culinary trip around South Korea to learn the origins of these dishes, and to sample the best local Korean foods, is one of the best ways to explore South Korea.

While travelling to South Korea isn’t possible for many of us at the moment, this culinary journey will give you some ideas for a food themed road or train trip once travel gets back to normal. South Korea is such a diverse and beautiful country that we had the pleasure to call home for a year and we can’t wait to show you why a visit to South Korea should be your next trip.

Read More: Best Korean Ramen (Ramyeon)

A Culinary Guide to South Korea: What to Eat and Where

Here is your full and complete culinary guide to South Korea: what to eat and where to find it. We’ll explore the country’s biggest and best culinary locations and what each place has to offer in terms of local cuisine.

Incheon: Jajangmyeon

We begin our culinary journey around South Korea in the town of Incheon. Perhaps most famously known as the Seoul satellite city where the nation’s international airport is found, Incheon has a long and fascinating history as a port town, and so the airport only continues that trade and travel tradition.

Because of its history as a port town, Incheon is home to a thriving Chinatown – the most famous and thriving Chinatown in South Korea. And it’s in this Chinatown that many Chinese-inspired Korean dishes first originated. The most popular and celebrated of these is, without a doubt, jajangmyeon.

Jajangmyeon is a filling and satisfying dish of Chinese style noodles, diced pork, and a thick black sauce known in Korea as chunjang and in China as tianmian. The sauce is made from sweet bean paste and has a very mild flavour. While the dish was first brought to Korea by a Chinese chef living and working in Incheon, it can now be ordered at any local restaurant in Seoul, but Incheon Chinatown is still the best place to try this fantastic dish.

Seoul: Bulgogi, Bbudae jjigae, & Dakgangjeong

Seoul is a city that needs no introduction. The capital city of Korea is also the largest and most populous city in the Korean peninsula. Being the capital city, Seoul naturally has a wealth of its own local dishes. What’s surprising, however, is how many of these dishes are either fairly modern inventions, or have very unique origins.

A little history is needed to appreciate some of the dishes we’ll talk about here. After the Korean War ended in 1953, Seoul was heavily occupied by American military forces (it still is to this day, in fact), and those soldiers had a considerable impact on the local cuisine.

On top of this, Seoul’s proximity to the new and dramatic border between North and South Korea means that it is a refuge for many escapees from North Korea. What is considered by many to be Korea’s most famous dish – bulgogi – actually originated in North Korea (or, rather, the northern parts of Korea from back when it was still one complete nation).

Refugees from North Korea helped to popularise the dish and, today, it is a celebrated and dish in South Korea.

Bulgogi is a dish of barbecued strips of beef or pork (the name literally translates to “cooked meat”) similar to Japanese yakiniku. Various cuts of beef can be used, and it is often served with leafy vegetables that can be used to handle the meat. Rice can also be served as a side, and bulgogi is best enjoyed with a few cold beers.

As for how the American military, and western cuisine in general, has influenced Seoul’s local cuisine, look no further than dakgangjeong. This is a dish of sweet, crispy fried chicken. The young people of Seoul wholeheartedly adore fried chicken, and it’s in Seoul that you’ll find the biggest variety of fried chicken in the whole world.

It’s hard to overstate just how delicious, and how popular, dakgangjeong is in Seoul. There are countless dakgangjeong restaurants in Seoul alone, and all of them offer a huge variety of dakgangjeong dishes.

You have fried chicken on or off the bone, and the sauces/toppings range from cheese to sweet or spicy sauces, soy, garlic, and more. Seoul is the true home of fried chicken.

Finally, Seoul is also where you can find the origins of bbudae jigae (army stew). The stew perfectly combines Korea’s most popular food — kimchi — with American pork staples like spam and sausages. Bbudae jigae was created after the Korean War by mixing surplus army rations with locally sourced foods.

To this day, spam is considered a kind of strange delicacy in Korea and is given by bosses to workers as a thank-you gift.

Read More: Enjoy the street food of Myeongdong in Seoul

Sokcho: Fresh Seafood

Sokcho is a port city that has its ancient roots in a fishing village. Today, it’s a natural tourist spot in South Korea thanks to its close proximity to Seoraksan National Park. Seoraksan is home to South Korea’s tallest peak, and is an endless, rugged wilderness of wild, craggy peaks and lush vegetation: a hiker’s paradise.

Sokcho itself is famous for its fresh seafood, caught by local fishermen just offshore. In fact, Sokcho offers visitors a colossal seafood market known as Sokcho Jungang Market. This heaving marketplace has more than four hundred seafood stalls, each serving up enormous, freshly-caught squid, crabs, shrimp, and so much more.

If you’re looking to get a vivid image of Sokcho before visiting, definitely read Winter in Sokcho by French author Elisa Shua Dusapin, one of the best books to read before visiting South Korea.

Andong: Soju & Jjimdak

Andong is a beautiful, peaceful town on the east side of central South Korea. If you’re looking for a place in Korea that really celebrates its folk traditions, Andong should be at the top of your list. Andong Folk Festival, for example, is a yearly tradition, held during October, that celebrates the local art history of the region. The local university even specialises in Korean folk history.

One of the coolest culinary aspects of Andong is its soju. While soju is the staple alcohol of South Korea (like sake in Japan and baijiu in China), the Andong brand of soju is considered the finest in all of South Korea. If you want to experience soju at its finest, you need to visit Andong.

As for the food, Andong has a culinary history to match its folk history. The town’s most famous and celebrated dish is easily jjimdak: a Korean stew made from steamed chicken and mixed vegetables marinated in a soy-based sauce (known in Korea as ganjang). This local chicken stew is an absolute delight, full of subtle flavours and extremely nourishing.

Jeonju: Bibimbap & Kalguksu

Jeonju is a small city near the West coast of Korea. The city is predominantly known to tourists for its Hanok village. These are vintage villages populated by traditional Korean-style houses, sort of like Japan’s Edo period buildings found in the Gion district of Kyoto.

Hanok villages are gorgeous, and they can be found in multiple cities around South Korea, including Seoul. But the most impressive Hanok village is to be found in Jeonju. Jeonju is also the home of Korea’s most famous dish: bibimbap. Bibimbap is to Korea what a roast dinner is to the UK: a rounded, wholesome meal of meats, vegetables, and sauces.

Bibimbap is a hefty rice bowl topped with mixed vegetables (kimchi, radishes, carrots, etc), a generous helping of meat (traditionally beef), and a raw or fried egg.

Bibimbap is also flavoured with a chili pepper paste known as gochujang. Needless to say, there’s never a better place to try a dish than its own home, so trying bibimbap in Jeonju is a necessity and a privilege. Jeonju even hosts a yearly Bibimbap Festival to celebrate the national dish.

It’s fairly unclear where kalguksu originates from, but the most famous version of this dish comes from Jeonju. Kalguksu is one of the very best Korean noodle dishes.

For comparison, you can think of kalguksu as Korean ramen noodles, though they are still very much their own thing. Kalguksu is made from wheat flour noodles served with a seafood broth made from anchovies and kelp. The dish is often finished off with potatoes or scallions.

Daegu: Dongindong Jjim galbi

South Korea’s fourth-largest city, Daegu, is a thriving metropolis that combines traditional Korean culture with the most exciting aspects of modern Korean life. Since the Korean War, this city has been the hub of Korea’s electronics and textiles industries, making for a rich and thriving metropolis and one of the best cities to visit in South Korea.

Daegu also has a fairly secretive culinary history, with local dishes that many people have never heard of. One of these dishes is dongindong jjim galbi, a mouth-watering dish that will excite the taste buds of any ambitious carnivore. Dongindong jjim galbi is essentially a large metal dish filled with beef ribs. The ribs are seasoned with pepper and garlic, and the dish is traditionally enjoyed with a generous amount of Korean soju to really elevate the spices.

Gwangju: Ori-tang

Gwangju is a name that may be familiar to many people with a passion for Korean cinema or an interest in Korean history. The nation’s six-largest city was home to an enormous and transformative pro-democracy uprising in the 1980s.

This uprising was captured amazingly in the fantastic Korean film A Taxi Driver. Today, the legacy of that uprising, which changed the future of South Korea, can be seen in Gwangju’s 5.18 Memorial Park.

As for the city’s local cuisine, Gwangju is perhaps best known for its ori-tang, a kind of Korean duck stew. With duck being one of the softest and most flavourful meats, this is a true local delicacy in Gwangju. Ori-tang is often spiced with chili powder and the broth thickened with perilla seeds.

Boseong County: Green Tea Specialities

One of the natural wonders of South Korea is, without question, Boseong County. This area of South Korea on the nation’s south coast is home to a seemingly endless sea of tiered green tea fields. A mountainous region at the edge of the sea, populated by green tea fields: there may not be a more picturesque place in all of Korea.

Naturally, it should come as no surprise that Boseong County’s culinary speciality is green tea. Both Korea and Japan are famous for their green tea-flavoured products, and in Boseong County you can find everything from ice cream to noodles flavoured with green tea. If you’re a fan of green tea and its flavour, you’ll be in heaven when visiting Boseong County.

Busan: Dwaeji Gukbap & Ssiat Hotteok

Busan is the southern capital of Korea: a thriving, bustling city on the southern edge of the country. A place of iconic beaches, fantastic bars and restaurants, and a temple that hangs over the rocks at the edge of the water (see photo). There is so much to love about Busan, and one of the many things to enjoy is the city’s cuisine.

Dwaeji gukbap is a soup local to Busan, with its primary ingredients being pork and miso, flavoured with soy and sesame oil. It’s a soothing, flavourful, and friendly dish that almost anyone can enjoy. It’s a favourite amongst locals and one of those dishes that isn’t overly popular across the country, so you really do need to visit Busan to get the true dwaeji gukbap experience (like you needed another reason to visit Busan).

Visit any street food market in Seoul, and you’ll have plenty of chances to try hotteok: sweet Korean pancakes. But the city of Busan has its own unique take on hotteok, known locally as ssiat hotteok. The only real difference is that ssiat hotteok are filled with local seeds that are extremely healthy and add a welcome texture to the hotteok.

Jeju Island: Black Pork

Jeju Island is a popular tourist destination for locals and foreigners alike. In many ways, this island off the south coast of Korea is a land and culture all its own. In fact, ask anyone native to Seoul and they’ll tell you that it’s far easier to understand the modern North Korean dialect than it is to work out what the islanders of Jeju are saying.

Jeju is a perfect island paradise, and home to an enormous wealth of unique local foods. The most well-known and beloved of these dishes is easily Jeju black pork.

This is a local kind of pork sourced from Jeju black pigs (heuk dwaeji). The meat is traditionally barbecued in the same way as beef is in a traditional Korean barbecue. Jeju islanders and mainlanders alike all attest that Jeju black pig pork is the finest pork in the entire Korean peninsula.

5 Unique Shibuya Ramen Restaurants

These ramen restaurants represent the most varied, unique, and best ramen in Shibuya. You’ll also find, below each item on this list, a link to Google Maps, explaining exactly how to get there.

伝蔵　Denzo Ramen

When you see the Shibuya MacDonald’s, don’t go in. There’s an insanely flavourful miso ramen joint just next to it that you shouldn’t miss. Thicker and creamier than other miso ramens, with a melt-in-your-mouth charred pork topping that puts every other cold cut charsiu to shame.

At this Shibuya ramen restaurant, you can choose between white, red, and spicy miso, as well as toppings, side dishes, and drinks, at the standard meal ticket machine outside. There’s also a pitch black bowl of ramen with squid ink and seafood! 

The ramen joint’s name is written only in Japanese, but it’s on street level with big windows, so it’s not hard to find if you know what you’re looking for. Well, Google Maps only shows this ramen place if you type it in Japanese, so we’ve left a link for you below.

Find Denzo Ramen here via Google Maps

It works 24/7, so you can literally go anytime you want. Once you buy the ramen ticket outside, you just sit down and staff comes to collect the ticket. All you need to do is enjoy this miso fit for a king!

Read More: Best Restaurants in Tokyo plus Ramen Guide

Ramen Kipposhi 

In my several years of ramen-hunting, I haven’t found a more Instagramable bowl of noodles. But wait, there more to it than a gimmicky blue dye. The dye is natural, possibly made from pea flower but generally kept a trade secret. The chicken broth ramen is light and tasty, worth it even if you take zero photos, even if you don’t have Instagram at all! 

And Kipposhi is no one-trick pony either. This Shibuya ramen joint has equally colourful and tasty green muscat ramen and pink ginger ramen.

Then, there’s their peach ramen and Japanese apricot ramen that don’t boast a crazy colour, but have fruit slices in that don’t clash with the savoury chicken broth. Kipposhi has a more traditional creamy paitan chicken ramen, soy sauce ramen, and salt ramen too. 

They also often switch up the menu, introducing limited edition seasonal ramen experiments like chocolate ramen for Valentine’s and white chocolate ramen for White Day. Occasionally other fruits get to bathe in ramen, like tangerine, banana, apple and so on. And the ramen master in Kipposhi is probably plotting a new creative ramen right about now. 

The small Shibuya ramen shop has been a viral sensation since 2016 and the ramen master says he loves seeing his customers’ surprised faces. Tourists are very welcome, with English menu and signs on the pavement so you know where to turn. 

*note that there is pork involved in the chicken broth making process. 

Find Ramen Kipposhi here via Google Maps

Shinbusakiya Ramen

Who says ramen can’t be vegan? If it can be blue, it can be anything. Shibusakiya Ramen has created vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and halal ramen, and is one of the most welcoming restaurants in Japan. Even their meal ticket machine has an English interface for easy order. 

Apart for accommodating many dietary needs, this Shibuya ramen joint also serves its signature Hokkaido miso ramen that comes in classic or spicy variety, with pork on top. They also have roasted soy sauce dark broth, tsukemen style noodles, rice and dumplings, gluten free chicken and so on. 

Find Shinbusakiya Ramen here via Google Maps

Their main store is in Hokkaido, and the Shibuya store is their only Tokyo base. 

Read More: A Guide to Ramen in Japan – Everything You Need to Know

Art Masashiya Ramen

This innovative ramen shop gives the classic ramen setting a cafe makeover. Art Masashiya is housed in a former Japanese kissaten (classic coffeeshop), so don’t be confused that it looks nothing like a ramen joint from the outside – or inside, for that matter. 

They pride themselves on their mineral-rich healthy broth, highest quality soy sauce from Shodoshima island, and home-made flavoured oil. The noodles are quite an experience too, as they are something between classic ramen noodles and Japanese soba noodles. Their triangle shaped fried egg topping is one of a kind too, accompanied by soft charsiu pork. 

Find Art Masashiya Ramen here via Google Maps

Just like a cafe, Art Masashiya only offers lunch, which is ramen. Don’t miss the lunch window, because this elusive shop is only open during lunch time (11:30 to 15:00). 

Read More: 15 Must-Read Asian Cookbooks – Make Ramen at Home!

Yaro Ramen

Yaro Ramen takes after the almost cult-like Jiro Ramen franchise. Both Jiro Ramen shops and Yaro Ramen make a delicious monster of a bowl, with piles of toppings that only big eaters can finish (the Megaton bowl is the biggest challenge).

It’s not that Yaro Ramen is only in Shibuya, but it is its most well-known location. Its huge yellow signboard is easy to spot, as well as the lines in front of it. 

There’s pork broth, miso, soy sauce – all the favourites. They also do tsukemen style (dipping), dried sardine broth, and all ramen-related side dishes. Then, they get a bit cheekier with ramen salads, sukiyaki ramen, curry with ramen toppings and other surprises on the menu. 

As in many ramen joints, you buy a meal ticket before sitting down. You eat at the counter, probably shoulder to shoulder with locals, which is a good thing for authenticity. It’s not like you would want to walk into a tourist trap? 

Also: Jiro fanboys, don’t get angry that Yaro is on the list. 

Find Yaro Ramen here via Google Maps

The ultimate comfort food, junk food, after-drinking hours food, food of the gods – whatever you want to call it. But we simply call it ramen. The more you eat it, the more you want it.

The more shops open, the more new styles of ramen they invent. So, take this list as a starting point, and keep exploring new ramen flavours until you find the best ramen in Shibuya.

Read More: Japanese Cookbooks for Inspiring Home Cooking

About the authour: Zoria is a neo-Tokyoite and loves all the obvious things: neon lights, coffee, cats, travelling. And concrete. Concrete wasn’t too obvious, was it? She’s a travel writer and photographer, as well as a published poet and her work has appeared in many languages.