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JAPAN

Japan Regional Food Guide: The Best Local Dishes by City

Japan is one of the world’s great food destinations, but what makes it truly extraordinary is the incredible diversity of its regional cuisine. From the legendary morning market in Hakodate to Kumamoto’s bold horse sashimi, from Kanazawa’s Omicho Market treasures to Matsuyama’s Seto Inland Sea specialties, every Japanese city has its own culinary identity shaped by local geography, centuries of tradition, and a near-fanatical pride in local produce. If you’ve spent your entire Japan trip eating sushi and ramen in Tokyo or Osaka, you’ve experienced only a fraction of what this country has to offer. Japanese people themselves regularly travel […]

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KUMAMOTO

Best Food in Kumamoto: Must-Try Dishes & Restaurants

Kumamoto is one of those Japanese cities that serious food lovers keep as a quiet secret. Located in the heart of Kyushu island, surrounded by the active volcanic caldera of Mt. Aso to the northeast and the mineral-rich Ariake Sea to the west, Kumamoto has a food culture that is bold, confident, and deeply tied to the land. Horse sashimi, volcanic-soil vegetables, rich tonkotsu ramen flavoured with burnt garlic oil, and some of the finest wagyu beef outside of Kobe — this is a city where eating is never an afterthought. Most visitors who come to Kumamoto are drawn by […]

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MATSUYAMA

Best Food in Matsuyama: Seafood, Chicken Nanban & Local Eats

Matsuyama doesn’t get nearly enough credit as a food destination. The capital of Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, it’s usually known internationally for Dogo Onsen (Japan’s oldest hot spring, said to be over 3,000 years old) and Matsuyama Castle, one of Japan’s twelve original castles. But food lovers who spend time here quickly discover a city with a remarkably distinct culinary identity — one built around the exceptional seafood of the Seto Inland Sea, the year-round abundance of citrus fruit, and a deeply local food culture that takes enormous pride in dishes that haven’t made it into any […]

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KANAZAWA

Kanazawa Food Guide: 10 Must-Try Dishes in Japan’s Kitchen Capital

Kanazawa is Japan’s most underrated food city. The capital of Ishikawa Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast, it avoided the aerial bombing that destroyed most Japanese cities during World War II, which means it still has intact historic districts — geisha quarters, samurai neighbourhoods, merchant arcades — that form the backdrop for a food culture of extraordinary depth and sophistication. The city’s proximity to the Sea of Japan means fresh seafood arrives daily in unparalleled variety and quality. Its agricultural hinterland — the Noto Peninsula to the north, the Hakusan mountain range to the east — provides vegetables, mushrooms, […]

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HAKODATE

Best Food in Hakodate: A Complete Guide to Japan’s Most Delicious Port City

Hakodate sits at the southwestern tip of Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island, and it is a city that knows how to eat. Surrounded by two bays and backed by a forested mountain, Hakodate draws its culinary identity from the sea. The morning markets bustle before dawn with fishermen unloading some of the freshest catches in Japan. The squid season sends locals and visitors alike to the waterfront restaurants, where ika somen — raw squid sliced into noodle-thin strips — arrives at your table still wriggling. If you have ever wondered where to eat in Japan to experience seafood at its […]

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