Buzz
Japan is celebrated for its stunning architecture, remarkably advanced technology, and rich cultural heritage, making it one of the most captivating countries to explore. While its quirky game shows, vibrant anime, and unique gadgets often steal the spotlight, Japanese cuisine also commands significant fascination.
The evolution of Japan’s culinary landscape has been shaped by centuries of social, political, and economic changes. Renowned for their creativity, Japanese chefs excel at blending global dishes with their distinctive culinary style. This dedication to innovation has resulted in a fascinating array of dishes—some novel, some intriguing, and others downright peculiar. As this list reveals, the Japanese embrace the philosophy of trying everything at least once when it comes to food.
10. Fish Sperm (Shirako)
The Japanese have a particular fondness for fish semen, a delicacy that has gained popularity across the world. Known as “milt” in America and shirako in Japan, it’s also enjoyed as moloka (herring milt) in Russia.
Resembling the intricate, slimy folds of a human brain, shirako is essentially the sperm sac of a fish, typically sourced from cod but occasionally from salmon, pufferfish, or anglerfish.
Shirako can be prepared in numerous ways. Chefs often deep-fry it in batter, sauté it, or incorporate it into hot pots. For adventurous eaters, it’s served raw, accompanied by spring onions, leeks, and a tangy citrus dressing. The flavor is creamy, slightly sweet, and reminiscent of tofu.
While it may look like something out of a Tim Burton movie, shirako is surprisingly nutritious, offering a rich source of vitamin B, calcium, potassium, and protein.
After trying shirako, caviar might feel like a far more conventional choice.
9. Kare Donatsu
The Japanese have reimagined a classic Indian dish, creating kare donatsu, a deep-fried doughnut stuffed with curry. This affordable snack, priced at just a few dollars, is widely available in bakeries and shops throughout Japan. Toyofuku bakery in Tokyo boasts over a century of experience crafting kare donatsu using premium Japanese beef.
Taking inspiration from kare donatsu, the Japanese confectionery brand Tirol introduced an unusual treat—curry chocolates. Known as Kare Pan Tirol, these bite-sized snacks feature a blend of chocolate, curry, and crunchy bread. The popularity of curry doughnuts even led to the creation of “Kare Pan Man” (Curry Bread Man), an anime superhero made entirely of curry bread.
Curry made its debut in Japan in the mid-1800s, introduced by English merchants in the port city of Kobe. The dish gained rapid popularity through cookbooks and eventually became a dietary staple for the Japanese navy.
During the 1930s, a Japanese businessman tasted curry rice on a steamship headed to Europe. Inspired, he started offering a budget-friendly version of the dish at his Osaka department store. It became an immediate success, sparking the rise of curry restaurants across Japan.
8. Dancing Squid
The dancing squid (katsu ika odori-don) is both a culinary delicacy and an internet phenomenon. True to its name, the squid performs a lively spectacle for diners. Pouring soy sauce over the cephalopod triggers an electrical reaction in its limbs, specifically due to the salt content, causing the tentacles to writhe as if the squid were still alive.
Since the squid is freshly prepared, much of its tissue remains functional. The sodium chloride in the soy sauce activates action potentials in the sensory neurons of the tentacles, sending electrical signals to the muscles. These signals cause contractions and relaxations, facilitated by the residual adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the muscle cells, enabling movement.
The dancing squid has sparked online debates, with critics raising concerns about animal cruelty. However, the squid’s brain is removed during preparation, ensuring it is deceased and incapable of feeling pain.
A similar effect occurs when salt is sprinkled on detached frog legs. For those with a macabre curiosity, it’s worth noting that a comparable experiment was conducted on a deceased convict in the early 19th century.
The dancing squid is a specialty at Ikkatei Tabiji, a restaurant located in Hakodate. It is commonly served with rice, salmon roe, and shiso leaves.
7. Shiro-uo (Ice Gobies)
This is another example of “dancing” cuisine. Unlike the dancing squid, these sea creatures are occasionally consumed while still alive. Shiro-uo are small, transparent fish that are said to perform the odorigui dance when placed in the mouth.
The term odorigui in Japanese broadly describes the practice of eating seafood while it is still moving. This can involve creatures that are alive (like shiro-uo) or dead (such as katsu ika odori-don). However, shiro-uo are more often eaten when they are dead and motionless, frequently served as a topping for rice.
Living gobies, caught in the Kyushu and Honshu regions of Japan, command higher prices. Different areas use various small fish in their cuisine. For instance, chefs in Fukuoka (Kyushu) prefer ice gobies, while those in Iwakuni (western Honshu) opt for whitebait.
Adventurous diners often visit Fukuoka’s Koharu restaurant to try shiro-uo. This seasonal eatery offers views of the Muromi River, where local fishermen catch the unsuspecting fish.
Inside the renowned restaurant, guests combine the lively fish with a mixture of vinegar and egg. Armed with chopsticks, diners experience the unique odorigui dance. Depending on their preference, they can either chew the fish or swallow them whole.
6. Wasps, Hornets, Bees, and Their Larvae
While many see these insects as nuisances at picnics, the Japanese consider them a tasty treat. Emperor Hirohito himself was known to indulge in entomophagy, enjoying meals of wasps and rice.
In Japan, there are individuals who track down wasps using a unique method. These “wasp hunters” place small pieces of meat in the forested areas of central Japan, waiting for the carnivorous critters to carry the bait back to their nests. A tiny white flag attached to the meat helps the hunters follow the wasps.
Once the nest is found, the hunters use smoke to subdue the wasps. The larvae-rich sections of the nest are then harvested for use in Japanese dishes. Canned wasp larvae and packets of bee larvae are even available in stores and vending machines.
Hunters use a similar approach to locate nests of the Asian giant hornet, also known as the yak killer. The adult hornets are captured in containers filled with shochu alcohol, where they ferment, creating a potent drink rich in vitamin C and protein. The larvae, meanwhile, are extracted from the nest and used in various dishes, such as appetizers, broths, and tempura.
Japan’s tradition of consuming insects has garnered global attention. Adventurous tourists flock to the island nation to sample delicacies like rice grasshoppers, silk pupae, and giant water bugs. Truly a feast for the daring.
5. Square Watermelons
Who would have thought that shaping fruit into unconventional forms could spark such a thriving market? This innovation stems from a Japanese farmer who pioneered the square watermelon.
The square watermelon was initially developed to address challenges with stacking and refrigeration. Traditional watermelons were deemed cumbersome to store and took up excessive space in refrigerators.
Farmers cultivated the watermelons inside square glass molds, shaping them into a more functional form. The dimensions of these molds were designed to align perfectly with standard refrigerator sizes.
Unfortunately, square watermelons never gained widespread popularity. They were significantly more expensive than regular watermelons and required more time to ripen after harvesting. The molding process also compromised their quality. Consequently, square watermelons are now primarily sold as decorative pieces, often priced at hundreds of dollars each.
The trend of shaping fruit has expanded beyond Japan to countries like Brazil, the United States, Canada, China, and Panama. Fruit Mould, a Chinese company, is famous for producing skull-shaped pumpkins, watermelon hearts, Buddha pears, and other “fashion fruits.”
In Japan, premium fruit is a popular gift during the Chugen and Seibo seasons. In 2016, a pair of melons sold for over $27,000 at an auction in Hokkaido. Similarly, oversized strawberries and grapes can fetch hundreds of dollars. High-end fruit stores offer flawless, large apples, mangoes, and pears at similarly staggering prices.
4. Novelty Ice Cream
Japan is renowned for its unique ice creams, which feature unconventional and bold flavors. From raw horse meat to tulips, these inventive creations cater to adventurous palates, offering a sensory experience like no other.
Namco’s Namja Town in Tokyo was once famous for its now-closed Ice Cream City, a major attraction. Although the museum has shut down, smaller ice cream and dessert stalls have taken its place. During its peak, Ice Cream City offered unique flavors like squid ink, soy sauce, oyster, shark fin, beer, and whiskey.
Japan celebrates “Ice Cream Day” annually on May 9 in the Saitama prefecture. Enthusiasts mark the occasion by tasting 100 different ice cream flavors, including unconventional ones like crab, eel, and octopus.
Octopus and jellyfish ice creams are specialties of the Kumamoto (Kyushu) and Yamagata (Honshu) prefectures, respectively. In Bizen, you can find ice cream featuring chunks of deep-fried oysters embedded in the sides.
For the truly adventurous, Japan offers pit viper ice cream. Its unique flavor is polarizing, with some describing it as reminiscent of vomit, while others detect hints of garlic and almond. Many Japanese believe the venomous mamushi snake has aphrodisiac properties and benefits the nervous and circulatory systems.
3. Turtle
Suppon (Pelodiscus sinensis) is a prized delicacy in Asian cuisine. Its popularity may be linked to unverified claims that the soft-shelled turtle boosts energy, strength, and virility. Extracts from suppon are even marketed as a remedy for erectile dysfunction, though unproven.
This creature thrives in the lakes, rivers, canals, ponds, and rice fields of Honshu and Kyushu, feeding on fish, mollusks, insects, and plants. It is also farmed specifically for culinary purposes.
While suppon is considered a luxury in cities like Kyoto and Tokyo, it is more affordable in rural eateries. In urban restaurants, a suppon meal typically costs at least 10,000 yen (over $88).
During preparation, the turtle’s neck is severed while it is still alive to collect its blood, which is consumed with or without sake based on the diner’s preference. The turtle’s body is then chopped and cooked in a nabe pot to create a vegetable-and-suppon broth. The collagen-rich meat is also used in seafood broths, stir-fries, and ramen dishes.
2. Horumon
The Japanese embrace a “waste not, want not” philosophy, reflected in their use of the term mottainai, which conveys a strong aversion to wastefulness. This mindset extends to their efficient use of the island’s resources.
This ancient Buddhist principle explains practices like saving wrapping paper, reusing sink water in toilets, and repurposing old kimonos into items like purses, fans, and chopstick holders.
Japanese cuisine mirrors this ethos, with horumon being a prime example. Meaning “things to discard,” horumon is a post-World War II dish made from offal and tripe. It is a budget-friendly, working-class meal commonly found in eateries across the Kansai region of Honshu.
The dish features beef or pork and may include parts like the diaphragm, esophagus, intestine, kidney, liver, rectum, and stomach. While these are often skewered and grilled (horumonyaki), they can also be deep-fried in batter (horumon tempura), stir-fried with noodles, or cooked in a hot pot (horumon nabe).
This unique mix of organs is also used in stews (motsunabe), where pork or beef offal is simmered in a broth with cabbage, garlic, soy, and noodles.
1. Green Caviar (aka Sea Grapes)
The so-called “green caviar” (umi budou) is actually a seaweed variety. Cultivated in the shallow waters near Okinawa Island in southern Japan, the algae form clusters of green spheres. Transported in darkness, the seaweed temporarily loses its green hue, which returns when exposed to low-intensity light.
The seaweed is often eaten raw in salads, accompanied by the tangy citrus dipping sauce ponzu. Its slimy spheres burst in the mouth, releasing a mildly salty taste. Japanese chefs also use it as a garnish for seafood dishes like smoked salmon blini and tuna sashimi.
Sea grapes are highly nutritious, containing carbohydrates, protein, fiber, omega-3, antioxidants, and essential minerals. However, research indicates that the seaweed (Caulerpa lentillifera) may contain significant levels of cadmium, raising concerns about potential toxicity.
This seaweed is also popular in other Asian countries, frequently featured on menus in the Philippines and Malaysia.
