The Best Foods I Ate in Japan

I just returned from a two week trip to Japan. Here's a look at what I ate!

Soba and tempura from Ukiya, outside the Nishiki Market

Fresh soybean crackers at the Nishiki Market

Soymilk donuts, also at Nishiki

Spicy ramen bowl from Ippudo Ramen

Traditional pork tonkotsu bowl at Ippudo

Hot pot place called Karu

Tofu and eggplant at a teppanyaki place

Pork tonkatsu with miso soup

Foie gras with mango at Motoi, a French one-star Michelin restaurant

Wagyu beef with seven kinds of peas/beans (sugarsnap, snow, edamame, lima, fava, petit and I never figured out the last one!), also at Motoi

Unagi donburi bowl (grilled eel over rice) in a rural town called Oyabe, near where my paternal great grandparents are from. This was one of my most favorite meals the entire trip.

Gorgeous sashimi place at Kusunoki in Kanazawa

Grilled eggplant with miso also at Kusunoki

Goma (sesame) tofu at Natadera Temple

Kanazawa-style ramen (traditional pork broth cut with dashi to lighten it a bit)

Oysters bigger than my hand at Omicho Market in Kanazawa

Making oobanyaki and takoyaki at Kuroman Market in Osaka

Tako pops

Kabocha squash at Kuroman Market

Okonomiyaki in Osaka

Matcha tea