Must-Eat Foods in Japan: Part 2 of 3

Date: 2018-07-30

Bonus: Ekiben (Station Bento)

Tokaido Shinkansen Bento

When travelling between Tokyo and the Kansai region, I always buy a station bento before boarding. I prefer the multi-compartment makunouchi style — a little of everything, nothing wasted.

The Tokaido Shinkansen Bento (sold at Tokyo Station) features regional specialities from towns along the Tokaido route. It includes both plain steamed rice and asari clam rice cooked together — so neither gets boring. Tucked between the fried items is a black hanpen (a dark fishcake unique to Shizuoka Prefecture). Locals eat it fried or in oden stew. I had heard of it for years; this bento was the first time I actually tried it.

And of course — on the Shinkansen, even the water should be properly Japanese.

551 Horai Butaman (Steamed Pork Buns, Osaka)

For anyone from Osaka, 551 Horai's butaman (steamed pork buns) are soul food. The chain has stalls throughout Osaka's department store basements and train stations — in the Kansai region, you are never far from one.

But for the full experience: visit the restaurant above the flagship store in Namba's Ebisubashi-suji Shopping Arcade. There, the buns are made fresh in front of you. Order the seafood yakisoba alongside — the noodles are available in three textures: soft, medium, or crispy-on-both-sides (the double-fried version, crisp outside and tender inside). A set menu combining both is available. The shiumai dumplings are also excellent.

An estimated 150,000 buns are made here every day — all by hand.

For visitors flying via Kansai International Airport: 551 Horai has a restaurant and take-away stall in the terminal, where chilled buns can be purchased as gifts. A small hidden gem from the same shop: Chinese-style sweet potato fritters coated in a crackle of toffee glaze. If you see them, buy them without hesitation.

Ootoya (Japanese Set Meal Restaurant)

Ootoya is a national chain serving teishoku — the Japanese set meal format. One main dish, miso soup, pickles, and rice. The main changes daily and by season: grilled fish, steamed pork with ponzu sauce and vegetables, fried chicken, and more.

The menu I keep returning to: thinly sliced pork and a generous pile of vegetables, steamed and served with ponzu dipping sauce. Light, fresh, deeply satisfying. Rice can be chosen as white rice or five-grain mixed rice.

Grilled hokke (Atka mackerel) is another favourite — a large, flavourful fish, rarely seen outside Japan. Ootoya also has seasonal menus tied to what's available, so check the specials.

One item I keep forgetting to photograph before eating: the house-made fresh tofu, served with freshly shaved bonito, grated ginger, and spring onion. Add soy sauce. The natural sweetness of the soybean comes through completely.

Why Ootoya Matters

Outside Japan, "Japanese food" typically means sushi. But truly healthy, balanced Japanese everyday cooking is the teishoku format — whole grains, fermented foods, seasonal vegetables, modest portions. If Ootoya opened in London, I would move within walking distance.

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