14 Countries With the Best Food for Insatiable Foodies — Travlinmad Slow Travel Blog

14. Japan

Japan is a culinary country to experience. With vibrant cities like Tokyo and Osaka (among others) vying for the food capital of Japan title, there’s just so much to eat, drink, and experience.

People in Osaka love to eat and enjoy introducing visitors to their cuisine.

Street food can be found throughout the city but if you’re interested in a true gourmet experience then head for the the Umeda, Dotonbori, and Shinsekai areas. In these areas you will find some of the very best restaurants in the city.

One of the most famous foods loved in Osaka is takoyaki, dumplings filled with octopus or sometimes shrimp that can be found on the street or in restaurants.

Maybe one the best places to have takoyaki is the Dotonbori Konamon Museum with a giant red octopus above the entrance.

A very popular food also found everywhere in the city is okonomiyaki. This large pancake is made with eggs, yams, and cabbage topped with whatever you like and how much of it you want.

Things like pork, squid, cabbage, shrimp, the list is only as endless as what is on the menu.

When it comes to food in Japan, locals definitely have a sweet tooth, with unique and colorful (often unnaturally so) creations Westerners may find off-putting.

But many Japanese desserts are delicious, if not downright fun to eat, so give thema try.

But not all food in Osaka is Japanese. There is a Korea Town with Korean restaurants that have been there for decades. People come to this area to enjoy Yakiniku or barbecued beef. You pick the cut of meat from the menu and grill it over coals right at your table.

Tokyo may well be Japan’s Ramen capital, with hundreds of ramen eateries to savor around the city.

The food scene in Japan is both vibrant and a bit overwhelming, and language barriers can only add to the confusion.

This guide on what to eat in Japan will help get you started, but there’s are many knowledgable local guides just waiting to introduce you to the flavors of Japan.

But my palate wasn’t ready for some of the unique flavors in Balinese cooking. Ingredients I wasn’t at all familiar with.

But — and this is a big but — I fell in love with some Balinese foods from the start — breakfast foods especially, as well as many of the local Balinese street foods.

Breakfast in Bali is like warm comfort food disguised as breakfast. The flavors and textures are warm and familiar. Popular items like Bubar Ayam which tastes like a big bowl of warm chicken soup (with a crispy piece of puffed chicken skin like the cherry on top) is my favorite.

Or is it their banana crepes with honey drizzled over? It’s hard to decide. But that’s not important.

What is important is that you go and see for yourself. And see if you’re finally convinced that breakfast is the most important — and welcoming — meal of the day!

Enjoy your travels to these countries with the best food!