Food guide
47 local foods Japan protects by name
Like Champagne in France, each of these names may only be used for produce from one area. Look for the GI mark on the label: it means the real thing. Use this list to know what to try in each region.
Region
47 foods match
- FukushimaAizu Jidori会津地鶏A heritage chicken from the Aizu area of Fukushima. The meat is red, fine and springy, with a rich, moist taste. The breed was saved from near extinction in 1987.
- AomoriAomori CassisあおもりカシスBlackcurrants grown around Aomori city in northern Japan, from plants that came from Germany in 1965. Every berry is picked ripe and by hand.
- TokushimaAwaodori Chicken阿波尾鶏A jidori chicken from Tokushima, named after the Awa Odori dance festival. The meat is reddish, firm, low in fat and full of umami, and it was Japan's top-selling jidori for 20 years.
- OkinawaChinsukoちんすこうChinsuko is a traditional baked sweet from Okinawa, crumbly and melt-in-the-mouth. Its roots go back to the Ryukyu Kingdom, and today it's Okinawa's classic souvenir.
- FukuiEchizen Crab越前がにEchizen Crab is snow crab landed in Fukui. Kept cold from the sea to port, it is famous for sweet meat and rich crab miso, and Fukui has sent it to the Imperial Household for more than 90 years.
- IbarakiEdosaki Kabocha江戸崎かぼちゃA kabocha squash from Inashiki in Ibaraki, harvested only when fully ripe. The flesh is deep orange, sweet and fluffy when cooked.
- FukuokaHakata Jidoriはかた地どりA local chicken from Fukuoka, firm and springy and rich in umami. It was bred for Fukuoka's mizutaki chicken hot pot and gameni stew, because it holds its shape when simmered.
- HokkaidoHamanaka Farmed Uni浜中養殖うにHamanaka in Hokkaido farms bafun sea urchin fed on local kelp. The uni is deep orange-yellow, creamy and free of bitterness, and sells for more than wild uni.
- AichiHatcho Miso八丁味噌Hatcho Miso is a dark red-brown miso from Aichi made from soybeans and salt. Rich, a little sour and slightly bitter, it's the flavour at the heart of Nagoya food.
- GifuHida Beef飛騨牛Hida Beef is Wagyu from Gifu Prefecture, known for rich marbling. It won the top carcass award at Japan's national Wagyu competition two times in a row.
- YamagataHigashine Cherries東根さくらんぼHigashine in Yamagata is the birthplace of Sato Nishiki, Japan's most prized cherry variety. Its cherries are big, with a fine balance of sweet and sour.
- HyogoIbonoito揖保乃糸Ibonoito is hand-stretched somen from Hyogo, named after the Ibo River. Hyogo makes more hand-stretched somen than anywhere else in Japan.
- NaganoIchida Kaki市田柿Ichida Kaki are dried persimmons from the Iida area of southern Nagano. They are amber and soft inside, with a fine white coat of natural sugar.
- AomoriJusanko Yamato Shijimi十三湖産大和しじみSmall Yamato shijimi clams from Lake Jusan, a brackish lake on the Tsugaru coast of Aomori. Famous for the rich, savoury broth they give.
- IshikawaKaga Maruimo Yam加賀丸いもA round yam the size of a softball, from Nomi and Komatsu in Ishikawa. Grated, it turns thick and very sticky, with a clear yam flavour.
- KagoshimaKagoshima Wagyu鹿児島黒牛Black Wagyu from Kagoshima, known in Japan as Kagoshima Kuroushi. The meat is fine and tender, and its fat melts at a low temperature. It was overall champion at the 2017 national Wagyu show.
- HyogoKobe Beef神戸ビーフKobe Beef is Tajima cattle raised in Hyogo whose meat passes strict grading. It is rare, under 0.2% of the beef eaten in Japan, so check that a restaurant is a registered seller.
- KumamotoKumamoto Akaushiくまもとあか牛A red-brown Wagyu from Kumamoto. The beef is mostly lean with moderate marbling, light and tender, and richer in umami amino acids than black Wagyu.
- NiigataKurosaki Chamame Edamameくろさき茶豆A fragrant edamame from the Kurosaki area of Niigata city. Chamame means 'tea bean', for the brownish skin of the bean inside the pod.
- ShizuokaLake Hamanako Unagi浜名湖うなぎLake Hamanako in Shizuoka is where eel farming in Japan began, and its unagi is prized for rich fat and a soft, plump texture.
- IwateMaesawa Beef前沢牛Wagyu from the Maesawa area of Oshu in Iwate, with fine marbling and moist meat that seems to melt. It has won the top national carcass award six times, more than any other area.
- KagoshimaMakurazaki Katsuobushi枕崎鰹節Smoked, dried bonito from Makurazaki in Kagoshima, a food with more than 300 years of history here. Makurazaki makes more katsuobushi than anywhere else in Japan.
- ShizuokaMishima Potato三島馬鈴薯May Queen potatoes dug by hand on the west slopes of Hakone, in Mishima and Kannami, Shizuoka. Smooth-skinned, sweet and good keepers.
- NaraMiwa Somen三輪素麺Miwa in Nara is said to be where hand-stretched somen began, about 1,300 years ago. The noodles are very thin but firm, and stay springy after boiling.