POV: A Week in Japan as a Foodie Traveler 🇯🇵🍜
I don't think I've ever come back from Japan without talking about the food more than anything else.
Ask me what I did on the trip and I'll probably remember the bowl of ramen I had on a rainy afternoon before I remember which attraction I visited that day. I'll remember the matcha parfait that was even better than I expected, the bakery I wandered into because it smelled amazing, and the tiny izakaya where we ended up staying much longer than planned.
Somehow, food always becomes the highlight.
Before every trip, I already have a ridiculously long list of places I want to eat. It starts with ramen, sushi, gyukatsu, yakiniku, yakitori, tonkatsu, omurice and curry rice, then somehow grows to include kissatens, cafés, fruit sandwiches, soufflé pancakes, matcha desserts, bakeries and every seasonal snack I come across. I already know there aren't enough meals in a week to try everything, but that never stops me from adding "just one more."
Once I'm there, I don't like locking every meal into an itinerary. I prefer having plenty of options and deciding based on how the day goes. If lunch finishes earlier than expected, maybe I'll stop for a matcha latte. If I walk past a bakery with fresh bread coming out of the oven, I'll go in. If I notice a small restaurant packed with locals, I'm more than happy to change my dinner plans.
Those are usually the meals I remember most.
Japan also has a way of convincing me that there's always room for another snack. I'll walk into a convenience store for a bottle of water and somehow leave with an egg sandwich, onigiri, karaage, pudding and a seasonal dessert. Then I'll wander through a department store food hall telling myself I'm "just looking", only to walk out with strawberries, daifuku, tamagoyaki, croquettes or a fruit sandwich that somehow couldn't be left behind.
In my defence, Japan also makes me walk more than anywhere else.
Between changing train lines, exploring different neighbourhoods, shopping, sightseeing and simply wandering around, it's surprisingly easy to clock more than 20,000 steps a day without even trying. At some point, I convince myself those extra steps justify another bowl of ramen, another bakery stop or "just one more" matcha dessert.
Whether that's actually true... I'll let everyone else decide. 😂
I've realised being a foodie traveller isn't about squeezing in as many meals as possible. It's about enjoying the whole experience around them too. Waiting outside a tiny ramen shop, wandering through a market deciding what to eat, stumbling across a bakery that wasn't on the list, or finding a cosy café when your feet need a break. Those little moments end up being just as memorable as the food itself.
I came home from my last Japan trip about 3kg heavier, and honestly, I wasn't even surprised. I also came home with a much longer list of places to try next time, because somehow every trip to Japan gives me even more reasons to go back.
If you're a foodie traveller too, here are a few tips that have worked well for me:
· Save more food spots than you'll have time to visit—you'll have options if plans change.
· Don't overplan. Leave room for cafés, bakeries and restaurants you discover along the way.
· Mix famous spots with neighbourhood favourites. Some of my best meals were completely unplanned.
· Don't skip convenience stores or department store food halls—they're part of the Japan food experience.
· Group your food stops by area to save time instead of travelling across the city for every meal.
· Embrace the 20,000+ steps a day... they justify that extra bowl of ramen or matcha dessert. 😂
Japan always brings out the foodie in me, and honestly, I don't think I'd want to travel there any other way.
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