What is ediable in Japan

With as many posts as I've written on the subject I might as well stop listing what sorts of awful foods there are here and make it easier, here's a list of some foods are actually good in Japan (Hint: they aren't really Japanese):



Tantanmen


Chinese food is in high abundance in Japan. There is pretty much a ramen shop on every street corner, and this is not a total exaggeration. It is one of the most popular things to eat. Some of these shops may be so small that customers have to eat standing up. This is the quintessential food for travelers as it's both good and cheap.


Tantanmen is a variety of ramen. It's broth is made of sesame seeds and hot oil. It's often topped off with some bak choi. The thicker base means that it can actually be deceivingly filling making it one of the best foods to find.

Curry, Naan and Indian food

Japanese love Indian food. While not quite as popular as Chinese it probably comes in second as one of the easiest foods to find. Luckily it is quite delicious. It's rather expensive though, a meal will cost $12-15 depending on what you get and where you go but often well worth it. You usually get a cup or 2 of curry in different flavors and dip your naan bread into it. It's usually a bit spicier than it's lesser cousin Curried Rice, though not always.





Curried Rice

This I believe is the Japanese equivalent of the "enchirido." It's Indian inspired but mostly Japanese and it found pretty much everywhere. Popular types include plain rice and curry on the side (It's always on the side for some reason, God forbid you pour it OVER the rice) or with Katsu (fried pork) over it. It's usually at least decent. The variety pictured here is from a chain called coco's curry. They serve curried rice with a number of toppings, in this case sausage. You can also choose your hotness level here. I went for an 8/10 which was enough to induce a hiccup fit and nose running. I could do hotter but I don't know how much I could finish.




Bou-kun Habenaro

These are easily the most delicious snack food ever invented. They are probably laced with crack because I can't stop eating them. They are flavored potato rings, that come in two flavors: Chili and Habenaro. Both are good. Chili is pictured.

Katsu

This has come up a lot. It's basically a fried pork patty. You see it in a variety of settings including on curried rice, in ramen, in sandwiches and by itself. By itself it is usually eaten with a type of BBQ sauce. There's not a whole lot to this, but it's fried meat which basically ensures that it'll be hard to mess up.


Note: In writing this I've pretty much decided that the only thing Japan can do right consistantly is spicy. I'm not sure I exactly understand why either.