How to Eat Local & Legit in Japan
If you’re heading to Japan and your goal is to eat like the Japanese locals do, you’re in for a real treat.
This local dining approach will bring you Japan food travel experiences that are much more rewarding than a bowl of ramen near a sightseeing hotspot or a matcha soft-serve in a tourist zone.
Japan is a country where food is tied to season, region, presentation and routine. What’s considered “good” food here isn’t necessarily expensive or rare. It’s often about balance, care and consistency.
For travelers who want to tap into that, it helps to know what Japanese people really eat … and where they actually go to eat it.
Let’s take a look at the kinds of meals that form the backbone of everyday eating in Japan, plus a few special occasion options and where you’ll find them without drifting into tourist-only territory.
Japanese Everyday Eats: Teishoku
A staple of daily life in Japan, teishoku is the set meal.
At its essence is a tray with a main dish, a bowl of rice, miso soup, and a few small side dishes like pickles or simmered vegetables. You’ll find these meals everywhere, ranging from small family-run neighborhood diners (shokudo) and train station restaurants to mall food floors and shopping arcade favorites.
Popular teishoku dishes include:
Grilled fish (like saba shioyaki) with daikon and soy sauce
Tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) with shredded cabbage
Hambagu (Japanese hamburger steak) with a tangy demi-glace sauce
Karaage (Japanese fried chicken), crisp and juicy, served with lemon and mayo
These are weekday meals. They’re how millions of Japanese people eat lunch or dinner when they’re not cooking at home. And they’re deeply regional: what’s offered often reflects local ingredients and culinary customs.
You won’t find long lines of influencers here, just hungry locals getting a square meal.
Noodle Culture Is Huge in Japan
Yes, there’s ramen. Of course.
But there’s so much more to noodles in Japan!
Like soba. And udon. And somen in summer. And each has its own loyal following, seasonal appeal, and regional identity.
For instance, in Nagano or rural parts of Tohoku, buckwheat soba is made fresh and served simply; cold with dipping sauce, or hot in a light broth. In Osaka, udon tends to be soft, with a gentle dashi. In Fukuoka, ramen is tonkotsu-style: rich, creamy pork broth with thin, straight noodles.
Skip the places that have signs in six languages or seem little too… nice?
Instead, look for shops filled with salarymen, seniors and solo diners. You’ll often buy a meal ticket from a vending machine at the entrance, hand it over and be slurping within minutes.
Restaurant Floors: Japan’s Restaurants Are Often Hidden in Plain Sight
If you’re walking through a Japanese city and wondering where people actually go out to eat – like, not in back alleys full of lanterns for effect, and not in themed cafés – it’s often upstairs or downstairs in department stores, malls, office buildings or stations.
In other words, these gems in Japan are hiding in plain sight.
The restaurant floors of department stores (depato) or larger shopping centers are a kind of unsung hero in Japan’s food scene. Usually located on the 7th, 8th, or 9th floors (or sometimes in the basement), they offer everything from soba to tempura, Western-style yoshoku, traditional sweets, sushi and Chinese food, all lined up side-by-side with big plastic models in the window to show what’s on the menu.
These restaurants aren’t just for shoppers; they’re where locals go for family dinners, lunch breaks, or a reliable meal when they’re out and about. And the food is often excellent. If you’re trying to sample a range of dishes in one go, these floors are a solid bet.
Local & Casual: Don't Skip the Cafeterias in Japan
Japanese corporate and government buildings often have employee cafeterias (shain shokudo) that are open to the public.
You may also find excellent food courts in shopping malls, office buildings, universities, industrial areas (no really!) or train stations. While “cafeteria” might sound like an afterthought elsewhere, in Japan these places are efficient, clean and serve food that’s often cooked from scratch.
These aren’t styled for tourists, and they’re not a cultural performance. But they are part of daily life for many Japanese people, and that’s what makes them interesting.
Eats in Japan Without the Fuss
Japan has an enormous number of small, independent eateries that specialize in just one or two things.
They might not have English menus or polished service, but they’re the kinds of places people eat at weekly, if not daily. Here are a few categories to look out for:
Donburi shops: Bowls of rice topped with simmered beef (gyudon), tempura (tendon), raw fish (kaisendon), or pork cutlet with egg (katsudon).
Family restaurants: Chains like Coco Ichibanya (curry), Marugame Seimen (udon noodles & tempura), Gyoza no Osho (dumplings & other Chinese-Japanese faves) and many others offer a range of dishes in a relaxed, booth-style setting. Not highbrow, but deeply normal.
Bento counters: While bento boxes are often eaten at home or work, many locals grab them from take-out counters near train stations or inside supermarkets & department stores (depachika). Not convenience store bentos, these are more varied, better balanced,and often prepared on-site.
Also, there are mom-and-pop restaurants all over Japan, almost always in local neighborhoods with a simple sign and a few tables or barstools. Wander in, bow and smile. Look around at what’s on offer, what others are eating. Ask “O-susume wa?” and get a recommendation. Use a translation app if need be. But don’t miss these!
Izakaya: The After-Five Pub Experience in Japan
After work, many Japanese people go out for drinks and small plates at an izakaya.
These places are usually informal, sometimes rowdy, and offer everything from grilled skewers to sashimi, fried foods, salads and regional specialties.
You don’t need to drink to enjoy an izakaya, as it’s as much about food as it is about beer (just be sure to order beyond a minimum).
Some izakaya are modern and sleek; others are barely larger than a hallway with a few stools at the counter. Both are part of the landscape.
Ordering is often done one or two dishes at a time, and it’s completely normal to linger. This is where social eating happens… between friends, coworkers or even total strangers.
Japan’s Famous (and Lesser Known) Sweets and Snacks
While Japan has a dazzling array of seasonal sweets, mochi, wagashi and regional snacks, these aren’t usually eaten in place of a meal. They're part of the broader eating culture, but not the main act.
That said, if you’re wandering a covered shopping street (shotengai) or exploring a morning market in Kanazawa, Hakodate or Takayama, go ahead and try a sweet red bean treat, a seasonal fruit skewer, or a fried rice cake hot off the griddle. It’s part of Japan food travel for sure.
Also, take some sweets home as souvenirs! Just be sure to check the expiration dates, as many sweets don’t have long self lives.
How to Find Authentic Restaurants in Japan (& Avoid the Tourist Traps)
Like many popular travel destinations around the world, there’s a bit of a vicious/virtuous cycle in Japan when it comes to restaurants in areas that get a lot of international visitors.
Here’s how it might play out:
A restaurant owned by Japanese people has been serving local residents for years
As the inbound travel boom takes off, the restaurant starts serving more international clientele
Restaurant patrons from outside Japan give good reviews about that restaurant & recommend it to friends & colleagues planning a visit to Japan
Over time, the restaurant’s clientele becomes more and more international, eventually past the tipping point where locals either can’t get in (priced out or squeezed out) or don’t want to go anymore… and thus it becomes a touristy restaurant
Now, what does this mean for your Japan food experience?
Pro Tip: Use Reviews to FILTER OUT Touristy Restaurants
If eating “local & authentic” is a top priority for your Japan trip, these touristy restaurants are probably the kind of place you’ll want to avoid.
But a lot of tourists don’t avoid it. In fact, people choose these touristy restaurants because either:
the Google or Tripadvisor point them towards these places
or a friend or colleague visited Japan and ate at one of these touristy restaurants (but for whatever reason didn’t realize or care that it was touristy)
Why do Google reviews look better for some restaurants? Japanese people give reviews and ratings on a different basis, hesitant to give out stars. The website Tabelog is a much better source for finding local, authentic restaurants in Japan. Google & Tripadvisor reviews will often steer you towards touristy restaurants.
As for recognizing that a restaurant in a tourist area is full of tourists, it’s important to remember that most international tourists in Japan come from other countries in Asia.
When many Americans or Europeans visit Japan, they don’t recognize that their fellow diners (or visitors at sights & attractions) are, in fact, not Japanese but from countries like China, Korea, Taiwan or elsewhere. This is no slight against anyone’s nationality, but if you’ve come to Japan to eat authentic Japanese food, how “local” and “real” will it be if most (if not all) of the customers are non-Japanese (often served by non-Japanese, too)?
To filter out these reviews, use Tabelog instead of Google. Or, if you are on Google Maps and looking for a local restaurant in, say, Kyoto or Tokyo, look for restaurants with reviews that are predominantly from Japanese customers, not foreign names.
Better yet, if you’re a client of Japan Travel Pros, talk to us during the planning stages of your Japan trip. If there’s a restaurant that you’re thinking of booking ahead of time, we’ll be happy to let you know whether it’s local and authentic, or if it caters to non-Japanese diners.
Signs That a Restaurant in Japan Is Touristy
If you want to eat where locals in Japan eat, watch out for these red flags:
Menus with photos and English everywhere … a couple of English translations are normal, but full photo menus usually signal a place built for visitors
Waiting crowds made up mostly of tourists … if you only hear foreign languages in line, that’s a clue (a great reason to learn even a little basic Japanese before your trip)
Heavy promotion on Google Maps or TripAdvisor … especially if the reviews are dominated by non-Japanese diners
Location right next to major attractions … spots a few blocks away (or further) often feel more authentic
Pushy staff or barkers outside … not a common practice at restaurants locals actually frequent
High prices for simple dishes … charging a premium for ramen or sushi that locals would find ordinary — OR concocting elaborate, high-priced dishes that didn’t even exist before the travel boom (aka “inbound-don” or “touristy stuff on rice”)
If you’re ever unsure, go with your gut. So to speak.
There are hundreds of thousands of great, local restaurants across Japan. Find one for your lunch or dinner, and you won’t regret it.
Case Studies on Where to Dine & NOT DIne in Japan
(1) A couple traveling in Kyoto booked a sleek, modern restaurant they found on Google and Instagram. It had beautiful interiors, great photos, and strong English-language reviews. When they arrived, though, nearly every table was filled with tourists. The food wasn’t bad, but the atmosphere was far from the authentic Kyoto dining experience they were hoping for.
(2) Two years ago, friends of ours ate at a small restaurant in Kanazawa that was lively, balanced and filled with both Japanese diners and international travelers. Fast-forward to 2025, and the balance has tipped heavily toward foreign tourists. The shift happened in a relatively short time period, fueled by reviews and guidebook mentions, and what once felt like a hidden gem now feels more like a stop on the tourist circuit.
These examples highlight a reality of eating in Japan: even restaurants that start out “local and legit” can quickly shift once they become popular with international visitors. This is why relying on past reviews (even from trusted friends) isn’t always enough. What may have been true a short time ago may not be true now.
This is exactly the kind of change we track for our clients, so you spend less time second-guessing and more time enjoying real Japanese dining experiences.
Follow Your Nose: Eating Well in Japan
Traveling through Japan with food as your compass means paying attention to where locals actually eat, and when.
It’s not all about chasing down viral dishes or making reservations months in advance. The most satisfying meals often come from stepping into the same places locals rely on every day.
That could mean a teishoku lunch tray in a train station restaurant… a late-night bowl of udon at a standing counter… a proper dinner upstairs in a department store … you name it.
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