Kaiseki
Kaiseki refers to a Japanese full-course menu dining experience where you can enjoy various ingredients and food preparations. Basically, the meal will begin with an appetizer, followed by soup, Sashimi (sliced raw fish), Yakimono (a grilled dish), Takiawase (simmered dishes), Aemono (a dish served cold, mainly consisting of vegetables, sometimes with meat or seafood), Shokuji (a dish served with rice, miso soup, and pickled vegetables), and will end with Kudamono (fruit). Furthermore, Kaiseki meals can have different themes, such as beef Kaiseki and crab Kaiseki.
Sushi
When we talk about sushi, most of us will think of a slice of raw fish on top of rice, or a sushi roll, but there are actually even more varieties of sushi. For instance, we have Edomae Sushi and Kainoha Sushi.
Edomae Sushi is prepared by the chef one piece at a time, and the chef will also personally season the fish and rice. Thus, when enjoying Edomae Sushi, you will not need to add soy sauce or wasabi or the like, and should eat the sushi as soon as possible after it is served.
Kakinoha Sushi is the local style of sushi from Nara, Wakayama, and Ishikawa of Japan. The Japanese will use Kakinoha, or persimmon leaves, to wrap the sushi and keep it fresh for a few days.
Kushiyaki
Kushiyaki is a type of Japanese Barbecue where beef, pork, and vegetables are grilled and served on a bamboo skewer. Some Kushiyaki restaurants specialize in serving chicken skewers, known as Yakitori.
Deep Fried Cuisine
Tempura refers to Japanese cuisine that uses a flour batter along with egg to coat various ingredients which are then deep fried. The flavor and texture of Tempura can be tweaked depending on the ratio of egg yolk to egg white used, as well as the type and temperature of the oil in which the Tempura is fried.
Kushikatsu is another variety of deep-fried Japanese cuisine. It is similar to Kushiyaki, but instead of grilling the ingredients on the skewer, they are instead coated in a flour and egg batter and deep fried, similarly to Tempura.
Japanese Noodles
Initially a Chinese cuisine, Ramen experienced a long period of development in Japan before becoming a characteristic Japanese cuisine. Ramen uses different kinds of noodles, toppings, and soup bases depending on where in Japan you go. The most common Ramen found overseas is Tonkotsu Ramen (where the soup base is flavored with pork bones).
Udon is another well-known variety of Japanese noodles. Udon noodles are flour-based, like Ramen, but are not made with lye water and therefore have a taste and texture that are much different. Also like Ramen, Udon noodles can have different shapes and are served in different styles, such as Sanuki Udon and Inaniwa Udon.
Unagi
Unagi is Japanese Eel. The most common Unagi cuisine is Kabayaki Unagi, which is a grilled eel dish in which the bones are removed before the eel filet is marinated in a sweet soy sauce base and then grilled. Additionally, Unajuu is an eel dish in which the sweet soy sauce grilled eel is served over rice in a traditional box. Another cooking method for eel is called Shirayaki, in which the eel is grilled but without the sweet soy marinade.
Shabushabu
Shabushabu is similar to Hot-Pot in China. You can choose the soup base and ingredients that you like, and cook it yourself in a pot of boiling broth. However, Shabushabu has a fixed menu where you typically choose one type of meat, such as beef or chicken, that you will cook in the broth with vegetables, while in Hot-Pot you can add in anything you would like.
Yatai
If you have been to a Japanese O-Matsuri (a local festival), there's no doubt you've seen plenty of Yatai, or food stands lining the streets. One popular street food is Oden, which is a simmered dish containing various ingredients in a Bonito fish or kelp soup base. Oden preparation also varies throughout Japan depending on the region.
Another popular street food is Takoyaki, made with octopus inside of a spherical ball of fried dough that is crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside.
Teppanyaki
Teppanyaki, also known as Hibachi outside of Japan, is a dining experience where the chef will prepare the entire meal on a large Teppan grill (iron grill) in front of the customers. Sometimes it is featured as a course menu where customers can enjoy a variety of different dishes, similar to Kaiseki.
Izakaya
An Izakaya is a Japanese-style bar where you can enjoy different kinds of alcoholic drinks with Japanese bar foods. Portions are typically small as each dish is meant to be an accompaniment to enhance your enjoyment of the beverage. But if you're still hungry, you can also find rice and noodle dishes on the menu.
Kanmidokoro
Kanmidokoro is a shop that serves Japanese sweets and desserts.