South Of Tokyo, Japan
Yokohama's cuisine a diverse array of ingredients. Seafood prominent due to the city's coastal location and bustling port.
Traditional Japanese flavors, relying on soy sauce, miso, and dashi (a savory broth), the base of many dishes. Chinese spices, noodles, and fried foods, along with early Western cooking techniques and ingredients, also the local palate.
Say "Itadakimasu" before starting your meal. Say "Gochisousama deshita" after finishing. Slurping noodles (ramen, udon, soba) acceptable.
Do not stick chopsticks upright into your rice bowl. Do not pass food from chopstick to chopstick. When not them, rest your chopsticks on a chopstick rest.
Polite to finish your meal, especially the rice. Some restaurants designated smoking sections or smoke throughout. Many establishments now fully non-smoking.
A Yokohama original. This ramen dish noodles with stir-fried bean sprouts and other vegetables in a thick, starchy sauce.
Find it at many ramen shops, especially in the Chinatown area.
A precursor to sukiyaki, Gyu-nabe a beef hot pot dish. It beef and vegetables in a sweet soy-sauce-based broth.
Look for specialty restaurants that serve this historic dish.
A unique Japanese-style pasta dish. It spaghetti tossed in a ketchup-based sauce, typically with ham, onions, and green peppers.
Find it in older cafes and casual restaurants.
Sake (Nihonshu): Japanese rice wine. Shochu: A distilled spirit. Umeshu: Plum wine.
Green Tea: Various types. Ramune: Traditional Japanese carbonated soft drink.
Numerous upscale restaurants in Minato Mirai and luxury hotels. Refined Japanese cuisine (sushi, kaiseki) and high-quality international cuisines.
Abundant throughout the city. A wide variety including izakayas, dedicated sushi restaurants, tempura, tonkatsu, yakitori, and popular casual Italian or French establishments.
Yokohama Chinatown a top destination for budget-friendly eats and street food. Depachika (Department Store Food Halls) a culinary paradise.
A premier destination for budget-friendly eats and street food. Sample various steamed buns, dumplings, fried snacks, and small dishes.
Try Butaman and Goma Dango.
Many restaurants serve early Western-influenced dishes, the city's pioneering role in adopting foreign culinary styles.
Look for Sanmamen and Gyu-nabe.
High-quality, affordable meals (bentos, onigiri).
Ready-made bentos, deli items, often evening discounts.
Ramen, udon, and soba shops hearty meals.
Korean, Italian, French, Indian, Vietnamese cuisine.
Awareness improving, but truly gluten-free options challenging. Soy sauce, a staple, wheat.
Carry a printed card in Japanese clearly explaining your dietary restrictions.
Awareness improving. Online forums and specialized blogs useful tips and lists of restaurants.
Specify "katsuo nuki" (no bonito flakes) when ordering.
Many traditional Japanese dishes, even vegetable-based ones, often dashi (fish stock).
Halal options limited but growing. Kosher options very difficult to find outside dedicated Jewish community resources, usually in Tokyo.
Learn to sushi, ramen, or other Japanese dishes. Inquire at tourist information centers.
Yokohama Chinatown excellent food walking tours. These tours you through the district's best eateries and street food stalls.
Seasonal food events throughout the year. Excellent opportunities to sample local and regional specialties.
Explore local dining guides and reviews for specific restaurants.
Use HappyCow or other specialized apps for dietary needs.
For specific dietary needs, a small card with your restrictions written in Japanese. Show it to restaurant staff when ordering.
