As everyone knows, in Japan there is a cult of food. And this is no coincidence - Japanese cuisine is an intangible heritage recognized by UNESCO. Dishes can vary not only by season, but also by region. The Japanese word for this is "meibutsu" (名物). It means local food (郷土料理 ー kyoudo ryouri) or something typical and popular in a particular region.

The most famous type of traditional Japanese food in Kyoto is Kaiseki (懐石). Usually, these are the freshest seasonal products, served on beautiful dishes or served with natural materials such as tree leaves or flowers. The main dish can be rice or noodles - soba. But the whole essence of this type of dish is proper serving, so that a person can admire the harmony of the ingredients laid out on lacquered bowls.

In the Wakayama Prefecture you can find an unusual dish made from tofu. The dish itself is called Koya-dofu (こやどふ). Tofu is first dried and then frozen. You can cook various soups with it, because it absorbs much more broth and has a more refined taste than regular tofu. Also, Koya-Dofu is one of the ingredients of dishes for Buddhist monks - 精進料理 (shoujin ryouri).

Osaka is considered the birthplace of Takoyaki (たこ焼き). Dough is poured onto a molding pan, a piece of boiled octopus (tako) is added, sometimes with green onions and pickled ginger. Then, with special wooden sticks, this “bun” is turned over so that it is browned on all sides, and served, poured with sweetish sauce or mayonnaise and sprinkled with katsuobushi. All roads to the temple will be lined with benches where takoyaki will be prepared right in front of you, and not a single festival can do without them.

In Shiga Prefecture, you can taste one of the oldest sushi recipes, Funazushi (鮒ずし). It is made from golden carp (鮒ーfuna), which is caught in Lake Biwa. Cleaned fish is marinated for more than a month, and then, put inside boiled rice, left for another six months. Of course, after that, the fish acquires a slightly strange aroma and sour taste, but because of its nutritional value, it is very much appreciated by the Japanese.