The fall harvest provides an abundance of flavourful ingredients to prepare warm, hearty Japanese dishes for cooler nights that make food and drink in Japan an essential part of any travel experience. Ingredients like matsutake mushrooms, kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), persimmon and chestnuts proliferate menus. Nourishing bowls of soup and stew called Nabemono (things in a pot) are the staple dishes, cooked at the dinner table and shared communally. These pots of miso, soy or dashi-based stock are chock full of regional ingredients. Kyushu varieties include chicken and vegetables. In Shikoku, duck, wild boar and buckwheat dumplings are included. Parts of Chugoku include local fugu (pufferfish) or oysters. The staple ingredient in the Kansai region is the thick, doughy udon noodle. In the Chubu region there is an abundance of kabocha squash and so that is added to the pot. One specialty in Kanto region is the meat, skin and innards of monkfish. A specialty of Tohoku is the addition of pounded, skewered and grilled rice. And, in Hokkaido, stewed-salmon is essential.

There are other varieties of nabe that have gained national popularity, including Chankonabe, which was originally served to Sumo wrestlers, because it is comprised of more of everything, from meatballs, chicken and vegetables, to cabbage and udon. Oden is a soy-flavoured dashi broth with boiled eggs, konjac and fishcakes that is quick and easy to prepare, and can even be found at convenience stores. Shabu Shabu is a very common dish to cook at home in which thinly sliced meat and veggies are boiled in the pot, and eaten with a dipping sauce. Sukiyaki is similar, but the stew is sweetened with sugar and mirin, and the contents are then dipped in raw egg for a luxurious, creamy texture. Japan’s quintessential soul food is its vast regional variety of ramen, which warms and nourishes in colder nights. 

Our brand-new campaign, My Japan - Japan thru the Eyes of Canadian Celebrities, is launching in November 2020 and will run through to February 2021. Five videos of Canadian celebrities will be aired in rotation on the movie channels of the Air Canada Entertainment System, embedded in a full-page Ad in 2 issues of enRoute magazine, and posted on several online sites. Check out the eclectic range of experiences that this diverse group of celebrities discovered during their eye-opening travels through Japan. 

JNTO is now enabling a Traveller’s Blog on its website where Canadian travellers, journalists, and influencers can submit short articles with images about their passion for Japan, or their Japan travel experience. Each writer will be credited, and each influencer’s and journalist’s article will include a link to their social media or media page. Anyone interested can submit their articles and images to [email protected] . 

On the top of everyone’s mind is where and how can we travel safely. For the most up-to-date information on travel to Japan, we encourage you to visit our Coronavirus Advisory page. Japan is taking this issue seriously and adhering to its responsibility. Follow this link to learn the latest measures being taken by the Government of Japan, travel and safety tips, and closures and resumptions of attractions and events. We want everyone to feel safe.