19 Japanese Party Foods
posted by John Spacey, October 14, 2014Japan likes a good party.Japanese holidays, seasonal events, festivals, milestones of life and get-togethers all call for a feast.Parties in Japan are focused on food. The Japanese rarely have house parties. In Tokyo, people live far from each other (Tokyo is incredibly spread) in small apartments. People go to restaurants for a party or they head to the riverside for a BBQ.These are Japan's favorite party foods.
1. Yakitori
Yakitori restaurants are an excellent choice for a casual night of conversation with a few friends. They are always lively. There's something about chicken and vegetables on skewers that perfectly compliments drinks.
In the countryside, yakitori places are roughly the equivalent of a village pub.
In the countryside, yakitori places are roughly the equivalent of a village pub.2. Sukiyaki
It's extremely popular to cook your own food at restaurants in Japan. Perhaps this is compensation for the modern inability to have parties at home. It's good to cook together.Sukiyaki is a winter hotpot of thinly sliced beef in a sweet and savory soup (shoyu, sugar and mirin). It's customarily dipped in raw egg before eating.
Sukiyaki are a bonenkai favorite.
Sukiyaki are a bonenkai favorite.3. Karaage
Karaage is Japanese fried chicken in a batter of soy sauce, ginger and wheat flour. It's less oily than western style fried chicken.
Karaage is an Izakaya favorite.
Karaage is an Izakaya favorite.4. Shabu-shabu
Another cook-it-yourself hotpot.Shabu-shabu is thinly sliced beef, pork, vegetables in a hotpot with a light broth such as dashi. You cook by swishing ingredients back and forth in the soup. The phase "shabu-shabu" is thought to mimic a swishing sound. It could be translated "swish-swish".
5. Sashimi
Sashimi is another izakaya favorite. At izakaya it's usually served as a moriawase (combination platter). Most often the menu offers a single choice that represents the fresh fish of the day. Sashimi is normally the most expensive item on the menu.
6. Yakiniku
Yakiniku is Japanese style bbq. You cook your own meat and vegetables over a coal grill in your table. It's satisfying at a primal level to sit around a fire with friends and cook some meat.
7. Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki are savory Japanese pancakes that can be filled with any ingredient imaginable. They evolved as a way to use up leftovers.Okonomiyaki restaurants often let you cook your own pancake using a grill in your table. A good choice for small parties of 3-7 people. Okonomiyaki is a specialty of Osaka.
8. Monjayaki
Monjayaki is Tokyo's version of Okonomiyaki. Its batter is runny. As a result, it's a little more challenging to cook. The resulting pancake has a crunchy texture like overcooked cheese.
9. Kushiage
Deep fried meats and vegetables on bamboo skewers. Any food on a stick makes an excellent drinking food. 
10. Edamame
Young soybeans boiled in salt and topped with salt. They are a godsend for izakaya owners because they are salty, inexpensive and not too filling. They make customers thirsty. Everyone likes edamame.
11. Bento
Each spring the sakura bloom throughout Japan. It's everyone's favorite time of year. People layout mats under the trees for hanami (flower viewing parties).You might expect flower viewing to be a quiet, introspective affair. Nothing could be further from the truth. Hanami tends to be reasonably wild.The Japanese have a saying about hanami that goes "hana yori dango" (dumplings over flowers). It's an observation that hanami people are more interested in food and drink than flowers.Japan's spring weather is fabulous. Everyone feels like being outside in spring. Nobody has time to cook. Everyone just grabs a bento box.
12. Imoni
Northern areas of Japan tend to celebrate the autumn as much as the spring.Autumn parties are always centered around a fire for warmth. Imoni is a favorite campfire food for autumn get-togethers in the Tohoku region of Japan (the Northern part of Japan's main island).It's a thick potato and meat soup that includes regional vegetables in season.
13. Kiritanpo
Another campfire food from Tohoku. Rice is cooked, mashed and formed into cylinders on a stick. This is then cooked over a campfire much like roasting a marshmallow. Miso paste is often used as a topping.
14. Takoyaki
Japanese festivals usual feature a number of food vendors. These vendors travel around Japan following the festival food circuit. With an estimated 100,000 festivals in Japan each year — this is a lucrative trade.Takoyaki is a festival favorite. They are ball-shaped savory pancakes with a bite of octopus in the middle. Takoyaki are topped with mayonnaise, takoyaki sauce (similar to tonkatsu sauce), katsuobushi and nori flakes.
15. Ikayaki
Ikayaki (grilled squid) is another izakaya classic.
16. Shioyaki
In the summer, the Japanese enjoy outdoor bbq parties. Since practically no one has a backyard big enough for a party, people head to one of Japan's many riverside parks.Shioyaki is a bbq favorite. It's grilled mackerel with salt. It's typically skewered and cooked over hot coals.
17. Toshikoshi Soba
The Japanese have a great number of festive foods that are associated with special events and holidays.New Years alone is associated with dozens of festive foods with symbolic meanings. Toshikoshi Soba (literally: year crossing buckwheat noodles) is eaten on New Years Eve to forget the hardships of the year. Soba are soft and easily cut. This symbolizes letting go and moving forward. 
18. Temaki
Temaki are cone shaped sushi that you make with your hands. It's easy to host a temaki party. You layout basic sushi ingredients and everyone makes their own. It's perfect for dinner parties and family celebrations when you want to feed people something popular without too much effort.
19. Motsunabe
Motsunabe is a specialty of Fukuoka that most Japanese consider a somewhat usual and challenging dish. It's essentially a stew of pork or beef guts. Its taste tends to invoke interesting reactions in people.
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