14 Japanese Foods You Must Try in Aichi Prefecture (2023 Edition)

1. Misonikomi-Udon (udon noodles with red miso flavor)

Ieyasu Tokugawa, the founder of the Edo era, was known to be a big fan of Aichi traditional red miso, and misonikomi-udon is one of the most famous recipes using red miso. Misonikomi-udon is served really hot in a ceramic pot per each person, and it warms your body up especially during the winter. Yamamotoya is the founder of the recipe, and even now is the best place to enjoy its rich flavor of miso.

2. Miya-Kishimen (a flat noodle particular to Aichi)

On the left hand side toward the main building of Atsuta Jingu Shrine, you can find a noodle restaurant selling miya-kishimen. Its soup smells so good that no one can resist eating it. Miya means a shrine, and kishimen is a domestic flat noodle of Aichi. This is the only place you can try it in Japan, so don't miss it for any reason.

3. Hitsumabushi (chopped baked eel on rice)

If you come to Nagoya, you don't want to miss hitsumabushi at Houraiken. Histumabushi is chopped teriyaki eel served on rice. You can eat eel all over Japan, but only here in Aichi you can eat it in a very unique manner. Hitsumabushi has three steps to the whole meal, and at each step you can enjoy different flavors of eels in one dish.

4. Goheimochi (baked rice cake with red miso paste)

Back in the mountain area of Toyota city, you can find goheimochi, which is baked mochi with sweet red miso dip, stands everywhere. It smells so good that you can locate where to buy from far away even when you are walking. It is a famous local country food to take out and is best to walk around with it in your hand.

5. Inarizushi (sushi in fried tofu)

Inarizushi is sushi rice covered with a sweet flavor of fried tofu. The Inari temple honors foxes as its sacred animal, and according to Japanese legend foxes love fried tofu. That is why Toyokawa Inari is famous for inarizushi, too. In Toyokawa city once a year there is a competition to decide who has the best inarizushi of the year, and every restaurant gets really enthusiastic to win the championship. You should try the many different flavors of inarizushi there!

6. Octopus and more seafood on Himakajima island

Himakajima is famous for octopus cuisine. In many places you can see octopus being dried under the sunshine. There are many different recipes you can enjoy to eat ocotpus there. You should try one of the full-course octopus dinners at the local inns.

7. Oasari-Don (deep fried big clam on rice)

Sakushima island is famous for Ooasari, a shaddock fellow seashell. You can enjoy it simply grilled, but they are really good when it is served deep-fried on rice.

8. Miso-Katsu (Deep fried pork with red miso sauce)

When you eat deep-fried pork here in Aichi, red miso sauce is served instead of Japanese vegetable sauce. Miso is known to have excellent nutritional value, and is getting popular in other countires as a health conscious food. If you want to enjoy miso more, you must try misokatsu once.

9. Seto-Yakisoba (stir-fried noodles with pork and cabbage)

Seto city is known for its seto-yakisoba. It's a very simple yakisoba, a stir-fried noodle with vegetable sauce. It is a popular and casual Japanese local food which can attract many foreigners as well as Japanese.

10. Ookuramochi (Japanese traditional sweets)

When you get tired of walking around Tokoname city looking for your favorite ceramics, you can stop by at Ookuramochi for formal Japanese green tea and a Japanese sweet rice cake. Ookuramochi is very famous for its delicious series of sweets for city people, and also during the summer they serve a huge shaved ice with natual fruit flavors.

11. Ayu (sweetfish caught by cormorant fishing)

Nagara-gawa river is well known for traditional cormarat fishing, and there you can get on a boat to watch how trained cormarats are controlled to catch ayu, sweet fish, very closely. There are many restaurants where you can taste fresh ayu in various recipes. Ayu is known as "aroma fish" in Japan because of its rich smell.

12. Ten-musu (a rice ball with tempura)

A deep-fried shrimp (or anything else) is called "tempura", and a rice ball is called "onigiri" or "omusubi". So this special rice ball from Aichi is called "ten-musu". Aichi is known to be a big lover of shrimp, and thus ten-musu has to be with a shrimp, not anything else.

13. Ebi-senbei (Shrimp cracker)

Mikawawan Bay is famous for its abundance of shrimp, and a variety of shrimp crackers are made in the southern part of Aichi, especially in the Chita peninsula. Some of them are so rich in their flavor that even you can enjoy eating them with beer or wine.

14. Ooanmaki (pancake wrap with sweet bean paste)

Chiryu city, in the middle of Aichi, has been famous for a certain type of iris for more than 1200 years, and when you take a walk to enjoy these flowers, you must eat ooanmaki. Fujita-ya is the founder of this local sweets, and you can enjoy several different fillings besides anko, the basic sweet bean paste. You can buy them at the Chiryu station for 120 yen for each.