A taste of kaiseki cuisine
Japanese gastronomy is far from being limited to sushi boats and ramen bowls: its most refined form has to be kaiseki-ryōri cuisine, which was originally the domain of monks, and is therefore basically vegetarian, although the concept has since evolved to include meats and fish. The tea ceremony-adjacent ritual is a veritable parade of tapas-like concoctions made from local and seasonal ingredients: mushrooms cooked in stock, tofu, grilled fish, omelettes, sashimi, scallops... A traditional Japanese feast that is often enjoyed as part of a night's stay at a traditional ryokan inn.
Train station bento boxes that are actually gourmet
Busy Japanese workers often lack the time to have a sit-down lunch, but that doesn't mean their midday meal has to be of lesser quality: it's perfectly possible to catch a delicious bento box from train station stalls in-between transfers, which often feature salmon, chicken, or tofu, served on rice with a dash of seaweed or salmon roe. Despite their affordable prices, the impeccably composed lunches are often served in a reusable lacquered-wood or resin box.
