Autumn is when many delicious ingredients come into season in Japan, so the locals consider it the most appetizing season of the year. This article features Japanese foods that you have to try and some restaurants where you can have them when you travel to Japan in autumn!
Why is seasonality a big deal for Japanese People?
In Japan, the variety of agricultural products and seafood wildly changes with the seasons, so households tend to have a keen awareness of them when cooking. They also attach so much importance to the seasonality of ingredients because they have long believed that eating freshly harvested ingredients is healthier and can bring good luck. Of course, eating according to the seasons can also save on food costs; they cost less as they can be easily harvested and fished in abundance. They're often sweeter and more delicious, too! So, if you visit Japan, make sure to try the foods in season at the time of your trip after enjoying the seasonal natural beauty Japan has to offer.
Foods unique to autumn will be introduced in detail later, but listed below are other typical seasonal ingredients you might find in Japan. Numerous Japanese restaurants change their menus according to the season, so you can enjoy seasonal ingredients whatever time of year you visit.
[Spring (around March to April)]
Vegetables: bamboo shoots, garden peas, fresh onions (early harvest onions), royal ferns
Seafood: short-neck clams, hard clams, Spanish mackerel, rockfish
[Summer (around July to August)]
Vegetables: tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, wax gourds, shishito peppers, Japanese ginger
Seafood: Octopus, swordtip squid, sea bass, Japanese whiting, sweetfish
[Winter (around December to January)]
Vegetables: leeks, Chinese cabbage, taro, turnips, lotus root, rapeseed blossoms
Seafood: snow crab, cod, yellowtail, splendid alfonsino, goosefish
Must-Eat Seasonal Foods in Japan in Autumn!
Stretching from around October to November, autumn is the time of year when many delicious ingredients come into season in Japan! Mushrooms, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes are just some of the vegetables that fully ripen during this time of the year. As for seafood, it’s the time of year for saury and salmon! The first rice crop harvested for the year also makes its appearance in the market during this season. Called "shinmai," the first rice crop of the year is truly the best because it is packed with moisture, and its luster, flavor, stickiness, and aroma are at their peak.
Grapes, pears, and persimmons are also in season, so going fruit picking at a farm is definitely recommended. It's guaranteed that the fruits you will pick will be fresh and utterly delicious!
Japan is teeming with many delicious ingredients during autumn, but one delicacy stands out as the "king of autumn foods" in the country: matsutake mushroom!
Found mainly in red pine forests, matsutake mushrooms are famous for their mellow aroma. These mushrooms cannot be cultivated, and they grow under harsh conditions, so their yield is limited. Because of that, they can be quite expensive, especially those produced in Japan.
In Japan, matsutake mushrooms are often grilled over charcoal, cooked together with rice, or simmered in a broth like dobin-mushi. They’re all great ways to enjoy the aroma and texture of matsutake mushrooms!
Japanese Restaurants Serving Delicious Autumn Flavors
Here are two restaurants you should check out.
Fukiyosekomachi (Yotsuya-sanchome)
Located in a quiet residential area, Fukiyosekomachi is a Japanese restaurant that can accommodate a maximum of two groups per day on a reservation-only basis. Here, they serve authentic Japanese cuisine that generously uses seasonal ingredients. The chef, who honed his skills at Japanese dining spots and sushi restaurants in Tokyo, handpicks the seasonal ingredients and beautifully prepares them in a variety of ways.
Try the [One Day's Course] as it will let you feel the changing of the seasons. Even vegetables that are in season go through subtle changes in flavor within the season—delicious when the season first comes in, outstanding at the peak, and intense as the season comes to a close. At this restaurant, the chef buys all the ingredients fresh from the market each day and prepares them to suit the season, so you can truly experience this with each visit.
The restaurant has a simple, relaxed ambience, with four seats at the counter and one private room that can accommodate six people. Refrain from wearing informal and revealing clothes. Please dress smart casual to go with the upscale atmosphere of the restaurant.
Fukiyosekomachi
Closed: Irregular
Average price: [Dinner] 11,000 JPY / [Lunch] 3,500 JPY
Access: 5-minute walk from Yotsuya-sanchome Station (Exit 2). Follow the road toward Shinjuku and turn right at the third alley.
Address: 1F, 4-10-1, Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Map
More Details Reservation
Tagoto Main Branch (Kyoto-kawaramachi)
Tagoto Main Branch, established 144 years ago, is a time-honored Kyoto restaurant that serves exquisite dishes bursting with seasonal flavors. Here, they use an abundance of Kyoto vegetables and seafood that are unique to the season.
Try the [Koetsu Mizusashi Bento] (4,180 JPY), a gorgeously prepared bento that lavishly incorporates the season's bounty. It comes in a beautiful bento box resembling mizusashi (a water jug used during traditional Japanese tea ceremonies), created by the renowned artist Honami Koetsu about 400 years ago. The ingredients used and dishes placed inside the bento box vary depending on the season and availability of ingredients.
The restaurant also offers three tiers of kaiseki course meals: 8,800 JPY, 11,000 JPY, and 13,200 JPY. These authentic Japanese courses will let you savor seasonal ingredients prepared in a variety of ways, including grilled, simmered, and as sashimi.
The restaurant is located at the end of a stone-paved walkway after passing through a noren (a kind of curtain hung at the entrance of a shop). Inside, you can feel and see the seasons through the hanging scrolls and flower arrangements that adorn the restaurant. The courtyard is also impressive. You can also experience the changing of the seasons in the presentation, aroma, and taste of the food served.
Tagoto Main Branch
Closed: Wednesday
Average price: [Dinner] 8,800 JPY / [Lunch] 4,180 JPY
Access: 1-minute walk from Kyoto-kawaramachi Station / From Exit6, head East for 10meters, and you will find the restaurant next to LAWSON
Address: 34, Otabi-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto Map
More Details Reservation
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