Japan's uber-popular savoury pancakes are made of batter and shredded cabbage, stuffed with your choice of ingredients - octopus, shrimp, squid and vegetables are all classics. Top with seaweed flakes and pickled ginger and you're good to go.

Tender and beautifully marbled, beef doesn't get much better than this. It comes only from a breed of black-haired Japanese cattle raised in Gifu Prefecture, and trying it is a Japan travel 2016 essential.

You've had sushi, but you've never really had it until you've eaten it in Japan. Raw fish and vegetables with rice, it comes in a million varieties and is a classic Japan food experience not to be missed.

This Japanese noodle soup is sold all over the country, and each region has its own version. Generally you're dealing with a delicious pork or chicken broth, flavoured with a host of ingredients including soy sauce, miso and spring onions.

From flower-shaped Nerikiri to dumpling-like Manju, these traditional Japanese sweet cakes come in endless varieties are best enjoyed with a Japanese green tea.