Japanese Breakfast

A traditional Japanese breakfast consists of steamed rice, miso soup, and various side dishes. Common side dishes are broiled/grilled fish, tamagoyaki (rolled omelet), onsen tamago, tsukemono pickles, seasoned nori (dried seaweed), natto, and so on. As you see in the photo, it's a Japanese etiquette to place a bowl of rice on your left and to place a bowl of miso soup on your right side at the table.

Traditional Japanese Breakfast Items:

Steamed Rice
Plain steamed rice is an essential item for Japanese-style breakfast. *Okayu (rice porridge) is easy to digest and is good for breakfast too.

Miso Soup
Common ingrediednts are tofu, chopped green onion, wakame seaweed, aburaage (deep-fried tofu), and lots more.
Miso Soup with Tofu Recipe

Natto (fermented soy beans)
When eating natto, first place it in a bowl. Season with some soy sauce and karashi mustard and stir well. Place the natto on top of steamed rice and eat with rice.

Nori (dried seaweed)
Dip a strip of nori in soy sauce and roll some rice with it and eat. *In Japan, seasoned nori called ajitsukenori are sold in grocery stores.

Tamagoyaki (rolled omelet)
You can put a little bit of soy sauce to eat. Grated daikon radish is often served on the side.

Broiled Fish
Broiled salted salmon or dried horse mackerel (aji) are popular items for breakfast.

Tsukemono (Japanese pickles)
Salty pickles are essential items to eat with rice.
Hakusai Asazuke Recipe
Wasabi Flavor Cucumber Pickle Recipe

Japanese Cuisine Photo Gallery / More Japanese Recipes