194. Natto
What it is: Fermented soybeans often eaten as a breakfast food
Average Price: $0.79 for 3-4 packs*
Natto is definitely an acquired taste. This Japanese food is traditionally made with whole soybeans that have been fermented. Natto is a breakfast food, usually served with rice, bunching onion, and karashi mustard or tare sauce. Natto is super-popular in Eastern Japanese regions like Hokkaido, Tohoku, and Kanto.
Natto @izumi89/Pinterest
Natto has a strong smell and flavor, as well as a slimy texture. In 2009, a survey was conducted, revealing that two-thirds of Japanese people liked the taste of natto, while the rest found it way too overbearing. Still, if you can get past the taste and smell, natto has a lot of health benefits.
195. Cat Island
What it is: Island where the cats outnumber the humans 36:1
Average Price: $10.75 for the ferry ride (Round Trip)*
Cat Island is the happiest place on Earth. Located in the Ehime Prefecture of Japan, Aoshima, as it is known, is famous for its feline residents. These cats outnumber humans 36:1. Aoshima is home to only a handful of residents, and the rest are cats of all shapes, breeds, and sizes.
Cat Island @vivaeco/Pinterest
Because Aoshima is such a popular tourist destination, these cats have been socialized and are usually friendly. Food donations from Japanese residents, small creatures on the island, and visitor handouts feed these hordes of cats. You can get to Aoshima via a ferry that departs from Port Nagahama.
196. Fishing Restaurants
What it is: Can fish for your own food and then have a chef prepare it
Average Price: $3-$10 per meal*
When it comes to fresh fish, Zauo is as fresh as it gets. This restaurant allows you to catch your choice of fish and then have a chef make it to your liking. You also have the option to not catch your own meal if you’re extra-hungry and don’t want to wait around to catch your own dinner. Zauo is located in Shinjuku Washington Hotel in Tokyo.
Fishing Restaurants @klooktravel/Pinterest
This popular, family-friendly restaurant requires reservations, as it is quite popular. One visitor on TripAdvisor described the novelty café as one of the “most underrated,” “best” things to do in Japan when you come to visit.
198. Jagariko
What it is: Salt snack consisting of rods shaped like potato chips
Average Price: $8 for a 2-pack on Amazon*
Calbee, a huge Japanese food-maker, introduced this salty snack that has become super popular. Jagarico are most similar to rod-shaped potato chips, as they have the same shape as kempi, a sweet potato snack in Japan. Jagarico has been so successful that Calbee has managed to make a group of spinoff snacks, including a sweet potato version.
Jagariko @calbee/Amazon
There is also a corn version, as well as a soybean one. Recently, in 2021, Calbee launched a thicker type of Jagarico that it called “Poteriko.” You can buy this snack for $8 for a two-pack on Amazon, if you want to try it.
199. The Lockup Restaurant
What it is: Prison-themed izakaya in Tokyo
Average Price: $32 per meal*
If you’re into terrifying Tokyo dining, you might want to check out The Lockup. Though most people avoid going to prison, this Japanese restaurant embraces the concept. The Lockup has branches in Tokyo, as well as a few other locations. The Lockup is one of two prison-themed, separate restaurants in Tokyo.
The Lockup Restaurant @Travel Right Way/Youtube
Technically, this jail-themed eatery is an izakaya, which means it is a bar with snacks on the side. The drinks are alcoholic but not too alcoholic, but they are in keeping with the Lockup’s creepy theme. Each meal costs around $32 per person, which is a bit expensive—but, then again, you’re paying for the experience.
200. Sand Museum
What it is: Museum featuring permanent sand sculpture installations
Average Price: $4.74 admission fee*
The Sand Museum takes building sandcastles to an entirely new level. It was opened in April of 2006 at a cost of $4.59 million, and it is owned by the Tottori Sand Dunes. These dunes are a popular attraction in the Tottori Prefecture of Japan.
Sand Museum @Visit Tottori, Japan/Facebook
At first, the Sand Museum just displayed temporary sand sculptures in its facilities. But, in 2012, it reopened and rebranded itself, becoming the first permanent indoor exhibition space in the world that is dedicated to sand art. The Sand Museum currently features brilliant, intricate sand sculptures made by fifteen international artists.
202. Rent A Person Businesses
What it is: A person you can rent to do nothing
Average Price: $96 per session*
f Japanese culture has taught us anything, it’s that everything is possible. A man named Shoji Morimoto has made an entire living out of doing absolutely nothing in particular. For around $96 per session, you can hire Morimoto to do whatever you want him to, from accompanying them to the movie theater to visiting them in hospital.
Unknown/@b.hatena.ne.jp
It might seem like a niche business, but according to Vice, Morimoto has had over 3,000 bookings since he first launched the idea back in 2018. Considering he typically sees around 3 people a day, that’s a decent yearly salary.
203. Basashi
What It Is: Raw horse meat
Average Price: $14.71 for 100 grams*
Whether or not you think this is a “brilliant” invention depends on how you feel about horses. Regardless, basashi is certainly an interesting food, and you won’t find it in America. Basashi is raw horse meat. Horse meat consumption is not as widespread in Japan as it once was. Years ago, horses were hunted for food because they had a lot of protein.
Basashi @PugeSanjid /Twitter.com
As time has gone on and people have started to feel more fondly about these gentle animals, basashi is not as common. The rare ingredient comes in several different cuts, and mane, mane fat, tongue, and liver (in fatty, marbled, and lean meat variations) are highly-valued at specialty butcher’s shops. One-hundred grams of basashi costs almost $15.
206. Massive Sega Video Game Arcades
What It Is: Huge arcades that have iconic Sega games
Average Price: $0.73 per game to play*
Sega Corporation, for those who aren’t up on their video game history, is a Japanese entertainment and video game company. Sega brings in $1.822 billion a year in revenue, making it one of the largest companies in the country.
Massive Sega Video Game Arcades @jezar / Unsplash.com
It has made its money through blockbuster hits and iconic games, as well as through brick-and-mortar venues like arcades. Across Japan, there are 4,022 Sega video arcades. This number is down from the mid-1980s, where there were over 26,000. But, Sega arcades are still a super-fun attraction full of flashing lights, iconic video games, and experiences you can only truly find in Japan.
207. A Stair-Climber Certificate
What It Is: Certificate for climbing 600 steps to the top of the Tokyo Tower
Average Price: $0, just a very long climb*
Climbing stairs, if there are a lot of them, is enough to leave even the fittest of us a little out of breath. One tourist attraction in Tokyo gives you a certificate for your efforts, should you be brave enough to make it to the top of a 600-step staircase (there is a lift if you can’t make it up).
A Stair-Climber Certificate @i0.wp.com /Pinterest
The Tokyo Tower, Japan’s second-tallest structure, allows tourists to climb up it to the Top and Main Decks. If you climb all the way to the top, you can receive a cheery Noppon Official Stair Climber Certificate, courtesy of Noppon, the mascot of the Tokyo Tower.
209. Tastable TV
What It Is: A TV you can lick to taste different foods advertised on screen
Average Price: $875*
Called Taste the TV, this device is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. It was invented by a Japanese professor named Homei Miyashita, and the TV screen, for now, is just a prototype. When you lick the TV screen, you can taste flavors or a particular food advertised.
Tastable TV @Global News/YouTube
The device uses a rotating carousel of ten flavor canisters. They spray in combination onto a film to create a particular food’s taste. Then, the film is rolled onto the flat screen for the viewer to sample. Miyashita estimates that this television would cost about $875 to produce, which means its sale price would be far higher. Would people buy it? That remains to be seen, if the TTV ever becomes commercial reality.
210. Small Face Sauna Masks
What It Is: Carbon sauna mask that is supposed to shrink and purify your face
Average Price: $39.99*
Japan is the land of strange cosmetic treatments, and the “Small Face Sauna Mask” has to be in the top ten. This mask, which looks like something that Hannibal Lector would wear, has five layers that contain germanium, a type of carbon. These layers are supposed to shrink your face, making it look slimmer.
Small Face Sauna Masks @i.ebayimg.com /Pinterest
Also, the mask is supposed to tighten and detoxify your skin. When you wear it in the sauna, your face will sweat, pores opening and letting the carbon work its “magic.” You’ll not only have a smaller face, according to the company behind this Silence of the Lambs beauty treatment, you’ll have one that is acne-free.
212. Motsunabe
What It Is: Dish made from meat guts, garlic chives, cabbage, and soup
Average Price: $25.69 for a motsunabe meal*
Motsunabe is, essentially, gut stew. Made in a nabe pot, motsunabe is made from offal, soup, cabbage, and garlic chives. As you can imagine, it is an acquired taste. Motsunabe’s base soup is often made from garlic, chili pepper, miso, or soy sauce. Champon noodles make a delicious addition to the pot.
Motsunabe @foodinjapan.org /Pinterest
Originally, this was a Fukuoka dish, though, in the 1990s, restaurants from this prefecture moved into Tokyo, and motsunabe took off. The dish became famous nationwide, and there were even restaurants dedicated to this meal. Though motsunabe’s popularity in Tokyo and Kanto has died down, it is still pretty popular in Fukuoka.
213. Virus-Detecting Masks
What It Is: Mask that can detect certain respiratory illness when placed under UV light
Average Price: Unknown (Still In Development)
Kyoto University researchers have come up with a face mask that acts as an early-detection system for certain respiratory illnesses. The mask, when worn, will glow under UV light when it is contaminated with the germs specific to these viruses. The mask’s fabric consists of a filter made from the antibodies of ostriches, and it is a fascinating landmark for early-viral-detection systems.
Virus-Detecting Masks @theguardian /Pinterest
Though the project is still under development, Kyoto Researchers are optimistic about its progress. The news came on the heels from exciting updates about an American invention from Northwestern University. There, researchers attached sensors to masks to track heart rate, the mask’s fit, and respiration.
214. Nissan Concept Store
What It Is: Nissan’s flagship showroom that shows off concept cars and rare classics
Average Price: $0 to visit and look around*
If you’re a fan of Nissan (or just really cool cars) and are visiting Tokyo, you’d be remiss not to stop at Nissan Crossing. This flashy flagship store is the pride and joy of the Japanese automaker, and it shows off not only new concept cars, but also rare, classic Nissans. Best of all, it is free to visit and look around.
Nissan Concept Store @sebastianhelene/Pinterest
Nissan Crossing occupies two floors of the Ginza Place, and Nissan fans can not only look at cars, they can also check out the driver’s seat of the impossibly-cool GT-R. There is even a café at the Crossing where you can order a custom-made latte with art of your favorite Nissan.