Foodie Events: Sake, Street Eats & Markets

Morning markets

Start where the chefs do. Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo is a graze-and-go paradise of fresh sushi, grilled seafood and the city's famous tamagoyaki egg omelets — come early and hungry, as the best items sell out by midday.

Street-food nights

In Fukuoka, the Nakasu yatai are a rite of passage: open-air stalls along the river serving rich tonkotsu ramen and oden, where you'll end up chatting with the locals beside you. Osaka's Dotonbori offers its own neon-lit feast of takoyaki and kushikatsu.

Drink like a local

Japan takes its beverages seriously. The Saijo Sake Festival near Hiroshima is the country's biggest, letting you taste brews from across Japan in a historic sake-brewing town. For something more raucous, Oktoberfest events tour Japan's cities all year with imported beer and oompah bands.

Tips

• Many markets and stalls are cash-only.
• Pace yourself at sake tastings and drink water between pours.
• For the famous tuna auction, head to Toyosu, not Tsukiji.

Bring an appetite — Japan's food scene is an event in itself.