On Yoshoku: History, Cusine and Notable Restaurants

What is Yoshoku

The word yoshoku is built from characters for West and Food. It is often translated directly as Western food. Yoshoku can be defined as foods that originated in Japan but are influenced by Western cooking methods, ingredients, and flavors. The Japan Yoshoku Association calls it, “uniquely localized Western cuisine, usually eaten with rice.” This class of food represents Japanese efforts to adapt Western cooking to local palates and resources.

Originally, Western dishes were called seiyo ryori, using the directional character for West and the general character for West, as continues to be used in yoshoku, today. These dishes were genuine attempts to recreate food eaten outside of Japan within the country, and featured influences from China as well as European cooking. Yoshoku, in contrast, are distinctly Japanese foods that take full advantage of Japan’s own culinary mastery.

Yoshoku History

First Steps

The origins of yoshoku can be found in shippoku ryori – an imported dining style from China – and Portuguese recipes. These first bites of Western influence were restricted to Nagasaki, where Dutch scholars maintained contact with the outside world during Japan’s isolation period. From the early to mid 1500s, Nagasaki was under Portuguese control, which helped usher in the development of nanban cooking, tempura, and desserts like castella cake.

Adoption

The arrival of Commodore Perry and negotiations for the opening of Japan signaled the proper adoption of Western cooking. At first, banquets with these newcomers copied ceremonial meals served to esteemed figures like Oda Nobunaga. However, Japanese dishes did not suit Western palates, and in 1873 French cuisine was designated the official style for political affairs.

After the arrival of Commodore Perry and Japan’s “opening,” the Meiji government unbanned the consumption of meat in an effort to improve Japanese physique. Compared to the Euro-american visitors, Japanese men were seen as small in stature and lacking in muscle. Wives were encouraged to take an active role in feeding their husbands Western meals that were considered more nutritious.

Permeation

Gradually, kitchens were outfitted with new standing-use fixtures and tools to facilitate preparation of Western dishes. Dining cars in trains served some of the earliest precursors to modern yoshoku, which was approached as a form of fine dining at the time.

Specialty restaurants such as Mikawaya and Seiyo-ken were the first to cater specifically to Western visitors, followed by the establishment of dedicated hotels and cooking schools for the upper class.

1. Mikawaya
2. Seiyo-ken

Development of Modern Yoshoku

By the late Meiji era, all strata of citizen had access to Western food, but the necessary ingredients and utensils were still out of most families’ budget. As early as 1867, home cookbooks and educational publications on Western food (still called seiyo ryori at the time) became available. The instruction afforded common people an opportunity to develop yoshoku. Techniques included substitutions of luxurious meat for pork and the addition of rice as a main dish, plus usage of less expensive, long-shelf life ingredients, such as ketchup or canned goods. Local manufacturers of ketchup and mayonnaise began to grow.

By 1912, yoshoku had solidified as a category. After World War 2, American aid efforts participated in a government mandate to offer school lunches. These lunches prominently featured yoshoku, especially bread and milk products imported from the U.S. The importance of yoshoku to children growing up in the Showa era contributes to its famous nostalgic flavor. In the kissaten of the era, adults were enjoying sandwiches, puddings, and *milk-seki* – all also yoshoku.

The 1964 Tokyo Olympics saw another, similar wave with the invention of teppanyaki cooking, created to satisfy and thrill guests from overseas. Then, in 1970, fast food was introduced to Japan. All of these key events were framed by growing American influence and increasing access to electronics. New technology allowed frozen dinners to be sold in department stores and Western-style meals to find their way into more homes than ever.

Modern Trends

The exclusivity of yoshoku’s first iterations as seiyo ryori has been all but erased, and relatively few fine-dining yoshoku restaurants still exist. In their place, carefully considered, high-priced specialty omurice, katsu and hambagu have risen to popularity. Restaurants like Hikiniku to Kome, which specializes in hambagu, constantly see lines for a taste of uniquely Japanese Western delicacies. In kissaten, Showa-era offerings persist with very little change. Milk-seki, shrimp pilaf, and thick cut toast still satisfy the people that enjoyed them in 1975, and they are essential components of yoshoku today. School children now enjoy both yoshoku dishes and Japanese food in lunch menus, but the hearty, simple flavor of yoshoku maintains its popularity.

1. Hikiniku to Kome

Key Yoshoku Dishes

Omurice

Omurice was a scrappy way to use leftovers and keep rice both warm and moist with an insulating omelet. The dish could be eaten quickly and featured a good nutritional balance of rice, bright, finely chopped vegetables, eggs and chicken. Omurice is still incredibly popular and can be enjoyed at yoshoku restaurants, kissaten, and specialty stores. Shiseido Parlor in Ginza is notable for its yoshoku options, including omurice.

Katsu and Fry Dishes

Katsu, namely tonkatsu but also gyukatsu and torikatsu (beef and chicken, respectively), bears similarity to schnitzel, cutlet milanese, and of course, the French pan-fried cutlet. Reworked by Rengatei to suit Japanese palates, katsu and dishes like ebifry (shrimp) feature panko-egg breaded meat, deep fried to remove excess oil, and served with rice and shredded cabbage. Try it at restaurants like Ponta Honke or Nihombashi’s Tonkatsu Hajime.

You might also like this article: Everything About Ebi Fried (Japanese Fried Shrimp) and Where to Find Them in Tokyo

Korokke

Korokke are patties of mashed potato, usually mixed with beef and sometimes vegetables, panko-breaded and fried. In Japan, unlike the traditional croquette, korokke feature a variety of fillings, including sweet potato, and crab and white sauce fillings.

Beef Dishes

From steak to beef stew and hambagu, beef dishes are some of the most quintessential yoshoku items. Beef was considered a must at the earliest seiyou banquets. However, meat was expensive, especially in a nation that had not raised livestock as food in generations. Even as these dishes were adopted, cheaper cuts that needed to be long-simmered (as in the case of beef stew) or mixed-blends of pork or even eggs and breadcrumbs for salisbury-steak like hambagu were necessary adjustments. Try any of the teppanyaki steak counters atop Tokyo’s hotels for a modern experience that would have impressed 1890s dignitaries.

Sandoichi

Sandoichi (or just sando) are iconic Japanese yoshoku. In fact, the first ekiben were sandoichi stuffed with ham and cheese. Anthony Bourdain considered Lawson’s egg sando one of his favorite foods. These soft, white-bread sandwiches stuffed with crisp vegetables and mayonnaise salads can be found in convenience stores and kissaten anywhere in Japan. They are an entryway to yoshoku like koppe-pan, yakisoba-pan and curry-pan.

Curry

Brands like Coco Curry Ichiban-ya and at-home roux like Golden Curry have made this Japanese invention famous throughout the world, but first-time diners likely all have the same surprise. Curry, though originally from India or considered a feature of Thai cuisine, was brought to Japan through the British. Thus, Japanese curry is more similar to curries enjoyed in Europe and the U.K. than it is to Indian curry. Set apart as yo-fu curry, or European curry, the classic flavor of curry and rice, sometimes even topped with fried foods and cream, is a yoshoku masterwork.

3 Michelin-recognized Yoshoku recommendations

YOSHOKU BISTRO TOYAMA (洋食ビストロ TŌYAMA)

A heartfelt approach to yoshoku elevated by French fine dining recaptures the fare of long-gone dining cars. Chef Toyama’s rustic kitchen comes complete with a charming black board. Meals are intended to be enjoyed with wine and offered a la carte or in course format. The venue has been distinguished with a Michelin selection in 2025.

Mejiro Shunkotei (目白 旬香亭)

Head chef Tatsuhiro Saito was born in the original yoshoko city, Nagasaki, in 1968. His passion for yoshoku grew following a fateful meeting with Motoshiro Saito. Now, Mejiro Shunkotei has become the model for contemporary yoshoku cuisine by incorporating kaiseki and French techniques. It has been featured in national publications like Dancyu and held a Bib Gourmand since 2017.

Fry-ya (Fry家)

Fry-ya is also supervised by star chef Motoshiro Saito, a genius of yoshoku cuisine. This spot offers courses of katsu-style fried dishes, including tonkatsu, ebifry, and curry to finish. In 2025 it earned a Bib Gourmand rating. Different frying oils, carefully prepared cuts and premium panko go well with the selection of wines.