So far, these are some of the local foods I have tried;
Japanese ramen became popular after World War II when the egg noodles served with them could be used as an inexpensive dish. Different kinds of broth and toppings depending on what kind it is. The photo I uploaded is a bowl of Karage Shio Ramen; which includes soy based broth, and topped with flavorful pieces of fried chicken thigh, chopped green onion, and sprouts. Iโve seen many ramen shops around Kyotanabe. One day Iโd like to try some tonkutsu ramen from one of them.
Japanese Curry is also a popular dish made from the roux block, which can be purchased from the store, onions, potatoes, and your choice of protein. Curry can be eaten over rice, like in the photo I uploaded with pork katsu, over noodles, or as a filling for pastry (curry bread).
A popular dish from Southern Japan is Okonomiyaki, a sort of pancake like dish filled with your choice of ingredients. This will include some sort of batter, cabbage, egg, and choice of protein, and is usually topped with seaweed powder, bonito flakes, okonomiyaki sauce, and Japanese mayonnaise.
A popular dessert flavor in Japan is Matcha Tea flavor, which has a distinct green color and very natural taste. Matcha is used in a variety of desserts, but I have now only tried matcha ice cream.