Among the broad group of Japanese chanpuru dishes, goya chanpuru is the most traditional version prepared with stir-fried bitter melon, eggs, pork, and tofu. It is often blended with various seasonings and vegetables. Occasionally, the dish is served sprinkled with fish flakes and accompanied by rice.

This colorful and nutritious summer stir-fry is the signature dish of Okinawa island. It has recently grown in popularity and can also be found in other parts of Japan.

Chanpuru is a group of Japanese stir-fry dishes typically associated with Okinawa. The name of the dish roughly translates as something mixed, and the ingredients usually include tofu, various vegetables, meat, as well as fish or seafood, and particularly on Okinawa the popular American Spam (canned meat).

The most common version of chanpuru is made with bitter melon, and it goes under the name goya chanpuru, while other popular versions include noodle-based somen chanpuru and a variety made with a type of wheat gluten (fu). 

Menchi katsu is a traditional dish and a type of katsu. This ground meat cutlet is made with a combination of ground beef, ground pork, onions, panko breadcrumbs, oil, eggs, milk, black pepper, and nutmeg. Once shaped, the patties are dredged in flour, beaten eggs, and panko breadcrumbs, then fried in hot oil until golden and crispy.

The dish is usually served with white rice, miso soup, and the thick and tangy katsu sauce on the side. Menchi katsu originated in Tokyo and it dates back to the Meiji Era. Nowadays, some of the best menchi katsus can be found at butcher shops, where they use the freshest meat to form the cutlets.

Taco rice is a Japanese dish hailing from Okinawa. It was created in 1984 as a dish for the US soldiers stationed in the prefecture. The dish consists of ground beef, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes served on a bed of short grain rice. The whole dish is traditionally topped with salsa.

The meat is seasoned with taco seasoning or a combination of common Japanese condiments if the taco seasoning is unavailable. What was once created for the American soldiers is now one of the best known dishes in Okinawa, and it's recommended to accompany it with koregusu, a condiment similar to chili vodka.

Japanese basashi is an unusual dish which incorporates thin slices of raw horse meat. It belongs to the popular and broad group of sashimi dishes and is considered to be a unique Japanese delicacy. Horse meat is usually leaner than other, more traditional types, it has a slightly sweet flavor, and depending on the maturity, its color can range from pink to dark red.

Traditionally, three different meat cuts are used to prepare basashi. One variety includes completely trimmed meat, without any excess fat on the meat or around the meat pieces. It comes thinly sliced and has a slightly tougher texture. With an appealing color combination and perfect texture, one of the favorite options is the cut which includes meat pieces thoroughly marbled with fatty streaks. 

The Japanese chikuzenni is a dish which combines chicken and vegetables that are slowly simmered in a flavorful broth infused with soy sauce, mirin, and sake. Originating from the Japanese Fukuoka region, known in the past as Chikuzen, it is usually made with shiitake mushrooms, konnyaku, and decoratively sliced root vegetables such as taro, burdock, lotus root, and carrots.

Traditionally served on New Year’s Day, chikuzenni is also commonly prepared as an everyday dish in many Japanese households and it is often included as a side dish in bento boxes.

Tebasaki is a traditional yakitori dish made with chicken wings as the main ingredient. In order to prepare the dish, the wings are placed on skewers, then grilled, or in some cases, deep-fried until done (especially in Nagoya). The wings are usually seasoned only with salt and pepper in order to better savor the crispy skin, and they typically come in butterflied pairs on a skewer.

If desired, the dish can be accompanied by lime wedges on the side. Tebasaki can often be found in izakaya bars.

Nikujaga is a Japanese dish consisting of meat (niku) and potatoes (jagaimo) as its main ingredients. Like most dishes in the Japanese cuisine, the meat is added for flavor, rather than substance. The most common type of meat used in nikujaga is thinly sliced beef simmered in soy sauce, sake, and mirin, although pork is more popular in the eastern parts of the country.

Nikujaga is Japanese comfort food that is often cooked at home, and it is one of the most popular dishes in the family of Japanese stewed dishes, called nimono. It is said that nikujaga was created by Togo Heihachiro, who studied naval science in Great Britain, where he discovered a variety of European food, including beef stews. 

Bonjiri is a type of yakitori, a category of Japanese skewered chicken dishes belonging to the larger group of kushiyaki, which is any grilled and skewered type of food, whether it includes meat or not. This yakitori variety is prepared with chicken tails, seasoned with salt or a special yakitori sauce called tare, which is made with soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar.

The tails are then skewered on bamboo sticks called tepogushi. Like other types of yakitori, bonjiri is grilled on a special type of non-griddled stove to prevent the meat from sticking and make it easier to flip and baste. Usually, the cooking is done on Binchōtan, a type of charcoal that burns at very high temperatures.