Danica Davidson
January 8, 2025 
Does anime make you hungry? The Japan Food Product Overseas Promotion Center (a.k.a. JFOODO) decided to do a survey asking anime fans if watching anime got them interested in eating Japanese food. Just over half, at 51%, said that after seeing certain foods portrayed in anime, they decided to taste it themselves.
When asked which anime inspired people to try Japanese dishes, here are the most popular results: Naruto, Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Yuri on Ice, One Piece, My Hero Academia, Ponyo, Pokémon, Laid-Back Camp, Demon Slayer, Studio Ghilbi films in general, Fruits Basket and Love Live!
Asked what Japanese foods people ate after watching anime, the runaway winner is ramen (most likely thanks to Naruto, which was also the runaway winner in the category of anime that inspired trying new dishes). It was followed by curry rice, onigiri, takoyaki, karaage fried chicken, sushi, katsudon, udon, miso soup, yakisoba, soba, tempura, tonkatsu, steak, okonomiyaki, gyudon, yakitori, sashimi, sukiyaki, yakinuki, unagi, shabu-shabu hotpot, omelet rice, dango and taiyaki.
Those surveyed were also asked what kind of Japanese food they’d still like to try after seeing it in anime. The winner is takoyaki. After that, the people were most interested in curry rice, onigiri, steak, karaage fried chicken, ramen, soba, yakisoba, udon, katsudon, okonomiyaki, tonkatsu, sukiyaki, yakitori, yakiniku, gyudon, miso soup, unagi, tempura, shabu-shabu hotpot, sashimi and sushi.
“It’s not just mega franchises like Naruto and One Piece—all kinds of works are inspiring Japanese gourmet experiences,” remarked chief administrative officer of JFOODO Kitagawa Hironobu about the findings. “By leveraging the synergy of Japan’s strengths in crossovers between anime and food, we can further expand the market.”
What do you think of these results? Has anime inspired you to try any Japanese dishes, or are there Japanese dishes you still want to try after seeing them in anime?
Source: Nippon.com
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
