Food Calories by Country

Japanese Food Calories

Japanese food is either very light or very heavy and rarely in between. Sashimi, miso soup, a bowl of zaru soba: hard to overeat. Tonkotsu ramen, katsu curry, a gyudon with extra rice: 800 to 1,000 calories in one sitting, and you will want it again tomorrow. This page ranks ramen shop, teishoku, izakaya and konbini food, lightest to heaviest inside each category.

Calorie figures come from the MEXT Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan and published chain nutrition data (the big ramen, gyudon and curry chains all publish theirs), sized to a normal restaurant serving. Click any dish for the macro breakdown and the lighter order.

Rice Meals Noodles Soups Meat, Grills & Lauk Vegetables & Sides Snacks & Kuih Drinks Desserts

Rice Meals 9 dishes, lightest first

93 kcal

Salmon Nigiri

per 1 plate (2 pieces)

per 1 plate (pork curry, rice 300g)

per 1 plate (rice 300g)

Noodles 7 dishes, lightest first

Soups 1 dish, lightest first

40 kcal

Miso Soup

per 1 bowl (tofu and wakame)

Meat, Grills & Lauk 7 dishes, lightest first

231 kcal

Yakitori

per 2 skewers (thigh, tare sauce)

442 kcal

Tonkatsu

per 1 rosu katsu (cutlet only, no rice)

455 kcal

Sukiyaki

per 1 serving (no rice)

per 1 assorted plate (2 prawns + 4 vegetables)

550 kcal

Okonomiyaki

per 1 pancake (buta-tama, Osaka style)

1000 kcal

Yakiniku

per 1 person (200g meat with rice)

Vegetables & Sides 1 dish, lightest first

175 kcal

Edamame

per 1 bowl (250g in pods)

Snacks & Kuih 5 dishes, lightest first

per 1 plate (6 pieces)

400 kcal

Takoyaki

per 1 tray (8 pieces)

420 kcal

Melon Pan

per 1 bun

Drinks 1 dish, lightest first

240 kcal

Matcha Latte

per 1 tall (350ml)

Desserts 1 dish, lightest first

225 kcal

Daifuku

per 1 piece

Japanese Food at a glance

There are 32 dishes ranked on this page. The lightest is Miso Soup at 40 kcal per 1 bowl (tofu and wakame), the heaviest is Katsu Curry at 1116 kcal per 1 plate (rice 300g), and the average lands around 473 calories a serving. 8 of them come in under 300 calories, and 9 are 600 or more.

That spread is the whole point. Two dishes off the same menu can be 1076 calories apart, which is more than most people's entire daily deficit. Knowing which is which costs you nothing and changes the outcome.

Common questions

What is the lowest calorie japanese food option?

Miso Soup is the lightest on this page at 40 calories per 1 bowl (tofu and wakame). There are 8 options here under 300 calories, so you have room to pick something you actually like.

What is the highest calorie japanese food here?

Katsu Curry tops the list at 1116 calories per 1 plate (rice 300g). 9 of the 32 dishes here are 600 calories or more, so it is worth checking before you order.

How many calories are in a typical japanese food serving?

Across the 32 dishes on this page the average is about 473 calories per serving, with the middle of the pack around 455 (Sukiyaki). Figures are estimates for a normal portion.

Other countries

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Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical restaurant, ramen shop or konbini serving, based on the MEXT Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan and published chain restaurant nutrition data. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.