I just got back from a 3 week trip to Japan. While there I ate everything from sushi at a Michelin star sushi joint, to deepfried goodness at down-and-dirty izakayas, to pork katsu at a world renowned katsu restaurant, to meticulously prepared bar snacks at a 6-seat hole in the wall, to soba at an overpriced tourist trap, to udon at a spot only the locals know about (I was fortunate enough to go with someone who had lived in Japan). And the food was all... fine.

Well no, that isn't fair - it was all damn delicious. You really have to work hard to find a shitty food place in Japan. But there wasn't much that made me think "you can only get this in Japan, no where else, OMG how do the Japanese do this". Especially if you live in a good sized western city with a decent Japanese presence. If you live near a coast you've probably had sushi about as good as what you'll find in Japan. Ditto sashimi. If you've got good quality meat in your area then you've had pork katsu about as good. Izakayas serve lots of deepfried and grilled meats, which again you've probably had. It's all cheaper and it's way more plentiful in Japan, but it isn't mindblowing for the most part. The enjoyment comes from the actual establishments - seeing the chef prepare the sushi in front of you, making the shabu-shabu, ordering another round of sakes for the table of salarymen you're with.

The only two things I had which didn't compare to anything I could get back home was takoyaki and udon.

I did delight in telling the folks I dined with what we do to sushi though. The look of horror on their faces when I mentioned mayo and deepfried was hilarious. "You go back and announce to everyone, that is not sushi!!"