Every September, pumpkin spice, apple, and cinnamon dominate American fall menus, but Japan has its own lineup of seasonal flavors that deserve just as much attention.
From warm roasted Japanese sweet potatoes and nutty chestnuts to sweet persimmons and roasted hojicha, these flavors offer a completely different way to experience the season. Much like pumpkin and cinnamon take over American menus every fall, ingredients like satsumaimo, kuri, kaki, and hojicha start appearing across Japanese cafes, bakeries, and seasonal desserts as fall approaches. As someone who is Japanese, these foods remind me there is so much more to fall than pumpkin spice.
If you’re ready to branch out from your usual flavor palette, here are five Japanese fall foods and drinks worth trying this season.
1. Daigaku imo
If sweet potatoes are already one of your favorite fall foods, daigaku imo might become your new obsession.
Daigaku imo, which directly translates to “university potato,” is made from Japanese sweet potatoes that are fired until crispy and coated in a sweet, caramelized glaze before being topped with black sesame seeds. Japanese sweet potatoes, called satsumaimo, have burgundy-colored skin and a yellow interior.
With a crispy exterior, soft center, and sticky-sweet coating, daigaku imo is basically everything in a fall snack. You can find Japanese sweet potatoes at many Asian grocery stores, even at places like Trader Joe’s during the fall and winter, so you can make them at home without booking a flight to Japan.
2. Kuri Gohan
Chestnuts might not get nearly as much attention in the United States as pumpkins and apples, but in Japan, they’re a key ingredient that signals the arrival of fall.
Kuri means “chestnut,” and gohan means “rice.” This traditional dish combines fresh Japanese chestnuts with rice and simple seasonings, allowing the naturally sweet flavor of chestnuts to stand out. It adds subtle sweetness and a comforting, nutty flavor to an otherwise simple bowl of rice, perfect for a cold night.
But kuri isn’t limited to rice. In the fall, these chestnuts show up in everything from cakes and pastries to ice cream and Mont Blanc desserts. You can also find kuri mixed into breads, mochi, and other seasonal sweets, making it one of the most recognizable flavors of autumn in Japan.
3. Kaki
Instead of apples, one of Japan’s essential fall fruits is kaki, or Japanese persimmon. Persimmons are a bright orange fruit that comes into season in Japan in October, continuing into the winter.
Unlike a lot of the elaborate fall desserts we associate with autumn in the United States, Japanese persimmons don’t need much added to them. Depending on the variety and ripeness, you can eat persimmons fresh or dried.
If your go-to fall fruit rotation is limited to apples, kaki is an easy way to change it up without venturing too far outside your comfort zone.
4. Sanma
Not every Japanese fall food is sweet— Sanma, or Pacific saury, is a classic autumn fish in Japan. Its Japanese name, 秋刀魚, contains the character for ‘autumn.’ The name literally references an ‘autumn swordfish.’
Sanma is most commonly prepared as sanma shioyaki, meaning salt-grilled sanma. The preparation is simple: the whole fish is seasoned with salt and grilled, then served with grated daikon radish, citrus, and soy sauce.
Japanese autumn cuisine isn’t just about creating a certain “fall flavor,” but about eating ingredients at the height of their season.
5. Hojicha
Finally, if you’re still craving a fall latte, just swap out the coffee for Hojicha.
Hojicha is a Japanese roasted green tea with a distinct toasted, nutty flavor. Unlike the grassy taste and green color people might associate with matcha, roasting the tea leaves gives hojicha a brown color and warmer flavor profile.
Nami Matcha describes its hojicha as nutty, smooth, and subtly sweet and savory. Its hojicha is made from roasted and finely ground green tea leaves from Shizuoka, Japan, and contains less caffeine than matcha.
You can drink it traditionally as tea, or turn it into a hojicha latte or use the hojicha powder in desserts.
Pumpkin spice isn’t going anywhere, but fall food doesn’t have to begin and end with pumpkin.
From sticky daigaku imo and comforting kuri gohan to fresh kaki, grilled sanma, and a warm hojicha latte, Japanese cuisine offers an entirely different flavor profile to the season.