Japan Booth Menu: Epcot Food & Wine Festival

Japan’s Global Marketplace at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival offers Walt Disney World guests familiar, crowd-pleasing Japanese dishes. This post covers the Japan booth’s menu for this year, along with my thoughts on it.

We love Japanese food. It’s one of the things that compels us to visit Japan every year, and whether you want to dine in the stomach of a cute monster or a secluded ramen stall, the dining scene offers myriad delicious options for every palate and budget. We enjoy it so much that we seek Japanese cuisine out at home–authentic local options in Little Tokyo are one of the highlights of living near Los Angeles. Despite our love for this type of food, the Japan booth is typically one of our least favorite marketplaces at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival.

You might chalk this up to us being Japanese food snobs, but the reality is that we like Tokyo Dining (table service) and Katsura Grill (counter service) in Epcot. The booth is typically a different story. We skipped it entirely last year because our experiences have been so lacking there in the past, and we weren’t all that optimistic for this year…but there were a couple of pleasant surprises (and one disappointment).

Now that the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival officially has kicked off, this menu has been updated with food photos, thoughts on value for money, best use of Disney Dining Plan snack credits, and more!

Here’s what you will find on the food menu this year at the Japan Global Marketplace booth:

Spicy Sushi Roll: Tuna and Salmon with Kazan Volcano Sauce – Shockingly good as compared to the grocery store sushi they’ve had in the past. A nice kick and quality ingredients. We are surprised to be recommending this…but we are recommending it!

Grilled Spicy Edamame tossed with Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce and Chili Powder – The spicy outer coating gave the edamame both a nice kick and texture. That, plus a relatively reasonable price and generous portion makes this good “filler,” too. Recommended.

Garlic Shrimp: Marinated Shrimp sautéed with Garlic and Butter and served over Rice – The shrimp were rubbery and the nice was bland. A huge disappointment–definitely not recommended, even if it is (technically) a good use of a Disney Dining Plan snack credit.

We don’t intend upon sampling all of the beverages at Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival, but here is the drink menu for Japan:

• Kirin Pale Lager
• Sapporo Black Lager
• Pineapple Breeze Sake Cocktail
• Echigo “Northern Bloom” Junmai Sake

Check out our Epcot Food & Wine Festival Booth Menus post if you want to see and read more about every menu this year! You’ll also want to read our full Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival Guide before you go to get an idea of what to do, strategy for the festival (yes, you will need a strategy), and much more!

For Walt Disney World trip planning tips and comprehensive advice, make sure to read our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide and related articles. Also make sure to read our other Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews and Disney Dining Plan Resources.

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Your Thoughts

If you’ve tried any of the marketplace items in Japan, what did you think? Favorites? Least favorites? What was and wasn’t worth it? Anything on the menu you’re excited to try this year? Do you think they should just cut their losses and offer a bunch of kawaii Duffy-shaped desserts? Hearing from you is half the fun, so please share your thoughts in the comments below!