Japan Booth Review & Menu: EPCOT Food & Wine Festival

Japan’s Global Marketplace is our next stop at the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, as we continue our reviews around World Showcase. In this Walt Disney World dining review, we’ll share menu prices & info, food photos, and thoughts on what’s worth the money.

As regular readers of the blog probably know, we’re fans of Japan–both the country and the pavilion. However, we aren’t snobs about Japanese cuisine, either. We know compromises are made in Americanizing cuisine for World Showcase, and we generally enjoy the pavilion’s offerings. Katsura Grill has been one of our go-to counter service restaurants in Epcot, we absolutely love Takumi-Tei, and we even like Tokyo Dining and Teppan Edo.

Unfortunately, the Japan Global Marketplace during Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival has, typically, been a different story entirely. It’s been a perpetual home to mediocre, grocery store-caliber sushi, with only the spicy roll standing out in recent years as something worth ordering. Thankfully, there are signs of major improvements for the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival…

Wagyu Temaki Sushi ($9.50) – This is hand-rolled sushi with sweet and savory American Wagyu beef topped with Takana Japanese pickles and spicy mayo sauce. After years of novelty sushi that you’re more likely to find in the US than Japan, this is the booth getting back to the basics with Temaki sushi. Color me surprised and impressed.

Personally, I could’ve done without the beef sushi. There might’ve been a time at which people were impressed by Wagyu beef, but I think word has gotten out that the American variety is mostly marketing fluff. Still, the beef is juicy and delicious, with a semi-sweet and savory flavor that works well playing off the sauce and pickles.

It’s a good dish and I’d order it again…but only if I were on the Disney Dining Plan, given that $9.50 price tag. On the plus side, the hand roll is so packed with toppings that you’ll have a tough time making a cone out of it, so at least they didn’t skimp on it!

Eel Temaki Sushi ($9.50) – This is also hand-rolled sushi with grilled eel, egg crumbles, cucumber, and pickled daikon radish served with eel sauce. Once you see the second sushi on the menu, going with the crowd-pleasing American Wagyu beef makes a bit more sense. I’m honestly shocked that this booth went with eel, especially after years of offering simple sushi.

I absolutely love eel, and would implore you to give it a chance if you’ve never had it. Eel is not that exotic or adventurous. To the contrary, it has a delicate flavor that’s light, sweet and savory; the texture is firm and chewy–very distinctive. Where it really shines is when accompanied by eel sauce, which gives the fish a deeper umami flavor, which plays well with its sweet and savoriness. The egg and cucumber likewise add to the flavor–I could’ve used more of the latter (and perhaps some more eel sauce given the amount of rice).

We make it a point to visit unagi restaurants whenever we’re in Japan. Nagoya has some fantastic ones, many of which offer exponentially more eel for only slightly more money than this hand roll, but that’s the nature of the beast. Nevertheless, I’d highly recommend this Eel Tamaki Sushi despite the high price because it’s something unique and interesting done surprisingly well. On the DDP, it’s an absolute no-brainer.

Teriyaki Chicken Bun ($7.95) — One of my favorite breakfast “traditions” in Japan is visiting Lawson or 7-11 and ordering a couple nikuman. These convenience stores have a variety of envelope-pushing options, from ones that look like Kirby to curry and pizza flavors.

The teriyaki chicken bun at the Japan Global Marketplace upholds this rich convenience store tradition, offering a thick and doughy steamed bun filled with chicken and vegetables made sweet by the teriyaki sauce. It could use a little more meat and less bun, but it’s nevertheless a decent option.

My big issue is price. This is a simple dish that you can get for about the equivalent of $1 at a convenience store. Even accounting for Walt Disney World ‘inflation’ or premium pricing, this feels a few dollars overpriced. That doesn’t matter if you’re on the Disney Dining Plan, but I personally don’t buy this for enjoyment because it’s just not special or good enough to justify the $8 price.

Ultimately, the Japan Global Marketplace is one of the pleasant surprises of the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival thanks to those ambitious hand rolls. Japan should be one of the perpetual standouts (Paris is routinely considered the culinary capital of the world, but Tokyo actually has over double the number of Michelin-starred restaurants as Paris, and Kyoto also edges Paris in the Michelin star department), but that has never been the case.

Obviously, the Japan booth is not going to be dishing out Michelin-caliber cuisine. The point is that the country of Japan is a food mecca, and its Global Marketplace should reflect this. Thankfully, at least now there are a couple of options on par with actual Japanese restaurants, and not just stuff from the counter at convenience stores like Lawson and 7-Eleven!

Check out our Global Marketplace Booth Menus & Photos for the 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 2025 Epcot 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!

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

YOUR THOUGHTS

What do you think of the Japan Global Marketplace? Have you tried any of the food items at this booth? What did you think of them? Would you like to see Japan try something more ambitious and different than the standard sushi? Questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!