If Italy is the world’s food capital, pizza is the most loved snack. Every region has its own take on pizza, even Japan, which, surprisingly, has a thriving pizza culture, converting the simple pie into a work of craftsmanship and precision.
Chew on this
Japanese pizza stands out for its slow-fermented process from 30 to 72 hours for deeper flavour, high-hydration dough with minimal yeast that creates a light, airy crust as opposed to a traditional Neapolitan dough which is made with refined wheat flour, water, salt, and yeast, fermented for fewer hours (up to 24 hours). A Japanese version uses mochi rice flour (sweet rice flour or glutinous rice flour) for added chew, with some chefs scattering Okinawan sea salt onto it before baking, giving the base a crisp, savoury finish. Instead of relying solely on tomato sauce, chefs experiment with mayonnaise or miso-based sauces layered with ingredients such as mentaiko (spicy cod roe), shirasu (whitebait), mushrooms, yuzu, nori, mochi and artisanal cheeses.
Pizza hotspots
Tokyo alone is home to more than 1,400 pizzerias. Standout names include The Pizza Bar on 38th at Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, known for its intimate omakase-style pizza experience; Pizza Marumo known for its 24-hour fermented dough and umami pizza; and Pizza Studio Tamaki (PST) famous for Tokyo-Neapolitan pizzas, especially the smoky, blistered crust, with outlets in New York, Singapore, Manila, Thailand.
India inspired
Japanese pizza is now in India too. During a visit to Tokyo, Karann R Chawla, co-founder of Delhi restaurant Call Me Ten, was inspired by the city’s evolving pizza culture. “I saw blazing wood-fired ovens, slow-fermented doughs and flavour combinations featuring: miso, yuzu, mushrooms and seafood. We wanted to bring that culture to our new menu,” says Chawla. The restaurant serves Izakaya-style pizzettas featuring mushroom and truffle with garlic soy butter, artichoke with yuzu and pesto, four cheese umami with miso honey, and spicy gochujang chicken.
In Bengaluru, Japan’s Ambassador to India Ono Keiichi recently praised Japanese-Italian restaurant chain Pizza 4P’s, founded by Japanese entrepreneurs Yosuke Masuko and Sanae Takasugi, as serving him the “best pizza in India so far”. The chain operates across Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, and India, and is known for its house-made artisan cheeses and toppings like the signature burrata salad pizza. Other restaurants in Delhi-NCR such as Yum Yum Cha, Mount Fuji and Kylin Experience have embraced Japanese pizzas with toppings including teriyaki chicken, avocado, salmon and tuna.