Inbound Visitors Scrambling to Get Hands on Egg Sandwiches; Foreign Travelers Embracing ‘Very Japanese’ Taste

By Yoshiko Minami / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

13:18 JST, April 9, 2025

Egg sandwiches are cracking the big time among foreign tourists who have stumbled on this simple food in which eggs mixed with mayonnaise and other ingredients are cushioned between slices of soft bread. And in far-flung corners of Japan, egg sandwiches with some distinctive touches are also tickling taste buds.

White steam rises from the water and the smell of sulfur fills the air at Myoban Onsen hot spring resort in Beppu, Oita Prefecture. At the shop inside the well-established traditional Japanese-style Okamotoya Inn at the resort, two of the signature items most popular with tourists are a steamed custard pudding and “jigokumushi” (hell steamed) egg sandwiches. The sandwiches cost ¥756.

Jigokumushi is a cooking method that uses the steam from hot springs to cook ingredients. The shell easily peels off eggs steamed at a temperature of about 100 C for 15 to 30 minutes using this method, which also increases the umami flavor. After being steamed, the eggs are shelled and finely mashed and seasoned with mayonnaise, salt, pepper and sugar.

Okamotoya’s egg sandwiches also contain thick slices of cucumber. The generous portion of egg, which almost overflows from the sandwich, truly whets the appetite. As I took a large bite, the rich yolk flavor with just the right amount of saltiness spread to every corner of my mouth. The shop makes 100 of these sandwiches daily on holidays, but they reportedly sell out before noon.

“The smell of sulfur gently wafts up, and the saltiness of the egg combined with the cucumber keeps me going back for more,” said cooking expert Ariko, who is a big fan of the sandwiches. “They also make a great souvenir gift.”

The recovery in inbound visitor numbers since the COVID-19 pandemic has also contributed to the popularity of the sandwiches, which are called tamago sando in Japanese. The sandwiches shot to fame after guests on foreign cruise ships that stopped at Beppu Port and South Korean passengers that arrived on direct flights to Oita Airport posted on social media and spread the word about this light breakfast meal.

Hiroko Iwase, a staff member of the shop, has high expectations that the egg sandwiches will do more than just fill bellies.

“I hope our sandwiches will make overseas visitors interested in Beppu’s jigokumushi food culture and our hot springs. I’d be so happy if these sandwiches become the impetus for people to visit this region,” said Iwase, 56.

Handmade mayonnaise

After a client restaurant was forced to close down during the pandemic, Ito egg farm, which is located at an altitude of about 350 meters in the mountains of Takeo, Saga Prefecture, developed egg sandwiches as a product that people could take home. The sandwiches, which cost ¥550, went on sale in 2022 at Picnic, a shop run by the farm.

The farm has about 10,000 chickens. The sandwiches made with eggs straight from the coop also include mayonnaise handmade from whole eggs. The product quickly earned a reputation for its simplicity, harnessing the natural flavor of eggs, and has reportedly gained repeat customers from abroad.

The partial opening of services on the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train line in September 2022 has made it easier for travelers from outside the prefecture to also visit the city. The farm aims to attract more inbound visitors by capitalizing on its close proximity to the tourist hotspots of the Ureshino Onsen and Takeo Onsen hot spring resorts.

Traditional flavors hit the mark

Japanese-style egg sandwiches containing dashimaki tamago — a rolled omelet made with dashi broth — have also gained a loyal following.

Hajimeya Hakataro, a bento box shop in Fukuoka Airport and JR Hakata Station in Fukuoka, sells egg sandwiches containing a rolled omelet cooked in a sweet broth, and egg sandwiches containing spiced pollock roe. Both sandwiches are priced at ¥880. The eggs are from the city of Itoshima, Fukuoka Prefecture, and elsewhere, and the sandwiches use bonito and kombu broth and are seasoned with sugar, mayonnaise, mirin sweet sake and mustard. These sandwiches have been especially popular with tourists from other parts of Asia. Hajimeya Hakataro sold about 50,000 of the sandwiches in 2024, more than triple the number sold when they hit the market in 2020.

Tamagoya, a shop in Miyazaki specializing in sandwiches filled with high-end eggs, sells sandwiches filled with thick slices of rolled omelet for ¥680. The eggs are strained twice for a smoother texture before being seasoned with the finest bonito broth and mirin, which give the sandwich its distinctive rich, sweet flavor. Tamagoya is currently undergoing renovations, but is accepting orders through an affiliated cafe.

“Eggs cooked with broth are a unique aspect of Japanese food culture,” said Tamagoya owner Fuki Nakashima, 29. “It seems foreign visitors are really embracing a taste that is ‘very Japanese.’”

Tokyo Games raised awareness

Yui Nagata, a 52-year-old food coordinator who has written a book about egg sandwiches, said: “The Tokyo Olympics held in 2021 were one reason why Japanese egg sandwiches suddenly caught attention abroad. Reporters from overseas media outlets covering the Games couldn’t go to restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic, and some of them uploaded photos of egg sandwiches they bought at convenience stores to social media. Sandwiches in other nations usually contain egg with fillings such as ham or lettuce, but Japanese egg sandwiches feature generous portions of egg between soft slices of bread. Comparing the flavors of sandwiches sold in various shops and regions is also something people can enjoy.”

You can read this article in Japanese here.