The Japanese word for tomato is tomato (English loanword) and tomato ketchup is tomatokechappu (English loanword).
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| Romanji | Kanji | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato トマト | Tomato | None | |
| Tomato ketchup トマトケチャップ | Tomato kechappu | None | |
| Tomato paste トマトペースト | Tomato pēsuto | None | |
| Tomato juice トマトジュース | Tomato jūsu | None | |
| Tomato soup トマトスープ | Tomato sūpu | None |
Interesting facts about tomatoes in Japan
Dutch and Portuguese traders were the first to introduce Japan to tomatoes in the early 1600s. The Japanese liked tomatoes, but for aesthetics and not as food which is why they grew them for ornaments.
Today, Japan still grows tomatoes.. fortunately as food, but they are rarely used in traditional Japanese cuisine and are more commonly utilized in Western foods. Most of the tomatoes in Japan are grown in the Hokkaido, Chiba, Kumamoto, Aichi and Ibaraki Prefectures. However, those grown locally are not enough to meet local demand so the rest are imported from various countries such as Korea, Mexico and the United States.
Also, some of the tomatoes that are grown domestically in Japan differs from the regular Western variety, with two of the most popular examples being the momotaro and the black trifle tomatoes.