2010s: The decade Japanese food took over the world

The konbini (convenience store) egg sandwich highlights just how cool Japanese food has become over the 2010s.

This humble offering — costing a little under ¥230 at your convenience store franchise of choice — has taken on new status abroad over the last decade. Anthony Bourdain championed the snack, and his celebration of Japan's humble culinary delights has spread. Since then, other writers have sung the praises of Seven-Eleven's version, recipe designers have tried to replicate the filling and YouTube channels have also gotten in on the eggy hype. In 2018, Konbi, a restaurant in Los Angeles, began offering its own upscale take on the sandwich.

Japanese cuisine in the 2010s has enjoyed a period of popularity, more so than any other cultural export to come out of the island in recent memory. That's partially due to good timing — this has been the decade of the foodie and the rockstar celebrity chef. Japan's dishes have benefited greatly from this newfound interest in all things culinary and, as the 2020s come into view, food has proved to be a very effective tool of soft power.