Ham and Cheese Sando (ハムチーズサンド)
Japan's ham-and-cheese sando: crustless shokupan, mild loin ham, and a margarine seal, cut into two triangles and kept cold end to end by a temperature-zoned delivery system.
Andrew Lekashman
Hakata Mentaiko Sando (博多明太子サンド)
A Fukuoka sando built on karashi mentaiko: thousands of tiny pollock eggs that pop with salt and chilli heat, cut by butter or cream cheese on soft shokupan. Hakata's signature, with a Korean past.
Gyukatsu Sando (牛カツサンド)
The whole sandwich is engineered for the cut. Beef sirloin breaded and plunged briefly into hot oil yields three colours between shokupan, the ruby red centre held at slicing temperature.
Gratin Sando (グラタンサンド)
Someone spoons a hot macaroni gratin from its dish onto bread and hands it over to eat standing up. The gratin sando is a casserole talked into lunch, a fork-and-oven dish made to hold still by hand.
Goya Champuru Sando (ゴーヤーチャンプルーサンド)
Okinawa's goya champuru, bitter melon salted and squeezed then stir-fried with tofu, egg and pork, folded into soft bread without cooking the bitterness out of it.
Gourmet Sando (グルメサンド)
Modern gourmet sandwiches at specialty shops; Instagram-worthy, premium ingredients.
Gluten-Free Sando (グルテンフリーサンド)
Gluten-free bread sandwiches; rice bread or alternative grains.
Ginza Katsu Sando (銀座カツサンド)
Ginza's katsu sando runs on a 1927 tonkatsu specialist's bite-size cutlet and proprietary sauce, sold today from depachika counters at prices set by Japan's most expensive retail ground.
Genghis Khan Sando (ジンギスカンサンド)
The Genghis Khan sando folds Hokkaido's jingisukan, mutton seared off a domed cast-iron grill, into soft shokupan with an apple-and-soy tare and sweet cooked cabbage and onion.
Garlic Toast (ガーリックトースト)
Garlic butter toast; accompaniment to pasta or steak.
Fusion Sando (フュージョンサンド)
East-West fusion sandwiches; creative combinations.
Fruit Sando - Mascarpone (マスカルポーネフルーツサンド)
Fruit sando with mascarpone cream; richer, Italian-influenced.
Fruit Sando - Custard Cream (カスタードフルーツサンド)
Fruit sando using custard cream instead of or with whipped cream.
French Toast - Japanese (フレンチトースト)
Japanese French toast; often uses thick shokupan, very custardy, served as dessert or breakfast.
Fig Sando (いちじくサンド)
Fresh figs and cream; autumn seasonal delicacy.
Family Mart Tamago Sando (ファミリーマートたまごサンド)
Family Mart egg sandwich; each chain has devoted fans.
Egg Toast (たまごトースト)
Toast topped with egg preparation; various styles.
Ebi Katsu Sando (海老カツサンド)
Cut one in half and read the face: not a curl of prawn with gaps, but a single even band of pale shrimp edge to edge. That uniformity is decided before any bread is involved.
Ebi Fry Sando (エビフライサンド)
Whole breaded fried shrimp (ebi fry) on shokupan with tartar sauce; prawns remain whole rather than minced.
Doria Sando (ドリアサンド)
Doria, Japan's baked gratin of buttered rice under béchamel and browned cheese, scooped from its dish into shokupan, where milk bread inherits the bakeware's job of holding it together.
Depachika Sando (デパ地下サンド)
Department store basement (depachika) sandwiches; premium quality, beautifully packaged.
Depachika Katsu Sando (デパ地下カツサンド)
Department store katsu sando; often from famous tonkatsu restaurants.
Depachika Fruit Sando (デパ地下フルーツサンド)
Department store fruit sandwiches; showcase premium seasonal fruits.