Quail eggs in Japan are not pigeon eggs in Japan!

"A plate of small, boiled quail eggs served in a traditional Japanese izakaya, next to skewers and dipping sauce. A funny travel story about food misconceptions, as a couple mistakenly believed these were pigeon eggs (hato eggs) in Japan. A glimpse into Japanese food culture and expat life, where learning about quail eggs vs pigeon eggs leads to hilarious moments. Perfect for exploring Japanese cuisine for foreigners and uncovering cultural surprises. — Damn Pigeons

Living in Japan has been an adventure (Quail eggs in Japan), full of cultural discoveries, language mishaps, and, occasionally, hilarious misunderstandings. One such funny travel stories still makes me laugh every time I think about it—the time my girlfriend and I truly believed that the little eggs served in an izakaya were pigeon eggs (hato eggs). Spoiler: they weren’t.

The Izakaya Incident: How It All Started (Quail eggs in Japan)

A few months ago, my girlfriend and I were at a cozy little izakaya, enjoying a variety of yakitori skewers, edamame, and other delicious Japanese izakaya food snacks. At one point, a small plate of boiled eggs arrived at our table. They were tiny, perfectly round, and looked just like regular eggs—just mini-sized.

My girlfriend, who is very confident about food knowledge (and honestly, usually right), casually stated, “These are hato eggs.”

Now, for those unfamiliar, hato (ハト) means pigeon in Japanese.

I blinked. “Wait, pigeon eggs?”

She nodded with so much certainty that I didn’t even question it. “Yeah, in Japan, they eat pigeon eggs, just like we eat chicken eggs. It’s totally normal.”

And just like that, without a second thought, I fully accepted that Japanese people had some kind of culinary preference for pigeons that we Westerners had simply overlooked. After all, I was still learning about Japanese cuisine, and if my girlfriend, who knows a lot about food, said so, who was I to doubt her?

Living a Lie for Four Months (funny travel stories)

For the next four months, I carried this ‘fact’ around, casually dropping it into conversations. If anyone mentioned quail eggs, I would confidently say, “Oh, but did you know that in Japan, they actually eat pigeon eggs instead?”

No one ever challenged me on it, so I had no reason to second-guess it. I felt like an expert in Japanese cuisine, spreading this ‘insider knowledge’ to unsuspecting friends and fellow expats.

Then, one day, my whole belief system came crashing down.

The Truth Bomb Drops

It happened when a friend came to visit us in Japan. While we were at an izakaya together, they decided to order some quail eggs. I confidently nodded, thinking, “Ah, the famous hato eggs again.” But when I looked at the menu, I saw something surprising: the kanji for quail (うずら, uzura), not pigeon (ハト, hato).

Wait… what?

For the first time, I actually checked the menu properly, and it hit me. Those eggs I had been calling pigeon eggs for months? They weren’t pigeon eggs at all—they were quail eggs, just like back home!

I turned to my girlfriend, confused. “Did you know these are quail eggs?”

She stared at the menu, blinked, and then said, “Wait… really?”

A pause. Then, a realization hit us both at the same time—she had believed it too.

Even though she can read kanji, she had assumed that pigeons and quails were just different names for the same bird in Japan. She had never questioned it, just as I hadn’t. We both sat there, stunned, before bursting into uncontrollable laughter.

A long silence followed. My entire world shattered.

“Wait… you were serious when you told me they were hato eggs?”

She grinned sheepishly. “I really thought they were the same bird.”

Four months. Four entire months of confidently believing that Japanese people preferred pigeon eggs over quail eggs.

Lessons Learned: Always Double-Check Your Food Facts

The moral of the story? Never trust a fun fact without at least a quick Google search. Also, my girlfriend is far too convincing when she says things with confidence.

But better these hato eggs than the raw chicken she ordered..

Author

Max
Max lives in Tokyo, where he's studying Computer Science while also exploring the world through travel. His adventures lead him to discover new cultures and experiences.