10 Muslim Friendly Street Foods You Should Not Miss In Japan
Ever wonder how it feels to be Japanese? At least for one day? Nothing can be more touching than a heartfelt of fitting in the community and to embrace their culture; especially when you are really into it *special shout-out to anime lover and J-drama fan out there!*
To get in touch with local culture, one must head to the streets that bustle with life and smell of street foods that will never be disappointed you in any ways. Does food ever break our heart? NEVER !
Do you always want to try all the street foods but have doubts about their ingredients? No worries! Here is a list of Muslim-friendly street foods that you can find anywhere all around Japan!
P.S : The ingredients used in these foods are usually safe for Muslims, but we do encourage you to reconfirm with the stall owner our survival kit for Muslim Travelers in Japan!
1. Takoyaki
The combination of dried bonito flakes with fresh octopus are just perfect for the tastebuds. Not convinced? One bite of this original taste of Takoyaki will change from "to share" to "IT'S ALL MINE" attitude. We are not saying you are evil (we believe you are good and cute :P) ; but the crisp on the outside but soft on the inside - all at once will make you feel one is not enough! The tips to eat Takoyaki is to eat it all at once and enjoy all kind of taste at once. Just don't burn your tongue though :p
But to note, the sauce and mayonnaise of this Takoyaki varies and may contains ingredients that are not Halal. We recommend you to ask the owner the ingredients for more confirmation by using our kit in previous article (survival kit for Muslim Travelers in Japan) to communicate easily.
Information
| Basic Ingredients | Flour, baking powder, eggs, salt, pickled red ginger, octopus, tempura scraps, dried bonito flakes, green onions |
| Price Range | ¥336 - ¥560 |
2. Taiyaki
Who knew a piece of crunchy fish-shaped can be so beautiful? Don't worry it look like a fish, but it will not taste fishy, just a flaky and sweet street snacks! Taiyaki which literally translates to “baked sea bream" are filled up with sweet red bean paste or full of custard or sometimes you can even find a creamy chocolate inside this crispy snack! We believe it would look pretty fine on desert time and for your dessert tummy after a heavy meal 😉
Information
| Basic Ingredients | Cake flour, egg, sugar, condensed milk, salt, red bean paste, anko and vegetable oil |
| Price Range | ¥140 - ¥160 |
3. Crepe
This crepe in Japan are the must-try street snack! Especially if you're in Harajuku, Takenoshita street, the center of all crepes! The texture are so delicate and it has everything that will make you crave more every time you smell the crepe on the street! If we may suggest you the flavors *trust us on this* try mocha crepe flavors and (of course!) chocolate sauce with the varieties of fruits topping that you can pick based on your favorites! We will suggest you to keep away from the non-deserty flavor though as they might use meat.
Information
| Basic Ingredients | Self rising flour, eggs, milk, melted butter and cream |
| Price Range | ¥360 - ¥1000 |
4. Dango
You may stumbled upon with many awesome Dango shops in the streets(especially during a festival) or you probably have heard it from a very famous JDrama "Hana Yori Dango" *best drama ever*. Well Dango is a type of Japanese dumpling with all kind of tastes, be it from sweet to even salty ones! It will definitely gets your attention with their colorful display of freshly made Dango. From pink Dango until a black Dango, theres too many shades to be chosen! You can have it fresh and sweet, or add on some red beans, or even have them grilled and wrapped with seaweed! One bite of this sticky texture of Dango will make you feeling sweet and young again (kidding not) .
Information
| Basic Ingredients | Mochiko sweet rice flour, water, potato starch/katokuriko/cornstarch, sugar, sauce |
| Price Range | ¥800 - ¥1000 |
5. Kakigori
It was the most excited and happiest moments when your mum said you could have an ice cream after a meal. So, so nostalgic. Wanted to have more nostalgic? Kakigori promise you to Renaissance back your childhood with their shaved ice cream and sweet topping that you should try, especially on sunny day in Japan! Kakigori is just like Malaysians favorite ABC, just with a more refreshing feeling! (We don't recommend one during winter though, you'll get a brain freeze :p)
Information
| Basic Ingredients : | Shaved ice, syrup |
| Price Range | ¥700 - ¥1500 |
6. Daigaku Imo
Daigaku Imo can be literally translated as University Potato in English, which is known as candies sweet potatoes, a savoury snack that is often served at university festivals in Japan. Some say the name "daigaku imo" originated because back then university students love this dessert! We do too! You will fall in love after seeing the potato coated with a hard caramel sugar-coating and black sesame seeds, especially when it gets crystallised, shiny and smooth! Sound sexy enough!
Information
| Basic Ingredients : | Sweet potato, sugar, water and oil |
| Price Range | ¥300 - ¥500 |
7. Jagabata
When you see this picture, you might see it just another potato with a chopped of butter, guess what? You are right :p! It is just plain baked potato and a slab of butter, but leave it to the Japanese to make this looks so delicious! The melted butter, when placed on the hot potato, is the perfect combination ever. You should not miss this out if you ever encounter this street food in Japan!
Information
| Basic Ingredients : | Potato, butter, salt and pepper |
| Price Range | ¥ 220- ¥500 |
8. Yaki Imo
When you wandering around the city, you might be alert to the sound of “O-imo da yo! Yaki-imo da yo!”,(which sometimes really sounds like someone reading Quran :o). It's also a sign for you to stop this mobile food seller, whose speciality with their one and only menu, which are stone-baked Yaki Imo or also known as Japanese sweet potatoes. No matter what season you coming, or what weather you are on, any time is a great time to enjoy yaki-imo!
Information
| Basic Ingredients : | Japanese Sweet Potato |
| Price Range | ¥ 220- ¥500 |
9. Baby Kasutera
This sponge round mini cake is the definition of "too cute to eat." but don't let it seduce you from devouring it bite by bite though, this heartwarming warm dessert can varies in shapes, from this round shape until the bear shape depending on the creativity of the vendor owner, so if you like it, feel free to order it a lot!
Information
| Basic Ingredients : | Eggs, sugar, flour, honey, and water |
| Price Range | ¥ 500- ¥700 |
10. Shioyaki
When it comes to food, nothing can beat the Japanese in taste and freshness and Shioyaki is one of the food where you can have the taste of the baked seafood with salt on the stick. Warm and nice combination especially during winter! Why need to sail to the ocean when you can find it on the street?
Information
| Basic Ingredients: | Fish or seafood, oil and salt |
Excited much to haunt these street foods?! You can just easily bookmark this article, so when walking down to the street, be sure to try all these Muslim friendly snacks that considered to be the national dish of this country, and have a taste of being local in Japan.
Yet, you still hungry and need to fuel up with a Halal heavy meal? Your hungry-ness is our concern! no more worries people, just download our apps for more and more Halal food in Japan!
