Japanese Street Food Culture Explained; Where to Find it and What’s the Best?
Japan is a country filled with all manner of delicious food, and the Japanese street food scene is especially appetizing and unique, particularly during the summer months. It’s not always as easy to find as in other famous Asian street food cities, so in this video, we’ll explore where to find street food in Japan, what some of the top Japanese street foods to try are, and even take a look at some of the stranger street food as well.
Whether you’re a foodie planning your next trip to Japan or simply curious about Japanese cuisine, we will show you that some of the best Japanese food can be found on the streets of cities like Osaka and Fukuoka in yattai (street carts), during matsuri (festivals), and in food trucks outside of major events and attractions. Make sure you add this to your Japan travel guide information if Japanese food culture is your thing!
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[Music] [Music] Japan is a country filled with all manner of delicious food from Ramen to Sushi to tempura to Yakiniku you don’t have to look very far to find something astounding to eat this also includes street food and Japanese street food is very appetizing and available especially in the summer what is street food street food in general refers to ready to eat food and beverages sold by vendors in public spaces such as sidewalks markets or outdoor events these portable and often affordable dishes are popular worldwide and offer a taste of local flavors from tacos in Mexico usate in Indonesia street food reflects the culinary diversity of different cultures unlike places such as Singapore and Bangkok Japan does not have much in the way of everyday street food culture in the strictest sense this may be because in Japan and is generally frowned upon to eat while walking but if you look carefully you will be able to try some of these delicious treats in certain locations and occasions Street Foods in Japan are often found at festivals or Matsui special events or yatti which are open-end stalls some can be found all year round but they are most popular during summer and early fall perhaps the most famous street food in Japan comes from yatti which are small food stalls that can be found along Japanese streets and at festivals yti have a long history in Japan with records going back to the Edo period telling about semi-permanent yatti serving up then new foods of sushi and tempura many of the early soba shops were also simple wooden structures carried on the shoulders of the Proprietors the 20th century saw the rise of two or four wheeled carts that were pulled out to a park or someplace with a lot of foot traffic where customers would eat Odin or noodles and sip sakeet most of the yat Tha today consist of a table or two set up under a canopy with no walls the smoke and Aromas of food’s cooking and the cries of The Operators Hawking their products adding much to the festive atmosphere two cities in Japan that continue to be f famous for yatai are Osaka and [Music] Fukuoka besides yatai you can more often find a lot of Japanese street food in other forms and parts of the country perhaps the best time and places are during Japanese festivals or Matsui Matsui consists of dancing performances parades games for children and a lot of food and drink you can also often find street food outside of special events food trucks aren’t as popular as they are in the west but they are gaining popularity and you can often find them set up outside sporting events and events at convention centers another form of street food are open air restaurants or restaurants that have one or more open walls like this is aaya some regular restaurants in addition to having regular seating also have stalls outside of their establishment Hawking their local Specialties this is especially true on many streets surrounding shrines in Japan like this one so there’s a quick history of street food in Japan and some places that you are most likely to find some but what are some good examples of common Street Food takoyaki our Savory octopus fil balls made from a batter of wheat flour and cooked in a special molded pan each ball typically contains a piece of octopus tempura scraps Pickled ginger and green onions you can eat them either with chopsticks or toothpicks yakis SOA is a popular Japanese stir fried noodle dish despite its name which literally means fried buckle yakis SOA is made with wheat flour noodles similar to those used in ramen rather than buckwheat noodles like soba the noodles are covered in a distinctive sauce which is very similar to the sauce used in the next popular street food okonomiyaki okonomiyaki is often described as a Savory pancake and is made from a batter of flour eggs shredded cabbage and various other ingredients such as meat seafood and cheese well I usually prefer to eat this at sitdown restaurants it is a popular choice from outside food stalls as well Yakitori refers to skewed and Grilled Chicken various parts of the chicken are used including thighs breast skin liver and even cartilage they are typically seasoned with Tad sauce a sweet soy sauce based glaze or simply with salt Dango are chewy rice flour dumplings typically served on a skewer there are various types of Dongo with different toppings and Coatings but the most common is probably mango which is covered in a sweet soy sauce glaze for you sweet lovers out there taaki is another popular favorite tiaki is a fish-shaped cake that is usually filled with sweet red bean paste although other fillings like custard chocolate and cheese are also common this is one of the easier treats to find in Japan especially from outdoor [Music] stalls if you go to any festival or attraction that has a bunch of food trucks you’re undoubtedly going to be able to try some kind of beef dish wagu beef of All Sorts can be found including wagu Sushi skewered beef awful and more if you’ve ever been to Japan you know that finding garbage bins to throw your trash away can be a Monumental task but have no fear at festivals it’s easy to do and they even divide your trash into different kinds of recycling here’s even a bin specifically for chicken wing bones now that’s how you keep a country [Music] clean so these are some common street food that you should be able to find anywhere in Japan where street food is offered but Japan has a lot and I mean a lot more to offer in the way of street food food offerings differ from region to region of Japan and many local Delicacies can be found if you know where to look some look delicious While others look a bit strange for me but I’m usually willing to give almost any food a chance at least once here are some of the bit more obscure offerings I’ve found on the street so here we’ve got a Boiling Pot of goodness can you guess what it is this is miso or fermented bean paste sauce on the right you can see them making cushy KATU or breaded deep fried pork bits on a skewer once cooked and cleaned the Kushi KATU is soaked in the Miso sauce until someone wants one or you can get a fresh Kushi KATU yourself and dip it in the sauce instead without their help it’s a famous dish from II prefecture I don’t like miso that much so I prefer the plain Kushi KATU but the lineups were huge for this here we have chilled cucumber on a stick now it doesn’t sound like much but on a hot summer day it’s very refreshing and naturally one of the healthier Street Foods around and in this next stall we have tornado potato I’ve never heard of it before but it looks like twisted deep fried potato on a stick it looks like they skewer a spiral cut potato and deep fry it had add a bit of salt and there you go can you really go wrong with fried potatoes this one’s for all you sweet lovers out there now it’s certainly not Japanese as we have these in my home country as well but how about a candied apple they look pretty much the same as they do back home so if these are your thing enjoy [Music] now here’s another sweet treat that I’ve definitely never seen back home chocolate covered bananas on a stick looks like they’ve got some strawberry flavored drizzle over it as well if that’s what you’re into now we’re getting more into my type of food everywhere you go in Japan you can find some of the best seafood in the world and Seafood street food and I’ll try saying that quickly a few times is some of the best EA or squid is one of my absolute favorites but these monsters are grilled over charcoal look at the size this type of grilling is absolutely the best as you get the real barbecue flavor beside the squid we’ve got some sort of clams cooking in the half showell and they’re ready to be served maybe oysters are more your kind of thing did you know that Japanese oysters in general are also really huge these ones are getting ready to be shucked and served raw just as I like them and a little bit of sauce probably ponzo which is a Savory citrus sauce is added and they’re ready to be eaten here are some more huge clams cooking on the half shell it looks like they are 600 Yen each or two for 1,000 yen which works out to about two for just over $6 here is a mysterious one I have no idea what they are I’m guessing some kind of fish cake on a long skewer looks like they’re topped with some mayonnaise and some kind of brown sauce and some green onions the one on the right has a fried egg as well I really have no idea what this is you’ll find a lot of strange combinations and new food ideas in Japan as well as traditional ones you just have to be brave enough to try them now I could go on and on about all the different types of street food here in Japan traditional strange and convenient but sometimes simple is the best like these anyways the next time you’re in Japan especially in the summer try and experience a bit of the street food culture you won’t be disappointed well as always thanks for watching and please don’t forget to like And subscribe as well as push that notification Bell to never miss more tidbits from Japan [Music]