TOKYO, Japan (MNTV) – For many Muslim travelers, Japan’s appeal comes with a challenge: finding food that aligns with Islamic dietary laws.
Influencers like Nanako Shibasaki and app creator Navito are stepping in to fill that gap, using social media to connect Japan’s evolving halal offerings with millions of Muslim viewers abroad, reports The Asahi Shimbun.
One early afternoon in November, Nanako Shibasaki popped into Hangry Joe’s Tokyo in the capital’s Akihabara district, which was bustling with foreign tourists. She held a small camera and smartphone. The 24-year-old social media influencer, who goes by her first name online, spent about an hour filming, but not for a Japanese audience.
Nanako introduced different items on the American-style restaurant’s menu in fluent Indonesian, noting her particular favorite was a pancake dish. “Only a handful of halal-certified desserts are offered in Japan, so I want to share it with Muslim people,” she said, smiling.
The Arabic word describes food permissible under Islam, which prohibits eating pork or anything containing pork-derived ingredients. Alcohol is also a no-go.
Primarily a burger joint, whose selling point is its chicken burger, the restaurant obtained halal certification in November. Currently, 60% of its customers are from overseas, 80 to 90% of whom are Muslims from Indonesia, Malaysia and elsewhere.
As more Muslims visit, halal-certified eateries and prayer rooms are opening in Japan to cater to their needs.
Many travelers are likewise turning to Muslim-oriented social media influencers, including Nanako.
Nanako has 1.7 million followers on TikTok, about 80% of whom are Indonesian. She had been mainly posting dance videos in fall 2023 but during a streak where she livestreamed two hours daily for about three months, she saw her followers gradually increase after getting a comment from an Indonesian viewer. Nanako began posting videos in Indonesian the following year.
Her Indonesian rapidly improved as she communicated using translation software during her streams, with followers saying things like, “You have improved so much” and, “Oh, you learned that word, didn’t you?”
Now she has no trouble with daily conversation, and her vocabulary even includes some dialect-based words. “My followers are so kind,” Nanako said. “The more I want to reciprocate the affection and learn about their culture, the wider my range of communication becomes, and it makes me happy.”
Digital bridges
Like its CEO Ikuto Hongu, the Halal Navi app provides information on halal-certified restaurants and other tips, boasting 20 million monthly social media users.
The 26-year-old who runs the app goes by Navito online and doubles as an influencer who has received requests to promote restaurants and municipalities around Japan.
One client is the Yamanashi prefectural government, which launched its own certification system for diversity in food in fiscal 2024.
The local government has set up standards in six categories for Muslims, vegans and vegetarians to enjoy the prefecture’s food scene. It aims to certify 100 business operators within three years.
The prefectural government hosted a bus tour for the first time on Nov. 7 to ferry Hongu, other influencers and representatives from travel agencies to sightseeing spots and halal-certified restaurants.
“The spot covered with ‘susuki’ pampas grass was more beautiful than I had imagined,” he said. “Halal-certified shops are scarce in areas near Mount Fuji and they are rather expensive, so I think it would be easier (for Muslims) to visit the prefecture when they have a little bit more options.”
The influencer shared that he receives about 500 comments on social media each day, with some saying that they are happy to see a Japanese person trying hard to understand halal. “I want to be a bridge between Japan and Muslims so that Muslims who like Japan and visit the country can enjoy their stay with ease,” he said.
AloJapan.com