10 Japanese Street Food Essentials You Have to Try

As foodies, we’ve got one motto in life: follow our gut! And it’s leading us right to the busy streets of Japan, where heaps of mouthwatering treats are waiting to be eaten. With hundreds of festivals illuminating the streets of its cities each year, food vendors creep out of the shadows to spread the mouthwatering joy of their treasured street food. Some dishes even hold a legacy of pleasing tummies as early as the 20th century, so prepare for the chow of your life! 

If you find yourself in Japan, look out for these 10 tasty eats: 

You hear a cheerful melody slowly drifting closer. “Yaki-imo, yaki-imo, yaki-imo!” The enticing smell of roasted potatoes creeps into your senses, leaving you no choice but to submit to the temptation. A customised cart with a potato-filled wooden stove stops in front of you—“It’s here, your yaki-imo!”—beckoning you to try this delicious Japanese street food classic. 

This hundred-year-old street food tradition still lives on despite the simplicity of its nature. If you ever hear the catchy tune from a yaki-imo man or woman, pay them a visit and engulf your taste buds with warm starchy heaven.

Pile all your favourite foods together, add batter and make a pancake out of ‘em. Bam, now you have okonomiyaki! Well, not exactly, but try the same cooking method with ingredients like octopus, shrimp, pork, yam or kimchi, and then you’ll create this beloved Japanese street food dish.

With mayonnaise and sweet sauce drizzled on the top, the savoury pancake provides a hearty meal customised to your palette. Nab down the perfect combination of ingredients and allow okonomiyaki to live up to its namesake of providing “what you like.” 

Klook Tip: Want a taste of this delectable treat? Head to the streets of Tokyo for the best okonomiyaki in town! By booking the Tokyo After 5 Food Tour, you’ll get to discover the city’s hidden food gems and eat your way through the night!

Don’t flake out just yet. Vendors selling squid pierced through the length of its body with a wooden skewer is completely normal in Japan, particularly in Osaka. Vendors grill the squid and then top it off with soy sauce leaving room for customers to experience the freshness and delightfully chewy texture of the squid. Ikayaki may be a simple snack, but when cooked correctly, the slimy meat transforms into a plump and tender culinary work of art.

Craving for weird food? Challenge your ‘buds with the most unique street foods in Japan:

Kakigori is a fine example of how Japan takes an existing invention and improves it tenfold. This summer treat leaves snow cones in the dust with added condensed milk, sweetener and flavoured syrup. Sure, the add-ons are simple, but they change the course of the game. The typical shaved ice transforms into a soft feathery cloud of sweet holiness. You taste the rich sweetness as you would with ice cream, but the light consistency of the kakigori leaves your body feeling guilt-free!

Don’t be fooled by the fish imprint in the sweet doe, Taiyaki has nothing to do with sea creatures. Instead, it’s a traditional Japanese street food dessert made with red bean paste. Some vendors in Tokyo and other tourist towns even fill these golden fish with custard, chocolate or cheese. There’s a continued debate in Japan about the proper way to eat the treat. Head first or tail first? It’s yours to decide.

Pour yourself a cup of green tea and munch on one of these delectable rice crackers. Senbei comes in a plethora of sizes, shapes, and flavours. The crackers are usually baked or grilled and are enhanced with soy sauce and mirin (a rice wine condiment). In the ancient city of Nara, the sacred deer that roam the area have learned of these delicious treats and might even bow for a cracker when offered one.

Take a break from Japan’s fishy cuisine and treat yourself to a sweet skewer of Dango. These spherical Japanese dumplings are made from mochiko (rice flower) and blanketed with an unforgiving layer of shoyu and sugar sauce. Most dangos prefer to stay sweet, but the level of sweetness depends on the type of dango. If you’re feeling like a light sugary snack, try the kawaii-coloured hanami dango; or for those craving a bite of something heavy and rich, take a shot of the sweet potato-filled ikinari dango.

Klook Tip: More sweet treats coming your way when you visit Tokyo Disneyland, the Happiest Place in Japan: 

Sink your teeth into these warm luscious spherical treats. Takoyaki is a ball-shaped pancake filled with octopus, and garnished with mayonnaise, ginger pickles and fermented fish flakes. The savoury Japanese street food has its own special griddles equipped with cast iron moulds that help create that classic spherical shape. Similarly, it shares the same ingredients as okonomiyaki and is another of Osaka’s speciality dishes. 

Klook Tip: Planning to visit Osaka? Better not miss the awesome treats inside Universal Studios Japan:

A popular  lunch choice  in the business districts in Japan, bento stands usually sell out in less than an hour. These colourful boxes full of an assortment of meat, rice, and vegetables offer a convenient method to consume multiple dishes from one compact box.

With the fierce competition from surrounding restaurants, street vendors, and convenience stores, these local stands depend on loyal customers. Bento also appeals to expats and visitors as you won’t need to worry about struggling with the language when pointing at your preferred box is all that’s needed.

Prepare yourself for a texturally pleasing steamy dough wrapped around a savoury pork-onion mixture. Nikuman is the Japanese equivalent of Chinese bao (steamed buns). These classic buns are the perfect way to warm your tummy during the frosty winter months.

And speaking of winter, you’ll wanna include Hokkaido on your travel list as it’s famous for its winter wonderland and traditional snacks—cheese omelette, fluffy sponge cakes, and the works: