Japanese Street Food & Yatai Festivals

Have you ever eaten street food in Japan? They are called yatai 「屋台」 which literally refers to the carts that sell food. Japan is a country rich in festivals, events, and tourist spots, and it is normal to imagine that over 200,000 events take place every year in Japan.

Some of the occasions where you can find street food in Japan are:

Street food is not usually found in regular restaurants, but some can be bought at fairs or even made at home easily. Japanese street foods are based on ancient dishes from the 20th century or earlier and can be prepared easily. In this article, we will see the main street dishes found at festivals in Japan.

Table of Contents

Yaki Imo (焼き芋)

Yaki Imo are sweet potatoes baked in a wood-fired oven. Trucks and carts equipped with wood stoves can be found all over Japan. The trucks can drive around slowly repeating “yaki imo… yaki imo… yaki imo” on a loudspeaker.

Boiled

In addition to the sweet potato cooked in a wood stove, you find “Jaga Bata,” a peeled boiled potato covered with butter. I don’t even need to mention that it’s common to also find French fries, popcorn, and other vegetables at street festivals in Japan. Something more extreme are the “Onsen tamago,” which are eggs that have been boiled in a natural hot spring, or onsen.

The Street Crepes of Japan

Crepes are quite popular in Japan, both as street food and in specialized shops. You can find sweet and savory crepes of all kinds, and they can be found in strategic locations and tourist spots. It is very common to find small shops filled with models throughout their display. One of the most popular among the street foods of Japan.

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き)

Okonomiyaki 「お好み焼き」 are savory Japanese pancakes filled with meat, seafood, and vegetables. They can be topped with mayonnaise, katsuobushi, nori, pickled ginger, and a sauce similar to tonkatsu sauce.

This dish is quite popular throughout Japan and has various regional variations. It can be easily found on the street. Okonomiyaki is one of the most sought-after street foods in Japan by foreigners. The Kansai region is one of the places where this dish is popular.

Dango (団子)

“Dango”「団子」 is a Japanese dumpling made from mochiko (rice flour). It is served on a skewer with 3 or 4 dangos and is usually eaten with green tea. “Dango” is a classic dessert available in endless varieties, its texture is similar to mochi.

The “Dango” is quite popular at shrines and temples and tends to stand out at certain times of the year. During the Mitarashi festival at the Shimogamo Shrine, “Dango” is the main offering to the deities.

Besides “Dango,” any type of mochi can be a good choice during a festival in Japan, especially at the end of the year.

Senbei (せんべい)

“Senbei” are simple crackers made from rice with a variety of sweet and savory flavors. At festivals, you can find a fresh and grilled senbei, in the city of Nara tourists buy senbei to feed the city’s deer.

Ramune (ラムネ)

You can accompany these crackers with a famous drink called “ramune.” A lemon soda that comes in a different glass bottle with a marble at the top. This drink is also quite popular at street festivals.

We recommend reading: Discover Nara – The City of Deer

Takoyaki (たこ焼き)

Takoyaki (たこ焼き), literally fried or grilled octopus, is a popular round Japanese dumpling that resembles a seasoned pancake made with a very soft, almost liquid batter, and fried on a special griddle. It is quite common to find stalls with these dumplings at festivals, cultural fairs, and also in specialized Takoyaki places. It is usually filled with cut pieces of a small whole octopus, tempura scraps (tenkasu), chopped ginger, and green onions.

Kare Pan – It is a fried bread filled with kare. These are just a few of the various types of bread found at street festivals in Japan;
Baby Kasutera – miniature Japanese cake that ends with a bite;

Shioyaki (塩焼き)

Grilled fish on a skewer (usually mackerel). It tends to be saltier than salt itself. In addition to grilled fish, it is worth mentioning another popular street food called “Ikayaki,” which are grilled squid.

To delve deeper into skewers, let’s mention some skewer dishes like “Chocobanana,” which consists of a banana covered with chocolate and sprinkles on a stick. We also have grilled corn with miso, butter, and soy sauce on a skewer called “Tomorokoshi.” Even cucumbers have not escaped and can be found on a skewer with miso paste called “Kyuri.”

Taiyaki (田焼き)

Taiyaki is a sweet (or savory) cake made with flour, water, and yeast… It is usually filled with sweet red bean paste (azuki) and grilled in a mold shaped like a sea bream. Taiyaki is basically a normal pancake or waffle in the shape of a fish. It is placed on a grill with molds on both sides. It is quite similar to those Swiss crepes. It can contain sweet and savory fillings!

Oden (おでん)

Oden is a Japanese winter dish consisting of various ingredients slowly cooked in dashi broth. Some common ingredients include boiled eggs, fried tofu, daikon, konjac, and fish cakes.

Yakisoba (焼きそば)

Yakisoba is a fried noodle dish commonly found at street food stalls. The noodles are fried with vegetables, meat (such as chicken, pork, or shrimp), and seasoned with yakisoba sauce, resulting in a tasty and comforting dish.

Gyoza (餃子)

Gyoza are Japanese dumplings filled with ground meat (usually pork) and vegetables, such as cabbage and green onions. They are steamed and then lightly fried until golden and crispy on the outside.

Dorayaki (どら焼き)

Dorayaki is a popular Japanese dessert made of two small pancake cakes (made with wheat flour, sugar, eggs, and water) filled with a generous layer of sweet red bean paste.

Tempura (天ぷら)

Tempura is a Japanese dish of seafood, vegetables, or meat battered and fried in very hot oil. The light and crispy coating contrasts with the soft interior of the ingredients, creating a delicious texture.

Yakitori (焼き鳥)

Yakitori are grilled chicken skewers traditionally cooked over charcoal, but they can also be prepared on grills or barbecues. The pieces of chicken are skewered on bamboo sticks and are usually seasoned with tare sauce (made from soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar).

Obentō (お弁当)

Although not exclusively street food, Obentō is a practical and portable Japanese meal prepared in a lunch box (bentō). It can contain a variety of items such as rice, grilled fish, fried chicken (karaage), pickled vegetables (tsukemono), and Japanese omelet (tamagoyaki).

Ramen (ラーメン)

Although ramen is more associated with restaurants, some street food stalls serve simplified versions of the dish. This can include a bowl of noodles with hot broth and some toppings, such as sliced pork and green onions.

Kushikatsu (串カツ)

Kushikatsu are skewers of meat, vegetables, or seafood that are breaded and fried. At festivals, you can find stalls offering a variety of kushikatsu, usually accompanied by tasty dipping sauces.

Yatai – Discover 20 street foods from Japan