Whether you’re attending a famous matsuri (祭り, Japanese festival) or stopping by a lone food stall as you explore Tokyo, Japanese street foods are a treat any time of year. They’re also referred to as “festival foods” because of how strongly associated they are with the many matsuri celebrated in Japan. Step right up and see what delicious options await you!
Japan is famous for its cuisine, so you may have heard of some of these street foods. But, have you thought about their hidden meanings or spellings in Japanese? This is a great chance to learn Japanese as you dig into the most popular festival foods in Japan!
Table of Contents
What is Japanese street food?
Street food in Japan is an affordable, accessible blend of native Japanese cuisine, washoku (和食), and dishes inspired by or borrowed from other cuisines worldwide. Seeing a festival stall selling French-style crepes right next to one selling grilled squid on skewers is not unusual. There’s something for every palate!
The street food stalls are historical Japanese street vendors, or yatai (屋台). In modern Japan, they’re inextricably linked to Japanese matsuri. Some stalls have chairs and curtains to keep out inclement weather, but at festivals, most Japanese street food is prepared and served to be portable, so you can carry it while enjoying the events. However, make sure to step off to the side of the street to eat it, as it’s impolite in Japan to eat or drink and walk at the same time.
Popular street foods in Japan
Just as hot dogs and slices of pizza on New York City streets spring to mind for popular street foods from the United States, there are several standouts among Japanese street foods. In a 2022 survey, over 5,000 people were asked what their favorites were, resulting in a list of the top 10 most popular street foods in Japan.
| Japanese | Romanization | English |
| たこ焼き | takoyaki | fried octopus dumplings |
| 焼きそば | yakisoba | stir-fried noodles |
| お好み焼き | okonomiyaki | savory pancake |
| 焼き鳥 | yakitori | grilled chicken skewer |
| 唐揚げ | karaage | fried chicken |
| かき氷 | kakigōri | flavored shaved ice |
| フランクフルト | furankufuruto | frankfurter sausage |
| フライドポテト | furaido poteto | french fries |
| イカ焼き | ikayaki | grilled squid |
| ベビーカステラ | bebī kasutera | mini castella cakes |
Famous Japanese street foods
Every festival is different, and regions across Japan have their traditions and favorites. But these are 19 of the most famous Japanese street foods nationwide:
Savory Japanese street foods
Like many similar cuisines around the world, Japanese street food includes a healthy amount of tasty grilled, battered, and fried dishes. Some of these can even be found among the street foods of other countries.
- takoyaki (たこ焼き): Fried dumplings filled with cooked octopus. These are made on a special griddle filled with depressed half-spheres to allow the dough to form a ball when flipped. They’re one of Japan’s most famous and most adored street foods.
- ikayaki (イカ焼き): Grilled squid, often served on a skewer. It can be eaten plain with minimal seasoning, but it’s also delicious when glazed or drizzled with a sweet soy sauce.
- yakitori (焼き鳥): Similar to kebabs at barbecues in the US, yakitori are grilled chicken skewers flavored with a savory, caramelized sauce. The tori (鳥) in yakitori means “chicken,” but other meats such as pork can be substituted (in which case the word is spelled phonetically in hiragana without Japanese kanji).
- nikuman (肉まん): These steamed dumplings are filled with meat, usually pork. They are part of a larger category called chūkaman (中華まん, Chinese-style steamed buns), given that they’re actually based on a Chinese variant of the same food called bāo zi (包子). The niku (肉) in nikuman means “meat,” but other common fillings include curry, red bean paste, or even pizza sauce and cheese!
- kashi pan (菓子パン): Literally “candy bread” or “sweet bread,” this category of baked goods includes several varieties. Meron pan (メロンパン, melon bread) is one of the most famous, and it’s a sweet bread bun topped with a crunchy cookie crust. Anpan (あんパン) is another popular variety filled with red bean paste. It also features as one of Japan’s most beloved superheroes, Anpanman (アンパンマン)!
- karaage (唐揚げ): Deep-fried pieces of food—usually chicken—breaded in flour. Karaage goes far beyond street food. You can find it any time of year in convenience stores, izakaya (居酒屋) bars, restaurants, and more.
- korokke (コロッケ): These are deep-fried mashed potatoes, often mixed with sauteed ground beef and onions. They’re based on French croquettes, making them a great example of Japanese cuisine’s yōshoku (洋食), or Western-style food.
Japanese street food with fruits and vegetables
For those looking for something a little lighter, there are many popular options where fruits and vegetables are the main ingredients.
- yaki imo (焼き芋): Baked Japanese sweet potatoes, or satsumaimo (さつま芋). These are a simple staple of Japanese street food, particularly nice in the winter as the food warms your hands.
- daigaku imo (大学芋): Literally meaning “university potatoes” due to their popularity at colleges in the early 1900s, daigaku imo are candied sweet potatoes. They’re made by deep frying the potatoes, coating them in a caramelized syrup, and topping with black sesame seeds.
- yaki tōmorokoshi (焼きとうもろこし): A familiar sight at barbecues in the US, these are grilled corn on the cob! Before cooking, they’re often coated in a savory seasoning of butter, mirin, and soy sauce.
- choco banana (チョコバナナ): Exactly as it sounds, choco banana is a peeled banana dipped in chocolate. They’re particularly popular at summer festivals. It’s common to see these covered with colorful sprinkles, chopped nuts, and other toppings.
Japanese street food sweet treats
No festival would be complete without desserts. Here are several choices for attendees to satisfy their sweet tooth:
- dango (団子): A traditional treat, dango are a guarantee at any street festival. These are round, doughy balls made with sweet glutinous rice flour, and there are several types of dango for different times of the year and some Japanese holidays.
- kurēpu (クレープ): Another street food inspired by French cuisine, kurēpu are crepes! Like French crepes, there are several popular fillings, including fruit, custard cream, and cheese. Japanese crepes are usually cone-shaped to make them easier to hold.
- kakigōri (かき氷): A summer favorite, this is shaved ice with syrup flavoring. You can find these just about anywhere in the hottest parts of the year, from stalls at festivals to checkpoints when hiking up mountains as a refreshing treat.
- taiyaki (タイ焼き): Cakes filled with red bean paste, custard, chocolate, and other sweet things. Don’t let their appearance fool you: They’re most often shaped like fish, but they taste nothing like them!
- bebī kasutera (ベビーカステラ): Sponge cakes shaped into balls. Like takoyaki, they’re made on a special griddle with depressions to pour in the batter and flip them into a ball halfway.
Japanese street food meals
Need something more filling than a snack and a dessert? Not to worry! There are main courses for you to eat, too.
- yakisoba (焼きそば): Stir-fried noodles usually mixed with vegetables, chicken, shrimp, or beef. The sauce used is similar to Worcestershire. You may have seen this before if you’ve ever been to a Japanese-style restaurant with hibachi meals on the menu.
- okonomiyaki (お好み焼き): Literally meaning “cooked as you like it,” okonomiyaki is commonly referred to as a savory pancake. The primary ingredients are a wheat-based batter, shredded cabbage, tempura pieces, beaten egg, and yam. Depending on the region, okonomiyaki ingredients and cooking methods can differ slightly.
- onigiri (おにぎり): Sticky white rice molded into a handheld shape. The iconic onigiri is triangular, but flattened round and cylindrical shapes are also common. A dried seaweed (nori, のり) wrap and fillings are optional, but they’re also what give a rice ball personality!
You can find each of these at restaurants all year, but onigiri are particularly easy to come by. They’re available at any convenience store, many sporting events, and other places where a grab-and-go meal might be needed. The simplicity of their ingredients also makes rice balls a perfect Japanese street food for you to try at home!
How to form Japanese street food names
Linguistically, there are a few words that stand out in Japanese street food, primarily related to how the foods are cooked.
- yaki (焼き): A prefix or suffix attached to words that are grilled or fried, coming from the word “to grill” or “to cook” (yaku, 焼く).
- age (揚げ): A suffix attached to words that are deep fried, coming from the word “to fry” (ageru, 揚げる).
- kushi (串): A prefix for a variety of foods grilled on a skewer, broadly known as kushiyaki (串焼き), combining “skewer” (kushi) and “grill” (yaki). The word kushi is also a Japanese counter for skewers, although the counter for cylindrical objects (~hon, ～本) is much more commonly used.
How to order Japanese street food
When ordering food in Japanese, all you need to do is follow this formula:
- [food] o [quantity] kudasai! = [quantity] [food], please!
| Japanese | Romanization | English |
| 一つ | hitotsu | one (generic) |
| 二つ | futatsu | two (generic) |
| 三つ | mittsu | three (generic) |
| 一本 | ippon | one (cylindrical object) |
| 二本 | nihon | two (cylindrical objects) |
| 三本 | sanbon | three (cylindrical objects) |
- Yakisoba o futatsu kudasai!（焼きそばを二つください！）= Two yakisoba, please!
- Yakitori o sanbon kudasai!（焼き鳥を三本ください！）= Three yakitori skewers, please!
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