Festival & OUTDOOR Food Stall CUISINE

While exploring Japan, you will likely come across outdoor food stalls at festivals and around tourist areas such as temples and parks. These stalls feature various assortments of Japanese food as a snack, meal, or dessert. It is rare to see people walking around holding food items on the streets, but there are exceptions to every rule. Here are a few of the common food items you should try on your next adventure around Japan.

Karaage is a Japanese style of fried chicken served on a stick. It is very tasty and a great snack to eat while wandering the grounds of a festival.

Yakitori is something you may have heard of when people talk about Japanese food. It is as simple as grilled chicken on a stick. There are a few different styles of yakitori such as different parts of a chicken (liver, tail, neck) or different styles of marinade.

Karaage (Japanese Style Fried Chicken)

Yakitori (Grilled Chicken on a Stick)

 Okonomiyaki is famous in the Osaka region, but can be eaten in many other places. Different regions of Japan serve the dish in their own way. At its core, Okonomiyaki is a Japanese pancake with meat (usually pork) and vegetables. Some styles contain noodles as well.

Okonomiyaki with a sauce and bonito flakes

Takoyaki are balls of pancake batter containing pieces of octopus. They are usually topped off with a sauce, seaweed flakes, and/or bonito flakes. Takoyaki is very popular and a staple of festival food options.

Takoyaki from Osaka

Ramune is a carbonated soda widely available in Japan and around the world. While you may have tried one of these "marble" drinks before; Japan offers them in a wide assortment of interesting and unusual flavors.

An ice chest of Ramune

There are plenty of other great festival foods to try, but you should definitely try some of these during your next trip to Japan.