Japanese "street foods"

[torakris]

I hesitate to refer to these as street foods, because in Japan they aren't sold so much on the street as they are in the parks, at the beaches, in highway rest areas, and every tourist attraction.

A lot of them contain the the world yaki (which means grill, burn, roast, broil, etc)

yakitori

okonomiyaki

yakisoba

takoyaki

what are some of your favorites?

[anil]

Yakisoba in a paper bowl

[margaret]

In the summer, yakisoba, heaped with beni-shoga (bright red pickled ginger) and powdered nori. In a paper bowl.

In the winter, oden.

Anytime, tai-yaki (fish-shaped cakes stuffed with sweet red bean paste)

[torakris]

In the summer, yakisoba, heaped with beni-shoga (bright red pickled ginger) and powdered nori. In a paper bowl.

In the winter, oden.

Anytime, tai-yaki (fish-shaped cakes stuffed with sweet red bean paste)

Wow Margaret you really eat like I do!

Sometimes I have more beni-shoga then yakisoba!

I also love those tai-yaki, they are really popular on weekends outside of K-mart type stores in my neighborhood, Imy favorite are the white bean ones.

[margaret]

Torakris, I never understand how people can eat yakisoba without beni shoga! It really makes the dish for me.

I've never had the white bean taiyaki. It's difficult to even find the regular ones here in the US. Gotta take what you can get I suppose. I've been thinking about attempting dora-yaki on my own - not being in possession of a fish shaped iron - but haven't tried it yet. Maybe I'll use the white an for that...

[tissue]

I like oden in the winter.....

so comforting.

[torakris]

dorayaki:

http://plaza6.mbn.or.jp/~caketime/Dorayaki.htm

[Bigfoot]

Hot takoyaki just off the grill plate, with mayonnaise and toothpicks for two!

[torakris]

well matsuri (festival) season is upon us and everywhere I turn I run into one of my favorite foods

TAKOYAKI!

http://village.infoweb.ne.jp/~fwbc7245/e-index.htm

[goyatofu]

niku-man!! (do they still sell them on the street?) I remember it's usually attached to a restaurant.... :

[torakris]

niku-man!!  (do they still sell them on the street?) I remember it's usually attached to a restaurant....  :

Everywhere in Yokohama's China town!

[gus_tatory]

i loove gyoza, and dumplings of all types.

an article on a place in Ikeburu... tasty-sounding!

[prasantrin]

My favourites include takoyaki (with mayonnaise), mochi dango, and croquette (kurokke). And freshly roasted chestnuts--do they count?

[torakris]

some mouthwatering pictures of Japanese "street foods" in this case ringo ame (candied apples) and grilled squid and corn:

http://enenen-web.hp.infoseek.co.jp/eat0ringo.htm

[exceptinsects]

hmmm, what I like is taikoyaki (also called imagawayaki, I think, or ooyaki) which are basically like taiyaki but round instead of fish-shaped and usually come in a lot more flavors--sometimes savory like tuna or pizza.

My favorite were the choco-banana ones at a stall in Machida where I used to live.

...natsukashii...

[torakris]

hmmm, what I like is taikoyaki (also called imagawayaki, I think, or ooyaki) which are basically like taiyaki but round instead of fish-shaped and usually come in a lot more flavors--sometimes savory like tuna or pizza.

My favorite were the choco-banana ones at a stall in Machida where I used to live.

...natsukashii...

exceptinsects, welcome to egullet and the Japan Forum!!

Imagawayaki are wonderful, my favorite is the shiro-an (white bean) and my husband and kids almost always go for the custard.

I found this incredible site just about imagawayaki, I have linked to the photo page since the whole website in in Japanese but for those who can read it it is fascinating, they have rankings of the most popular kinds, a list of every prefecture and what theyare called there, this snack has an incredible number of names!

check it out:

http://hb2.seikyou.ne.jp/home/my-morita/ni/photo/index.htm

[herbacidal]

The 4 Torakris mentioned initially are the only ones I've had.

Okonomiyaki are okay, but nothing I'd rush back for.

Takoyaki, I'd rush back for, twice even.

Yakitori, I'd rush back for at least twice. Per item. I think I've had a few different meat and a few different innards.

Yakisoba is okay but I probably like it less than okonomiyaki.

Reminds me too much of greasy Chinese lo mein, which I suppose it basically is.

[tissue]

Roasted chestnuts.

Roasted sweet potatoes.

[dornachu]

I'm going to tokyo the end of novemeber, wondering where these "street vendors" are? Thanks!!!

[torakris]

I'm going to tokyo the end of novemeber, wondering where these "street vendors" are?  Thanks!!!

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Are you looking for a specific kind of food?

[dornachu]

Are you looking for a specific kind of food?

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[JasonTrue]

I made an attempt at one of my favorite highway "service area" snacks today:

Oyaki (full description of technique is on my blog entry.)

The filling I made was actually slightly repurposed, extended karashi-na filling from my jiaozi that I showed on the China forum. To the karashi-na filling, I added some oroshi-kabu (actually turnips rather than Japanese kabu), miso, shouyu, and a couple of mushrooms.

The skins are simple to prepare, but hard to turn into something pretty; accordingly, I obscured the "twisted" side.

In the pan:

Plated:

[torakris]

Some street food pictures, these were all taken in Asakusa.

freshly cooked sembei (rice crackers)

chocolate banana on a stick

and in a cone

candied fruits (that is a block of ice they are sitting in)

the street vendors line the streets of Asakusa

[torakris]

I'm going to tokyo the end of novemeber, wondering where these "street vendors" are?  Thanks!!!

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A lot of the "vendors" can actually be found as shops in department store basements, especially some of the sweets like taiyaki or dorayaki.

In Osaka I have heard you can buy takoyaki almost anywhere but in Tokyo it can be a little harder to find. Many large stores (like Ito-Yokado, Jusco, Aeon, etc) have food courts that offer various "street" foods like takoyaki, crepes, etc

Most of the larger parks (Uneo Koen, Yoyogi Koen) and major temple areas have streets lines with various vendors especially on the weekends.

For oden and such try the outside of any major station after dark.

[Cadbury]

Mmm Takoyaki. There used to be a street vendor just outside the Coop near Mefu Jinja (Hyogo-ken) We used to stop there after shopping. Sadly on my last visit to Japan both the vendor and the Coop had gone. We did find some nice Takoyaki near the Tsukiji markets though.

Finding tako in rural Western Australia is a bit tricky so I haven't had takoyaki in a while.