CategoryJapan Halal Guide

Odori Park and Sapporo TV Tower. Photo: ノボホショコロトソ / CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)Halal Gourmet Japan lists 40 restaurants and shops in Hokkaido (as of October 2026). About half of them are in Sapporo. The rest are spread across the island, in places such as Otaru, Asahikawa, Obihiro and the Tokachi area, as well as resorts like Niseko and Rusutsu. Hokkaido is large, so it helps to look for places...

Sukiyaki. Photo: ajari / CC BY 2.0 (Flickr)Tokyo has more than 500 restaurants listed on Halal Gourmet Japan (as of October 2026). With that many to choose from, it helps to start from what you feel like eating.This article sorts Tokyo restaurants by what you want to eat — wagyu, ramen, sushi and other Japanese food, international food, burgers and Western food, and places for a break — and...

Tori paitan ramen. Photo: *_* / CC BY 2.0 (Flickr)Tonkotsu ramen tells you up front that the broth is made from pork. The harder part is everything the name leaves out. The tare, the flavored oil, the chashu and the seasoned egg can all involve pork or alcohol.This article walks through where pork and alcohol can turn up in a bowl of ramen, and what to look for on a Halal Gourmet Japan listing...

Yudofu (simmered tofu). Photo: cobacco / CC BY 2.0 (Flickr)Osaka and Kyoto together have more than 200 restaurants listed on Halal Gourmet Japan (as of September 2026). With that many to choose from, it helps to start from what you feel like eating.This article sorts Osaka and Kyoto restaurants by what you want to eat — wagyu, ramen, Japanese cuisine, international food, and places for a break —...

Nigiri, gunkan and maki on one platter. Photo: jetalone / CC BY 2.0 (Flickr)A sushi menu in Japan lists nigiri, gunkan and chirashi side by side, and at the counter you will hear words like shari, neta, gari and tsume.This article explains the main types of sushi and the terms you are likely to hear. It also covers where alcohol can come into sushi through the seasonings, and what to look for on...

Kobe Masjid in Chuo-ku, Kobe. Photo: 663highland / CC BY 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)When you search for a mosque on a map app in Japan, you may not find one nearby.Besides mosques, there are prayer rooms in stations, shopping complexes, hotels and other places, which you can use while getting around or sightseeing.This article shows how to find the mosques and prayer spaces listed on Halal Gourmet...

The entrance of Masjid Istiqlal Osaka in Nishinari, Osaka. Photo: Abasaa / Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)When you visit Osaka or Kyoto, it helps to know where you can pray before you get there.This article lists the prayer spaces in Kyoto and Osaka that appear on Halal Gourmet Japan, grouped by area, and points you to places to eat.The rules differ from place to place. Some spaces are only for...

Photo: kawanet / CC BY 2.0 (Flickr)It comes down to the seasonings and the stockTwo seasonings are worth knowing by name: mirin and cooking sake.Under Japan’s Liquor Tax Act, mirin is counted as an alcoholic beverage. It sits in the compound liquor category and is defined as having an alcohol content under 15% by volume (Article 3, item 11). It lives on the seasoning shelf, but the law...

Prayer spaces across Tokyo, grouped by area — Shibuya, Tokyo Station, Asakusa, Harajuku, Roppongi, Odaiba, and the airports — plus how to find somewhere to eat by cuisine.