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Yatai

Typical dishes that are sold at yatai are fried noodles (yakisoba), octopus balls (takoyaki), pan-fried batter cake (okonomiyaki), broiled whole squid (ikayaki), grilled chicken skewers (yakitori), hot pot (oden), grilled corn, and sausages.

Some desserts are bite-sized castella (baby castella), candy apples, cotton candy, chocolate covered bananas, and fish shaped red bean paste cake (taiyaki).

Food stalls can also be found outside of festivals. A well known yatai is the moving yatai that sells noodle soup (ramen), the origins of which can be traced back to the Edo period where the street vendor would play the charamela flute to attract customers.

There are also late night food vendors that sell oden and yakitori near train stations. What attracts customers to these small vendors is not only the food but the warm atmosphere.

However, both types of vendors are seldom seen and have been replaced with a new generation of vendors which are often referred to as neo-yatai. These street vendors drive to various business districts to sell lunch boxes and are popular among working women.

What distinguishes neo-yatai from the former is that they are more style conscious on how they present their stalls and food, and usually serve non-Japanese dishes such as East Asian or Hawaiian.

Find out more about yatai.