14 Muslim-Friendly And Halal Food You Can Find In Japanese Convenience Stores

Japan is a country known for its temples, shrines, and convenience stores. If you're looking for Muslim-friendly or halal food in Family Mart Japan or other convenience stores (also known as konbini in Japanese), you'd be happy to know that Japan's convenience stores are open throughout the day! What's great is that they stock everything from food to medication and even beauty products.

Credit: @yeongu9700 on Instagram

We’ve gathered a list of products that you can easily find in convenience stores like Family Mart, 7-Eleven and Lawson, throughout the country, so that the next time you’re craving a quick bite on the streets of Japan, you’ll know just what you can get! 

P.S. Read to the end to find out what are some of the common ingredients to look out for when you’re purchasing snacks in Japan, and how to avoid consuming uncertain food products.

Disclaimer: Do note that manufacturers may change the ingredients without giving out prior notice. As most of these products are not halal-certified, we recommend that you dine at your own discretion.

Halal-certified products:

1. Halal bento from Royal Deli

Supplied by Royal Group’s Halal Deli and halal-certified by the Japan Islamic Trust, these halal bento sets make the perfect on-the-go meals!

Credit: Food Diversity.today  The bento sets can be found in the frozen section of certain 7-11 stores in Tokyo and you can spot them easily by the clearly marked signboard that says “Halal Bento”. They come in 3 different flavours - Gyudon (beef rice bowl), Butter Chicken Curry and the newly launched flavour, Vegetable Penne (no meat). Check out our article to find out where you can find these halal bentos!

2. Halal cream daifuku

Daifuku is mochi (Japanese rice cake) with a sweet filling and red bean paste. While it might not be easy to find a halal version, this particular item has been halal-certified by the Japan Halal Standard. You can find them in several Rogers Mart outlets and halal restaurants across Japan.

The best part is, there are different flavours to suit your fancy - from green tea to mango, strawberry and cafe au lait. The cream in the daifuku enhances its taste, making it a great snack to have when you're travelling around Japan. Check out our article to find out more about it!

Muslim-friendly options in convenience stores:

3. Yamazaki brand Double Soft bread

Credit: Praew Po on FacebookLet’s start with something simple - bread! For those of us who just want something simple to start the day with, a slice of bread is enough to get us ready for the day ahead. However, some companies use animal shortening to make the bread, meaning we have to be careful even when buying something so ordinary. Fortunately, some of the products by Yamazaki brand such as their Double Soft bread are made without animal shortening!

4. Sangaria brand Maroyaka Cafe Latte

Credit: tanoshiyashop.comWhat else goes better with a slice of bread in the morning than a cup of coffee? Sangaria’s Maroyaka Cafe Latte doesn’t have any liquor in it, making it perfect for a morning pick-me-up!

5. Meiji brand Bulgaria Yoghurt LB81

Yoghurt is another popular snack, but it can be difficult to find a product that doesn’t use animal gelatin as a stabilizer. Thankfully, Meiji’s delicious Bulgaria Yoghurt LB81 is a product that doesn’t use gelatin! While some of the other flavours in the Bulgaria line use gelatin, this plain-flavoured product does not.P.S. If you need something sweeter in your yoghurt, you can buy some ready-cut fruits from the convenience store to add a little twist to this snack!

6. Lawson’s brand Jukusei Yaki Taraku Onigiri (Grilled Pollack Roe riceball)

Credit: Halal JapanRiceballs are the snack you have to get while in Japan. They’re small and portable yet tasty and filling - but the bad news is that many of them use mirin, alcohol spray, or emulsifiers during the production process. There's good news though - Lawson’s grilled pollack roe onigiri is one of the items that doesn’t use any of these!Our writers snacked on onigiri while exploring Tokyo and Hakone - check out their tips for other Muslim travellers who want to do the same!

7. 7-11 brand Vegetable Sticks with Mayonnaise

Credit: Halal JapanIf you suddenly get hungry, why not pop into a 7-11 and grab one of their vegetable sticks with mayonnaise for a boost to get you through the day? These crunchy sticks are satisfying to chew on while you take in the sights of the city.

8. Takeda Seika brand Tamago Boro

Some of you may recognize these small egg biscuits from your own childhood. While tamago boro is technically a snack meant for young kids, there’s something satisfying about these light and fluffy biscuits that melt on your tongue! There are many brands that produce these, but we have only seen that the Takeda Seika and Q.P. (or Kewpie) brands only use vegetable shortening in their products. Though tamago boro is generally a vegetarian-friendly snack, if you run across other brands’ versions make sure to check the ingredients list first just in case!

9. Kobe Bussan brand Kasugai Green Peas

Credit: Halal JapanIf you’re craving something more savoury, why not get a pack of Kasugai Green Peas? This lightly-flavoured snack is convenient to keep in your bag as you continue through the city, and can easily keep your stomach satisfied until your next mealtime.

10. Lawson’s Select brand Chocolate Digestive Biscuit and Chocolate Chip Cookie

Credit: Halal JapanLawson’s is one of the biggest convenience store chains in Japan, so we’re super happy that their Select line of biscuits and cookies includes products that don’t contain animal shortening or unsafe ingredients! Both their chocolate digestive and chocolate chip cookie don’t have animal shortening in them, so make sure to stock up so that you can nibble on them throughout your trip.

11. 7-11 brand Waffle Cone Milk Vanilla Ice Cream

Credit: Halal JapanAfter a long day, why not pop into 7-11 and enjoy the desserts they have on offer? The milk vanilla flavour may not look like it packs a punch - but it’s actually had good reviews online! Best of all, there’s no liquor or animal-based emulsifiers in it so you can indulge in a sweet treat without having to worry. If these 9 snacks aren’t enough for you, why not check out 12 Muslim-friendly snacks you need to try while in Japan?

12. DyDo Blend Coffee

If you're looking for drinks, DyDo Blend Coffee is one of the popular coffee brands in Japan! They offer four flavours - Original, Low Sugar, Cafe Au Lait, and Black. The blended coffee series contain Muslim-friendly ingredients. The Black Coffee is made up of only pure black coffee, making them safe to drink while the other three contain a plant-based emulsifier.

13. Glico Japan Pocky-Pocky

Japan's Pocky-Pocky offers a variety of flavours, from classic Chocolate to Green Tea. While the products don't contain animal products or contamination of animal ingredients, there may be a risk of alcohol in some of the flavours as it's used to stabilise the flavouring. So, if you plan to get Pocky-Pocky from Japan, do check the ingredients or get it at your own discretion.

14. Bourbon (Burubon) Mini Chocolate

Bourbon Alfort Mini Chocolate is a well-known Japanese chocolate biscuit that many would get while in Japan! This product is Muslim-friendly as it does not use any animal products (except milk and egg). While the emulsifier used is of Soybean origin, it's not halal-certified so do buy it at your own discretion.

Generally speaking, besides looking out for meats such as pork, beef, or chicken, do make sure to double-check if the ingredients list includes animal-based emulsifiers, gelatin, or liquor. Food Diversity has published a useful list of the Kanji/hiragana/katakana words for haram or doubtful ingredients to look out for!

Shopping for snacks in Japan definitely isn’t as stressful as it used to be! With a stronger Muslim community presence there as well as more and more Muslims travelling to Japan, we’re thankful to have these resources at hand to help us navigate what we can or cannot buy there. Happy shopping!Facebook community where seasoned travellers will be more than willing to help you out if they have the information.