The number of tourists to Japan continues to soar, especially from Asian countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia. As Tokyo prepares to host the 2020 Olympics, the annual number of tourists is expected to surpass 20 million.
Many of these tourists are coming from Muslim countries, and as a result, Japan is promoting itself as a halal-friendly destination, especially in cuisine. Halal food, which complies with Islamic dietary guidelines, is in great demand now.
One website which provides a wealth of information on halal food in Japan is Halal Gourmet Japan (https://www.halalgourmet.jp/). The site provides all sorts of halal or vegetarian restaurant information for Muslims throughout Japan, even including information on where they can go for karaoke. In the future, the site aims to become the No. 1 portal site for Muslim people visiting Japan by providing information on food, sightseeing, lifestyle and the culture of Japan.
The site includes pictograms indicating restaurants that are halal-certified, if a restaurant has halal seasoning, if the owner or chef is Muslim, if there are separate kitchens and dedicated cutlery for halal food, if no alcohol served or if alcohol is not used in cooking, if there is a dedicated salat (place to pray), if wi-fi is available, if the restaurant delivers, if vegetarian dishes are available, and so on.
iTunes: http://appstore.com/halalgourmetjapan
Google Play: https://goo.gl/hYYXu7
*This article was originally published on Japan Today on 28 October 2015. Read the original article here.