Narita is a city in Chiba prefecture, perhaps known as a city of airport. Being the largest international airport of Japan, this view is not wrong, but we guess that not many of you know that the city has so many attractive places to see. With so many tourists landing at the city, there are so many restaurants and attractions ready to welcome foreigners, including Muslims.
Naritasan Shinshoji (成田山新勝寺) is a famous temple in Kanto region, and the area around the temple has been serving so many visitors. The street that goes to the temple is called Omote Sando (表参道), and this is where we can all feel historical Japanese ambiance even in the 21st century.
There are quite a few Halal restaurants in Narita. Check the link for Halal food.
History of Naritasan Shinshoji.
It is said that the temple was first opened in 924. The temple had relieved people’s mind for more than 1000 years, and even now, the temple has nearly 3 million visitors every year. Some of the wooden statues are made in the 14th century, and it is nominated as the Important Cultural Property.
The temple is quite easy to be accessed from Narita International Airport. There is a direct train from airport that goes to JR Narita station, which is the closest to the temple. It takes only 30 minutes total to get to the temple; 10 minutes on the train and 15 minutes’ walk to the temple.
Some of our Muslim readers would think that they want to avoid religious actions and simply want to enjoy the historical site. Yes, you can do this! This 15 minutes’ walk to the temple has all the interesting attractions, so you can enjoy the walk without visiting the temple.
What to see in Naritasan Shinshoji Omote Sando?
The main street Omote Sando is about 800 meters long, and there are old but attractive Japanese shops. The buildings are all wooden made with simple white walls. Some souvenir shops have Japanese traditional toys and snacks, which you can feel a nostalgic ambiance.
You may see some men cutting and grilling eel on charcoal in front of restaurants, because Narita’s specialty is eel, or Unagi in Japanese. The sauce has a crispy flavor which will make you tempted to try one, however, unfortunately in most of the cases their sauce may contain soy sauce and Mirin alcoholic seasonings so be careful.
Famous Unagi restaurant in Narita, but their sauce includes alcoholic seasoning.
In one word, the street is full of good Japanese things, it is actually worth visiting, not just transiting.
What’s available around Narita for Muslim Travelers?
Goto Dangoya (後藤だんご屋)
It is a Japanese sweet cafe, opened in 1845. The ambiance of the cafe is so retro, and you may feel as if you have visited one of the old Japanese grandma’s houses.
Although now we have more shops that use machinery to make Dango, a rice cake ball, Goto Dangoya makes them all by hand, preparing from 5 a.m. every morning. Our recommendation for Muslims is An Dango (餡団子), a rice cake ball with red bean paste as there is no alcoholic seasoning used.
Credit: NARI-NAVI
Kintoki no Kantaro (金時の甘太郎)
This shop specializes in Oban Yaki, a fluffy pancake with bean paste filling. Although they have only two choices, which are red bean paste or white bean paste, there is always a long queue as the shop is quite famous. There is a menu written in English too, so you do not have to worry about making an order.
Red bean paste Oban Yaki is available throughout Japan, but white bean paste is not. If you cannot share the sweet with your family or friend, definitely choose a white bean paste!
What are the Muslim-friendly souvenirs?
Hyashida no Osenbei (林田のおせんべい)
This is a rice cracker shop which was opened 1912. Their huge rice cracker, as big as 26 cm diameter, is their specialty.
Each rice cracker is grilled with hand and dipped in the various sauces. The most popular one is soy sauce flavor, however, if you are concerned about their residual alcohol, try to get Suyaki (素焼き), the plain rice cracker. As the rice cracker does not have any seasoning, you can put any sauce that you like, such as salt or Halal soy sauce.
Chiba is the Japan’s No.1 place to produce peanuts, so that there are many places where you can get the best quality nuts. Mame no Fukudaya specializes in nuts, especially peanuts, and thanks to the simple and traditional recipe almost all of them have no food additives, which can be consumed by Muslims.
Not only a pack of roasted peanuts but also their peanut Miso paste is our recommendation. It is all handmade and without food additives, so you do not have to worry about animal ingredients. Just warm it up a little bit and enjoy with a cup of rice.
As you can see, there are so many attractive shops waiting for you in Narita. Many people would like to travel from Haneda Airport as it is much closer to the Tokyo city center, however, Narita also is a very nice sightseeing place where you can feel Japan.
The airport is only 15 minutes away from JR Narita station, so if you are not sure what to do when you have a plenty of time for your next flight, then consider coming to this beautiful city.
Information as of April 2023. The products we have introduced to you are not made as Halal or Muslim-friendly, so there is a small risk of contamination, which we cannot be responsible of. Please use your own discretion to determine if the food is Halal or not.