Catering to the popular crowd
Japanese restaurants going ‘half-halal’ as way to accommodate Muslim diners
With the influx of foreign visitors to Japan including those from areas where many Muslims reside, people concerned have been pondering the appropriate way to accommodate their religious dietary restrictions and other needs.
According to data released by the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of visitors from Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population, exceeded 270,000 in 2016, up 32.1% from the previous year.
Nasser Mohammed Alomaim, director of the Arabic Islamic Institute in Tokyo where some 300 students study Arabic language, says that interest in Islamic culture, including foods and halal among the public, has recently grown.
So the big questions for those who are still unaware of halal is what is it and how is it taking root in Japanese society?
Halal facilitators and faithful followers of regulations in Japan also face the challenges of coping in a framework of a non-Muslim country, while devout Muslims might call for stricter guidelines.
“One of our students told me she began to have interests in the Arabic language because she was asked so much about halal by customers at a restaurant where she worked,” said Alomaim. Halal literally means it is permissible under Islamic law and the term covers not only foods but also people’s actions.
Regarding food products, restrictions are applied to the entire food production chain, often described as “farm to table”, while opinions differ over the details among Muslims in different countries and regions.
For example, livestock must be fed with halal feed and processed at plants separated from ones processing pigs and other by-products of swine or other forbidden animals, according to materials released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Some consider the logistics regarding the movement of goods and services from farm to consumer should also be halal.
Also regarding some meat of animal origin, such as horse meat, opinions are split whether they are halal or “haram” (forbidden), according to experts on Islam.
One evening during Ramadan at the “yakiniku” grilled meat restaurant Panga in Tokyo, a 27-year-old system engineer from Malaysia, who identified himself as Taufik, was enjoying tasty halal beef with his wife Aqilah, also 27.
For him, Muslim menus and the eye-catching halal logo have been a big help for him to find the right meals when eating out during his seven years living in Japan.
“I do care about the meat I eat, whether it’s halal or not,” he said, but adds that he does not pay too much attention to other details, such as the service of alcoholic beverages to other customers.
After all, he says he understands these are restaurants in a non-Muslim majority country.
The Japan Muslim Association in Tokyo, on principle, issues halal certificates only for products of Japanese companies intended to be sold to Islamic countries upon requests after strict and thorough reviews and inspections in accordance with Islamic law.
As for foods for the domestic market, the association will issue endorsements if their foods, services and facilities can be recommended to Muslims after examination, it said.
There are no set regulations on the issuance of halal certificates for products and facilities in Japan as standards vary depending on the respective organisation that issues a certificate.
Some people question or even oppose using the term halal, a word with religious connotations, for cafeterias and restaurants as it may cause misunderstanding among Muslims, especially devout Muslims.
Toshio Endo, executive director of the association, recommends using phrases like dietary accommodations for Muslims or Muslim dishes instead, because if Muslim visitors eat at a so-called halal restaurant and discovered later that halal only refers to ingredients but not to other aspects, they may find it disrespectful of their religious beliefs.
“As a religious corporation, we’re worried that such an incident could damage the image of Japanese people,” Endo said.
Cheah Khai Shin, representative director of Malay Asian Cuisine in Tokyo and Yokohama, said there are a small number of visitors who strictly follow Muslim dietary restrictions while they are travelling in non-Muslim countries.
“We have had two cases so far in which customers left without eating after they saw us serving alcoholic beverages to other customers,” Cheah said.
Most restaurants may strictly serve halal meat and ingredients but provide alcoholic beverages to non-Muslim customers, he said.
“After the incidents, we [have been] explaining to customers how and to what extent we are accommodating Muslim customers,” he said, adding most people appreciated the restaurant’s efforts.
“The best thing we can do for them is to provide correct information, such as we can provide you with halal meat but the kitchen is not separated [for only halal], for instance, and let them choose if that is OK,” Endo said.
Akihiro Shugo, co-founder of Halal Media Japan Co, who has been providing halal information to Muslim residents and visitors, maintains a somewhat neutral stance on domestic halal certificates as he believes the certification is one way to accommodate Muslims.
On the Halal Gourmet Japan website run by the company, users can search for restaurants of their choice by pictograms showing if they are halal “certified”, “pork-free”, or employ a Muslim “cook”, among other criteria.
“About 20% of people search restaurants using information on whether they are halal certified or not,” Shugo said based on the company’s data.
Ziad Karam, chef at Al Ain, an Arabic restaurant in Yokohama, also said some customers have asked him if the restaurant had a halal certificate before placing their orders, while Shugo said clear standards for the issuance of domestic halal certificates may become necessary in the future.
“While Japan aims to attract 40 million annual inbound visitors [by 2020], it would not reach that goal without proper accommodations for the Muslim populations, which account for one-fourth of the world population,” Shugo said.
We have had two cases so far in which customers left without eating after they saw us serving alcoholic beverages to other customers