Yatai: Tokyo’s Mobile Food Bars

28 Feb 2008 Category: Arts & Crafts, Features, Japan

The other day we heard the wailing of a somewhat sad melody floating through the air in Harajuku. “Baaaaaked potatoes,” cried the singer, “potatoes baked on hot pebbles!” We knew right away that a potato vendor was selling warm treats from his yatai, a Japanese mobile food stand. Quickly, we ran to buy some, only to learn that they had just sold out! And while we were watching the new batch being made, inhaling their pleasant aroma, we wondered about how exactly this works with all these traditional stalls selling food? That is why today, PingMag takes you on a tour of Tokyo’s food bars on wheels.

Written by Ryoko
Translated by Kevin Mcgue

Even without the baked potato theme song, we could have easily spotted this vendor by the red paper lantern gently swaying in the wind on the back of his truck. We learned that the vendor usually sets up shop around Akasaka, and was in Harajuku for the first time. The vendor was especially proud of his wood burning stove for baking sweet potatoes. Nowadays, many stands use gas ovens or - even microwaves - to bake potatoes! It is getting rarer to see wood burning stoves. But that is not the only reason the vendor is proud of his stove: he made the stove and the chimney system himself. “I’ve had this old stove for a long time,” he said with pride, “but it still works great, and the potatoes always come out soft and sweet.” Yummy!

Of course, we asked about the baked potato theme song that plays on a loop, announcing to customers all around that the potatoes are ready. Just who created this song? “Oh, I recorded it myself on my own tape recorder,” the vendor explained. “I remember thinking that I wanted that kind of feeling, and I just made up the words and the melody on the spot, but I couldn’t tell you exactly when and where I did it.” Interesting!

Next we found a stand selling baked potatoes near Sasazuka Station in Shibuya. Unlike the vendor we met earlier, this one had all sorts of price signs posted all around his lively truck. He offered samples for tasting and all sorts of free extras. And we must say that the vendor’s bright pink hat and apron caught our eye! We asked him about his stand.
“I use a gas stove, which is fed by a gas tank outside the truck,” he said while keeping an eye on the cooking potatoes. “In principle, it is the same as cooking with a gas range and frying pan at home, but we add a layer of hot pebbles and cook the potatoes on top of them.” We asked about the theme song and learned that this dealer also recorded his own!

In search of more interesting food carts, we went to a part of Tokyo that never sleeps: Shinjuku. As we suspected, we found lots of stands around the station that operate long after the trains stop running. There seems to be lots of ramen, noodle soup, and oden stands with lots of businessmen, small groups of women and students stopping for a bite to eat before heading home. Laughter was pouring from one of the carts, so we stepped closer - and found the vendor having a good chat with his customers.

We explored the area a bit more and, near Shinjuku City Hall, we found some more. There was a vendor preparing to open up a cart serving both oden and ramen. Although he was busy with so many tasks, we got to ask him how a food cart is run.

“Making a food cart like this is rather simple,” the vendor explains. “The cart serves as the base, and the roof can be made from wood and plastic sheets. I am renting this cart, but I added the gas range, electricity and so on. I got the cooking utensils at a that specialised shop.”

“I have a ten kilo gas tank to run the cooker,” says the vendor, “and a generator to supply electricity.” Everything is completely mobile! And this vendor runs his food cart every day of the year except in rainy season. So every day, he opens his shop around 4 in the afternoon, and keeps running until 9 in the evening. Sometimes he runs it as late as the early morning, depending on how busy he is.

Thanks to all of the vendors who kindly helped! Be sure to try their fare!

21 Comments

1. I love these sweet potatoes!!!
   http://www.flickr.com/photos/hern42/2297451408/

   That is something I’ll miss after leaving Japan.

   Posted by: Hern42 on February 28th, 2008 at 7:20 pm

2. http://zmingxue.hxsdblog.com/

   Posted by: Anonymous on February 28th, 2008 at 8:10 pm

3. What about the water they cook and clean with?

   Posted by: Anonymous on February 28th, 2008 at 10:15 pm

4. ONAKA SUITAAAAAAAAAAAAa

   Posted by: plue on February 29th, 2008 at 1:25 am

5. this is fantastic and inspiring.. i have wanted to start up a SMALL mobile food biz for quite some time now and i love to see and meet people that are doing.. espeically small enough to pull with a bike! not sure if my skinny legs could pull it off.. haha.. in any event thank you so much and if you have any more information/photos/ thoughts.. please contact me.. have a beautiful day!

   Posted by: dailydesignspot on February 29th, 2008 at 2:02 am

6. If I ever visit Tokyio, eating at one of these bars will be on my To-Do list!

   Posted by: Julio on February 29th, 2008 at 4:52 am

7. Yummy! We must trust “Mobile food”.

   Posted by: nico on February 29th, 2008 at 3:03 pm

8. I. LOVE. THIS. SITE!!! It never ceases to capture my interest in Japanese culture. Just wanted to say thank you for entertaining my curiosity.

   Posted by: zeroKelvin on February 29th, 2008 at 4:24 pm

9. [...] Tokyo’s Mobile Food Bars [...]

   Posted by: Quasipresseschau vom 29.Februar 2008 | NIGHTLINE on March 1st, 2008 at 1:34 am

10. Delicious ^^ One of the cars pass nearby my house sometimes and they include amaimo.

    Posted by: 悠 on March 3rd, 2008 at 5:54 pm

11. Wish I could spot one next time.

    Posted by: clara on March 4th, 2008 at 12:34 am

12. pingmag how i love thee, this is just too cool! most people would be turned off by the through of eating from places like this but man it looks like a great experience.

    Posted by: dendoo on March 4th, 2008 at 10:03 am

13. I’ve just been to tokyo on vacation and sadly i didnt see ANY mobile food vendors.. hopefully next time.. amazing article.. i have a question though, is this legal in Japan? to stop somewhere and sell from your truck or whatever?

    Posted by: Ima on March 4th, 2008 at 4:40 pm

14. nostalgic sounds from my days living in tokyo but i also remember how annoying it was when i was trying to get some sleep late in the evening.

    Posted by: astromonkey on March 5th, 2008 at 2:27 am

15. [...] dish plus dessert all in one. Today while browsing through PingMag articles I came across “Yatai: Tokyo’s Mobile Food Bars” story. Entertaining and [...]

    Posted by: Lisenocalis on March 7th, 2008 at 9:01 am

16. If you want to eat at a a yatai, forget Tokyo and head to Fukuoka instead - to the Hakata district: home of the yatai. They serve the original Hakata ramen (there are different types of ramen for different areas of Japan). Head to the area around Canal city where the yatai are lined up by the canal - mmmm lovely. Just don’t find yourslef down that way around 2-3pm when you see can the yatai owners setting up as you’ll also find them chopping up the pork bones they use to make the stock and the smell is horrendous!!

    Posted by: Modesty Blaise on March 8th, 2008 at 9:06 pm

17. one of the yatai’s in that very same hakata district ripped us off!

    we ordered 2 bowls of oden, 2 bowls of ramen and one platter of yakitori (about 7 sticks - meat, skin, gizzard, heart etc)

    that cost us 5000+ yen!!

    Posted by: ad on March 12th, 2008 at 2:26 am

18. Food vendor’s tokyo—
    this photo makes me smile…
    authenticity—fake rust

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/47011467@N00/2200799666/

    Posted by: _steve w on March 12th, 2008 at 7:41 am

19. Here in Spain (in Madrid at least) there is also the tradition to sell on the streets sweet potatoes on winter.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/73273765@N00/110196450/
    (A non very descriptive picture if somebody is curious about that)

    Posted by: xmanoel on March 16th, 2008 at 2:20 am

20. “ONAKA SUITAAAAAAAAAAAAa”

    LMAO… what a memory! I can hear it now!!

    My favorite was nuclear-hot takoyaki in the dead of winter. The first four were heavenly, the last four a battle between my full stomach and my desire not to waste food. God bless Kansai.

    Posted by: Mary on March 29th, 2008 at 11:10 am

21. [...] The other day we heard the wailing of a somewhat sad melody floating through the air in Harajuku. “Baaaaaked potatoes,” cried the singer, “potatoes baked on hot pebbles!” We knew right away that a potato vendor was selling warm treats from his yatai, a Japanese mobile food stand. Quickly, we ran to buy some, only to learn that they had just sold out! And while we were watching the new batch being made, inhaling their pleasant aroma, we wondered about how exactly this works with all these traditional stalls selling food? Read the full story>>> [...]

    Posted by: Kevin Mcgue - Tokyo-Based Journalist & Filmmaker » Yatai: Tokyo’s Mobile Food Bars on March 3rd, 2009 at 10:18 pm

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