Looking for senbei (Japanese rice crackers), instant ramen (Japanese noodles) or Japanese green tea chocolate, but with the Halal mark on it? It's easy to find now. You can find them at Laox Store in a popular area of Central Tokyo, Shinjuku. In addition to halal-snacks, it also sells beautiful scarves with sakura flower pattern, suitable for women muslims or for souvenirs.
I remembered my friend told me that when she brought souvenir snacks back from Japan, she became confused when someone asked her, “Is it Halal?” Well, she had no answer to this question because all the ingredients were written in Japanese.
So you might be worried if you want to bring some Japanese snack foods back to Indonesia. Please don't be. You can easily find Japanese snacks with a Halal mark on it. Many Japanese Muslim-friendly snacks and foods can be found at Laox Store. This is all while being centrally located in Shinjuku.
Halal snack foods can be found on the 6th floor of the store. When I was looking around, I heard someone say “Assalamu’alaikum…” (A Muslim greeting meaning “May peace be upon you”). It was a Muslim staff member who is from Indonesia. Luckily, the Muslim staff member helped me translate the ingredients so I could freely choose the snacks that I wanted.
The Laox Store in Shinjuku opened in June 2015. Nevertheless, this store is always crowded. If you want to take a break from shopping, stop by the cafe at on the 8th floor. It sells fresh fruit juice and other beverages made from matcha green tea. Staff can assist with providing a Muslim-friendly beverage menu as well. Please ask and they will be happy to assist you.
Laox Store has many chain stores in Tokyo. Ginza and Akihabara are the two largest. Those stores are tax-free shopping stores. In addition to snacks, the store sells food, souvenirs, Japanese special items, electronics, cosmetics, fashion-clothes even household goods. To the Laox Store in Shinjuku, you can use Metro Odakyu Line and stop at Shinjuku-Sanchome Station. This store is only 100 meters away from the exit.
