Halal and Muslim-Friendly Guide to Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan! - Sojibo Halal Restaurant, Diver City Tokyo Plaza, Odaiba

Originally, my husband intended to go to Japan for a business trip, on which me, our daughter, my mom and little brother tagged along with. My mom had never been to Japan, and it was an opportune time for all of us to go.

He had a brief meeting at Odaiba City, so we tagged along to see Odaiba Bay. Post-meeting, we ended up at Sojibo Restaurant, a Halal-certified restaurant located at Odaiba City!

I love their restaurant food displays, it looks so real! Upon entering the restaurant, we knew it would be a good meal as we saw many locals dining in.

One of the menu options, which my husband and brother ended up taking. 1,649 Yen is approximately RM 54++

Menu illustration vs acual food, looks pretty accurate!

Imaan loved the green tea!

She was also obsessed with the edamame.

I opted for a simple prawn tempura udon. Unfortunately for presentation sake, when my tempura prawns arrived, the bottom half that was soaked in the broth ended up with a soggy batter. The one untouched by the broth had a promising glimmer of a golden and crispy batter. The broth itself was intense and rich, as it should be due to the simplicity of this dish.

My mom opted for a duck ramen. The duck was incredibly tender, with a hint of smokiness. The leeks added a subtle sweetness to the dish, lifted by the broth. When this dish arrived, the aroma from the broth made your mouth water.

Imaan stole one of my prawn tempura.

Obligatory family shot! 

My mom and Rayan in front of the restaurant.

We actually had trouble spotting the restaurant, obviously as none of us can read Kanji; we only spotted it because of the Halal certificate. This was taken post-meal; you can see there are locals queueing waiting for dinner. 

Generally, Japanese restaurants are very attentive and careful when it comes to Halal concept; if they serve alcohol at the premise, they do mention it, and any alcohol, as well as the glasses used, are stored and prepared in a separate area from the kitchen, such as the note on the bottom right. It's a simple note, but this thoughtful gesture meant a lot to us. It seemed to me they went their extra length to ensure the Halal preparation was very thorough; many restaurants even prepared separate utensils to be used specifically only for Halal meals. 

Rating:

• Variety: 4/5

A lot of options, from rice to noodles to suit all taste. 

• Taste: 4/5

Really clean tastes that let the main ingredients to shine through. 

• Value for Money: 5/5

I do believe that Halal food is generally more expensive in Japan especially during dinner time, so expect a meal to be between RM 40 - RM 80. Some no-frills meals were as low as 800 Yen.

• Cleanliness: 5/5

Most Japanese restaurants that we dined in was generally spotless.

• Service 4/5

We were seated all the way at the back, so it was hard to get the waiter's attention. However, they were very sweet to Imaan. 

• Ambiance: 4/5

Cozy with dimmed lights, packed with diners but not overly noisy.

• Overall: 4/5
A convenient and cosy spot for Muslims! You can definitely dine-in without was-was. Based on all the other restaurants, this was the only place that had a queue when we left, a positively good sign!

Sojibo, Diver City Tokyo Plaza Halal Restaurant
1-1-10 Aomi | 6f, Koto 135-0064, Tokyo Prefecture
+81 3-5520-1310

Muslim Traveller - Accomodation in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan! Family-Friendly

Our very first trip to the land of the Rising Sun! Follow my blog for tips on travelling in Japan for Muslims!

We landed at Narita after 6 hours on Malaysia Airlines (my preferred airlines). As we purchased the Japan Railway Pass online prior to our visit, we had to exchange our Order Pass at the JR Office at the airport.

As we were using the JR Pass, we decided to take the Narita Expres (NEX) train from Narita Airport, - Tokyo, as the NEX was inclusive on the JR Pass, to head to our accomodation near Asakusa.

Waiting for the 7.30 PM train at Narita. Imaan loved to see the trains.

Imaan's tiny stroller fit in between the seats.

Little did we know that there were TWO Asakusa Stations; we took the one via Tokyo Metro Line, which was further away, compared to another Asakusa Station via Toei Subway Lines, which was closer to our accomodation. We had quite a walk ahead of us...

See that brown bag my mom is pushing? That's the ~secret~ Asian mom bag full of food... to be discussed later hahaha.

It was quite late at this time, and there were drunk locals walking around post work, but they were harmless and quite friendly. They waved to Imaan in her stroller and said, kawaiii~~. It was such a warm welcome to Japan!

For those wondering, we stayed 5D4N at Tao's place via AirBNB:
LINK: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/21871050?s=51

SIGN UP FOR AIRBNB NOW TO GET RM 120 CREDIT FREE FOR YOUR FIRST BOOKING!

The dining-table-cum-tv-cum-kitchen area.

Everything was organized, clean and tidy as we arrived. 

The TV location was in a slightly odd corner. Out of five houses that we stayed at during Japan, this was the only house with an iron.

Rather rare to find - two rooms with two Western beds in Tokyo - most had only one Western-style bed and tatamis.

Do remove your shoes and wear these indoor slippers provided by the host! The brown door at the end leads to the toilet.

Washing area with the washing machine. The host provided us a hanging rack to dry our items. The brown door leads to the bathroom.

If I can, I would bring back this magical toilet. I LOVEEEEE Japan toilet with its warm toilet bowl and automatic bidet buttons.

The bathing area. Shampoo, conditioner and shower gel was provided by our host.

If you are using the JR Pass you need to transfer at least once, as the only lines accessible to Asakusa Station is accessible via Tsukuba Express or JR Yamanote to Akhibara Station, transfer to Tokyo Metro line to Asakusa Station. If you have luggage with you, it may be a bit of a walk.

• Location: 4/5 - quite a bit of walk from any train stations, but we enjoyed the walk amongst the quaint neighborhood. They played calm music every morning in the neighborhood. Plenty of local marts to shop around for fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Communication - 5/5 - Tao was a very gracious host. He provided us with a guidebook on how to use what.
• Cleanliness - 5/5 - Sparkling clean!
• Check-In - 5/5 - Smooth and easy via self check-in with instructions provided prior to visit.
• Value - 5/5 - Reasonable for the number of beds given. 

Sambal Che Nor (available at major petrol stations), with sambal belimbing and sambal ikan bilis from Malaysia - whch was in my mom's secret brown bag - which we ate with precooked rice and pickled cucumbers that we bought from one of the convenience stores.  The Sambal Che Nor became quite a staple during our meals at our AirBNB homes.

Imaan and GM (grandma) chilling on this tiny sofa that was slightly too big for one adult but not big enough for two adults. 

Other Notes

• Muslim Travellers - there are a few Halal restaurants around Asakusa neighborhood, so I would recommend to stay here. Tao's place also has a rice cooker, and you can use the stove for some lightcooking, so I would recommend this place for other Muslim travellers!
• Stairs, no lift -Lucky my mom is quite fit, and my brother came a long for the trip to help us haul luggage, the stroller and Imaan up and down the stairs (there are no lifts at this apartment - there are 3 flights of stairs).

For those wondering, we stayed 5D4N at Tao's place via AirBNB:
LINK: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/21871050?s=51

SIGN UP FOR AIRBNB NOW TO GET RM 120 CREDIT FREE FOR YOUR FIRST BOOKING!