During cold winter nights, yatai are busy until the late hours, filled with people attracted by lantern-light and fragrant steamy foods.

When it's winter in Japan, people start noticing more yatai, or street food stalls. Literally meaning "roofed vending carts," yatai are portable restaurants that can be wheeled around. Their fare is wonderfully varied, from ramen noodles to oden and yakitori and more.

Yatai first appeared during the Edo period (1603 - 1867) in large cities such as Edo (old Tokyo), Kyoto and Osaka, when sushi and tempura shop owners placed roofed stalls in front of their restaurants to entice passersby. Later, these stalls were fitted with wheels and pulled through bustling main streets. During the Meiji period (1868 - 1912), carts began to serve alcohol, and with this trend came the introduction of hearty accompaniments such as oden.

The emergence of contemporary yatai can be traced to the troubled aftermath of World War II when repatriates and widows turned to this business as a means of survival. Yatai flourished between 1953 and 1960, but saw a sharp decline after the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, when authorities applied pressure to ensure more sanitary conditions and a different aesthetic for the urban environment. Only first generation yatai operators were allowed to continue business, and in time, their numbers dwindled.

Today, however, residents in the city of Fukuoka still enjoy over 200 yatai, whose menus offer everything from traditional oden and ramen to Chinese and Italian fare. Strict regulations may remain, but here the yatai operators are thriving, both as a symbol of business spirit at the community level, and as a valuable resource for tourism.

An experience that warms both body and soul.

The yatai heritage draws from culinary traditions enjoyed by Japanese for four hundred years. Yatai also play a vital role in the average person's lifestyle. Urban life is often a jumble of excitement and melancholy, and sharing a moment of camaraderie and good food with strangers may be a secret to the ongoing popularity of yatai.

Yatai Mainstays

The three most popular dishes at yatai are unquestionably oden, yakitori, and ramen. If you are lucky enough to find a yatai in Japan, give it at try.

Ramen

Originally from China, ramen noodles are served in broth flavored with soy sauce, miso, salt or pork. Toppings such as roast pork, green onions or eggs are ladled on top.

Oden

Vegetables, fish balls and other treats such as daikon (Japanese radish), eggs or potatoes are slowly simmered in soyflavored soup. Diners choose their favorite ingredients from a large simmering pot.

Yakitori

There are countless variations of yakitori, including green onions skewered between slices of chicken, and skewers of chicken balls that are salted, or sweetened with sauce blended from soy sauce and sugar.

(Photo Credits: Sekai Bunka Photo)