何の言葉02 食べ歩き(tabearuki)

Hi readers!

Today’s word is tabearuki ! We couldn’t find a proper word in English… so we decided to loosely translate it as “food hopping” 🙂

While thinking how to explain what is tabearuki, we searched the top places for tabearuki:

1. Asakusa, Tokyo

2. Yokohama Chinatown

3. Osaka’s Dotonbori

✨We also want to recommend another bustling tabearuki place which is Kamakura in Kanagawa near Yokohama.

What makes them perfect for “tabearuki”? These places have long stretches of stores selling various snacks, food and drinks such as ice cream, dango, takoyaki 🥤 🍩 🍡.

As you walk around, you will be tempted to try every other store! So it is a similar activity to cafe hopping or bar hopping.

Meaning of 食べ歩き :

食べ歩き is a combination of 2 verbs:
食べる taberu = eat
歩く aruku = walk

Hence, 食べ歩き means walking around and trying out different types of food at different stores.

 

Similar English phrases:

“Walk and eat”
“Food hopping”
“Food tour”

 💡You don’t have to walk

When using the word 食べ歩き, it doesn’t necessarily mean “to walk while eating”, but to just stop by and buy sweets or snacks, and basically have a bite while sitting inside or standing outside the store.

 💡食べ歩き prohibited areas 🚯

It is prohibited to eat on the street or outside especially at several famous and popular sightseeing places where it gets crowded easily, because it can cause an inconvenience to other visitors or neighbouring stores such as people throwing trash on the street and leaving a mess.　

Instead, most stores will offer benches for you to sit while having your snack, and you can return the food packaging to the staff or throw it in the trash bin 🗑️ once you are done.

１．旅行の一番の楽しみは、食べ歩きだよね！

　The most fun thing to do while traveling is food hopping!

２．この通りは、食べ歩きで有名です。

　This street is famous for food hopping.

３．食べ歩きは禁止です。店内で食べるか、持ち帰ってください。

　You are not allowed to eat while walking. Please dine in or takeaway instead.

If you come to Japan, you can have fun experiencing 食べ歩き!

Sincerely,
Amasugi Letter