The Misato outlet of Bongo Bazar deals in edibles specifically prepared in accordance with Islamic law at a site where the operator stated that three supermarkets had previously shut their doors.

Despite the property’s unfortunate track record, the store’s monthly sales have consistently remained at nearly 120 percent of the previous year’s level since its opening in 2020. A second outlet began operations in nearby Gunma Prefecture last year.

A tour of the Misato shop, outside Tokyo, offers a closer look at Bongo Bazar.

About a 20-minute walk from JR Shin-Misato Station, a large sign reading “Bongo Bazar” comes into view.

Upon passing through the doorway, the first things that catch visitors’ eyes are durians and banana blossoms.

Japanese customers might wonder how to cook these tropical fruits, but they do not need to worry: specialized posters provide menu and recipe suggestions as if responding to shoppers’ questions.

The interior of the store is similarly lined by tofu, soy sauce and other food products that can likewise be found in most supermarkets across Japan.

At the back of the outlet, the word “halal” is displayed in the meat section. Shelf strips for seasonings and frozen foodstuffs bear a mark indicating that they are safe for Muslims to consume as well.

The supermarket alike features a wide variety of not only halal-certified naan and ready-made biryani dishes but also spices from across Asia.

A Pakistani woman in her 40s visited the store in a hijab and said that Bongo Bazar “clearly labels halal products to prevent confusion, though I mistakenly buy non-halal data-x-items elsewhere at times.”

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A Japanese man in his 70s from Misato said that he stops by Bongo Bazar two or three times a week.

“A lot of intriguing data-x-items are available here, unlike at other supermarkets,” the resident said.

Bongo Bazar explained that half of its customers are Japanese.

Explaining how the supermarket can attract such a diverse clientele, Ken Minowa, 55, emphasized that Bongo Bazar caters exhaustively to Muslims’ needs while “adopting the common practices of Japanese supermarkets” at the same time.

Minowa, who has been the store manager since the supermarket’s opening, carefully demonstrated first how to showcase products on the shelves.

Seasonal fruits and vegetables are placed right at the entrance, while meat and fish come next, with ready-made dishes located at the back. Heavy items, inclusive of bags of rice, are deployed near the checkout counters.

The layout, which mirrors that of standard supermarkets in Japan, is intended to dispel any hesitation that Japanese customers could feel about entering the halal store.

Additionally, Bongo Bazar takes full advantage of its rich lineup of foodstuffs that might be unfamiliar to Japanese patrons. It displays numerous signs detailing cooking methods and recommended spice ratios, so that consumers can enjoy simply browsing such information.

Bongo Bazar is conceptualized as a “grand culinary adventure.” The idea is that evoking excitement among visitors can better motivate them to pick up and try new products.

“Our store is something of a theme park,” Minowa said.

Behind the unique decision lay the passion of the chain’s Bangladeshi owner to rolling out the red carpet for people of diverse national backgrounds.

Badal Chaklader, 58, a foreign resident of Japan, is the president of halal food importer Padma Co., which is headquartered in Misato and operates the supermarket.

Chaklader, who came to Japan as an international student during the latter half of the 1980s, quickly found it difficult to obtain halal food in the East Asian country.

This experience eventually drove him to open a tiny halal shop within Tokyo in the early 1990s.

Chaklader subsequently saw the population of Muslim residents of Japan jump dramatically.

According to data from Hirofumi Tanada, a professor emeritus of sociology at Waseda University, who is well-versed in the country’s Islamic community, the number leaped more than 10-fold from 30,000 in 1990 to 420,000 by the end of 2024.

Against this backdrop, the sales of his enterprise proved particularly brisk. Chaklader then expanded the direct imports of halal goods.

Around that time, Chaklader felt “increasingly compelled to create a place where both Japanese and foreigners can enjoy shopping together in a spacious setting.”

The dream ended up coming to fruition in the form of Bongo Bazar.

Chaklader, in particular, hired Minowa as his store manager through a mutual acquaintance, because he had already accumulated many years of experience working at a Japanese supermarket.

Chaklader’s goal is well reflected in the following statement: “By providing people with an opportunity to see and understand halal cuisine firsthand, I want to help change the image of Islam that is sometimes associated with terrorism and war.”

Source: asahi.com