Written by Amie-san
Japan is becoming more and more popular as a tourist destination, and so its products and especially souvenirs. Japanese souvenirs are famous for their cute image, distinguishable characteristics and luxurious packaging. Japan is now trying to attract more tourists by providing lots of tax-free shops even outside the airports. As muslims, finding appropriate food souvenirs from Japan might be challenging especially if you are not familiar with Japanese kanjis and you cannot check the ingredients, and it is even more difficult if you cannot communicate with the staff who don’t speak English to confirm the food ingredients.
Laox Store recognizes these problems and is providing the solution. Located in the heart of Shinjuku as one of the main shopping destinations in Japan, Laox is a tax-free store with English speaking staff and halal food. Actually this store is selling other stuff such as cosmetics, electronics, watches and others, but what attracted me the most is the halal souvenirs they provide.
Laox is 10 minute away from Shinjuku station and only few minutes away from Shinjuku Sanchome station. They have a special halal-corner for muslims and they also have a muslim staff who is able to communicate in English. The halal food provided varies from Japanese signature dish: shoyu and miso ramen; Japanese cooking seasonings: shoyu (soy sauce), mirin (sweet-sauce), yakiniku sauce (barbeque sauce); Japanese drink: green tea; Japanese cute Hello-Kitty cookies, filled with different cream, including matcha (mix of green tea and milk) and senbei (Japanese crackers). Not only limited to halal, some of the products are also organic foods. The most interesting part is they also provide cute hijab with sakura and momo (peach) flowers, which are the famous flowers from Japan. For the tourists, do not forget to bring your passports to have tax-free service.
The staffs here are able to communicate in English and some are also foreigners, so you might find staffs from your own countries and communicate in your mother language. If you visit Japan for shopping, this Laox Shop can be a great option.
http://www.laox.co.jp/en/
