HOME Tokyo and Surroundings Tokyo Ikebukuro Tokyo's Crazy Food Challenge: Bomb-size Takoyaki! (Video)

Tokyo's Crazy Food Challenge: Bomb-size Takoyaki! (Video)

Date published: 17 March 2020
Last updated: 27 July 2020

Takoyaki, the tiny, fried balls made out of dough and octopus, are one of Japan’s most popular snacks and festival foods. Close to Ikebukuro’s popular landmark Sunshine 60, you’ll find a shop that serves a very special kind of this tasty Japanese treat – Bakudan-Yaki Honpo serves supersized octopus balls, with eight regular-sized takoyaki fused into one massive snack!

“Bakudan-yaki” literally translates to “fried bomb,” and indeed, looking at the dish that draws in the crowds, especially young people, on the weekend, the name seems absolutely justified.

One bakudan-yaki has a diameter of 8cm and weights a total of 200g! The massive takoyaki treat is filled with ten different kinds of ingredients, such as corn, shimeji mushrooms, sausage, quail eggs, clams, cabbage, and more! Once you crack the crunchy crust with your chopsticks, the plentifully filled “fried bomb” bursts open and reveals its delicious contents.

In addition to the standard seasonings of Worcestershire Sauce and mayonnaise, choose from a variety of different toppings to make your explosive takoyaki treat even more delicious! Cheese, kimchi, green onions, and curry are only some examples how the bakudan-yaki can be enhanced further!

While this humongous snack can’t be eaten in a single bite like regular takoyaki, it is neither too much nor too little volume and actually has just the right size for a very satisfying snack to stimulate your appetite.

Bakudan-Yaki Honpo’s monster takoyaki are take-out only, making them as fresh as they can be. Relax on a bench outside of the shop or head over to the nearby park and enjoy your unique Japanese bakudan-yaki!