A Small Look Into Jakarta’s Little Tokyo

Jakarta, the beating heart of Indonesia, stands as a testament to the country’s rapid development and cultural diversity. As the largest and most populous city in Southeast Asia’s largest nation, Jakarta is a sprawling metropolis with its metropolitan area home to an astounding 30 million inhabitants, the second most populous in the world behind only Tokyo. This bustling megalopolis serves as Indonesia’s economic, cultural, and commercial hub, drawing people from across the archipelago and beyond.

Situated on the northwest coast of Java, Indonesia’s most populous island, Jakarta is a melting pot, where ancient traditions blend seamlessly with modern skyscrapers and bustling streets. The city’s history stretches back to the 4th century, evolving from a small port town to the megalopolis it is today. As a major global hub, Jakarta attracts people from all corners of Indonesia and beyond, creating a rich tapestry of ethnicities, languages, and cuisines.

Amidst this vibrant urban tapestry, nestled inside a large shopping complex in the southern part of the city, lies a place that stands out even in Jakarta’s diverse landscape. Filled with izakayas, clubs, and restaurants serving authentic Japanese cuisine, this enclave offers a slice of Japan in the heart of Indonesia’s largest metropolis. Welcome to Jakarta’s Little Tokyo.

A Brief History of Blok M and Jakarta’s Little Tokyo

Before we go in-depth about Little Tokyo, let’s take a look at the wider area called Blok M, nestled in the Southern part of Indonesia’s economic center of Jakarta. Blok M was originally a development project built by the Central Stichting Wederopbouw (CSW) Company during the Late Dutch Colonial period. It was designated as a commercial zone from the get-go.

Throughout the years, Blok M became known as a crowded shopping center and is also known for its lively nightlife and relatively cheap goods due to the low rent for shopkeepers. You can tell that these factors made Blok M popular with young Jakartans.

A small slice of Blok M is where Jakarta’s Little Tokyo resides. Blok M is one of the few places frequented by Japanese immigrants in Jakarta. Entrepreneurs purposefully built Japanese-style businesses in Blok M to attract the Japanese community; this area is now what’s considered Little Tokyo.

A Japanese Festival in Indonesia

We met and spoke with Daisei Takeya, a businessman who runs the DAISEI GROUP, which manages several Japanese-related outlets such as restaurants and retail around Blok M (as well as in Indonesia more generally).

From 2010 to 2019, Daisei-san headed Ennichisai, a Japanese-Indonesian festival, as a thank-you gift for the people of Indonesia. Ennichisai was the biggest Japanese cultural festival in Indonesia, from exciting exhibitions to cosplayers and guests of honor either from Indonesia or Japan. The Japanese Embassy even directly supported the festival. During Ennichisai, the streets of Little Tokyo were flooded by booths hawking Japanese matsuri fare, like taiyaki and takoyaki. In 2019, Ennichisai was held during Jakarta’s 492nd Birthday.

Unfortunately, Ennichisai has failed to reappear following initial cancelations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Daisei-san told us that the festival crowds had grown so large that Little Tokyo could no longer accommodate them. This, it seemed to me, was a testament to Indonesian people’s fascination with all things Japanese. 

Culinary and Shopping Experience

The ease of gaining a Japanese visa for holders of Indonesian electronic passports might have contributed to this. Those who’ve visited Japan often have a hankering to taste authentic Japanese food when they return to Jakarta.

Little Tokyo has many such attractions, like authentic ramen, karaoke bars, Japanese bakeries, and restaurants. The latter of these includes Kira Kira Ginza, which is managed by Daisei-san. Kira Kira Ginza is one of the oldest restaurants in the area; it was founded as the izakaya Don/Jorin in 1986, and was renamed to Kira Kira Ginza in 1998. They serve authentic Japanese cuisine which is unaltered and unfiltered, in addition to serving cuisine made to suit the tastes of the Jakarta locals.

The Japanese supermarket

Papaya Fresh Gallery shares a building with the 100 yen shop DAISO and sells hard-to-find Japanese delicacies like natto. (Fermented soybeans, Japan’s answer to vegemite in terms of country-limited appeal.) Japanese konbini (convenience store) brands congregate around the grocery, with Lawson and Familymart sharing places with Indonesia’s Indomaret and Alfamaret. Some even serve oden, another Japanese favorite that’s often a hard sell abroad – the taste is familiar to Bakso (Indonesian meatball soup), so the local palate readily accepts it.

Young people often hang out and enjoy their downtime on weekend nights in Blok M. Here, they get a taste of authentic Japan without the need to fly 6000 kilometers to the northeast. On any given day, you’ll see Japanese immigrants heading to restaurants, karaoke, and clubs/bars in Little Tokyo, hoping for a small taste of home.

Visiting Little Tokyo

To get to Little Tokyo, you can take the MRT to Blok M station or ride a taxi. The location has plenty of hotels with varying price ranges, which can booked online. In addition to Japanese restaurants, you can also find many non-Japanese street food stalls around the Blok M area selling Indonesian comfort food like satay and fried rice.

The area is truly the best mix of both worlds. In the words of Daisei Takeya, who’s had such an impact on Little Tokyo:

“There’s never been a Japanese immigrant or tourist visiting Indonesia who hasn’t visited Blok M and Little Tokyo. These places give them a feeling of being at home.”

An Interview with Little Tokyo’s Daisei Takeya

Daisei Takeya’s mindset and character combine Japanese and Indonesian local elements, which makes him unique. I sat down with him for a one-on-one interview, which I’ve translated from Bahasa Indonesian to English.

Q: How did DAISEI GROUP come to be?

Daisei Takeya: Why does DAISEI GROUP have many brands? That’s because, from the beginning, I’ve been adapting to locations, prices, and local community needs. From cafés to izakaya or ramen. So gradually we had many brands, that’s why we put everything under one umbrella.

Q: When did you first come to Indonesia, Daisei-san?

Daisei Takeya: 2001, but actually, I was born in Jakarta in 1975.

Q: Oh, you were born in Jakarta? But where are your parents from?

Daisei Takeya: Both are originally Japanese. My mother is from Tokyo, my father came from Kagawa Prefecture.

Q: What challenges did you face when you came (back) to Indonesia?

Daisei Takeya: In 2001, I initially came just to visit. Kira Kira Ginza was already here and was managed by my mother. Actually, before that in 1995, my mother, father, and older sibling were all expelled from Indonesia because of a malicious manager. All their possessions were seized, from cars to restaurants to houses.

Then, in 2000, my family got to know the wife of an important person. She helped remove my family from the blacklist. My father didn’t want to return to Jakarta, but my mother immediately came back to this city. She came to the establishment that had been renamed Kira Kira Ginza. At that time, there were still staff from before 1995, but business was slow.

Around that time, in April 2001, I came to Jakarta. I had actually accepted a job in New York, but I wanted to rest for a few months first. I traveled to Malaysia, Thailand, and finally, Jakarta, checking on Kira Kira Ginza.

Kira Kira Ginza had a huge menu, but at that time, the food wasn’t very good. No wonder it wasn’t busy. I first just wanted to visit, but the next day, I went into the kitchen, improved recipes, taught cooking methods, added menu items, went shopping myself in Glodok for ingredients, cooked, prepared, and managed sales to customers.

The Travails of the Restaurant Business

Daisei Takeya: After I became the boss, I started to realize that the world of a chef isn’t an easy one. Some are unkind; they don’t care about others, only wanting to live for themselves. They only want to use their own techniques. Others advised me against focusing on the restaurant industry, saying the kitchen world is very stressful. I was already head chef at age 23, working 18 hours a day, sometimes 22 hours, resting briefly, then working again.

When I came to Indonesia, my knowledge was superb for teaching employees. This meant unemployed people could intern, earn minimum wage, and become more skilled, right? Eventually, they could support themselves.

In 2002, my mother passed away, but even before that, I had decided to continue her business. What’s the point of being in New York or Tokyo? Better for me to teach Indonesian employees so they can cook. Then, the customers are happy because the food is good, the company has revenue, and everyone’s happy. I decided not to go to New York and to instead live in Indonesia; in Jakarta.

Q: What challenges are you facing now, Daisei-san?

Daisei Takeya: There are many challenges! For example, I once opened branches of Ramen 38 Sanpachi in almost every mall, but it felt unstable. So we changed, created a central kitchen, minimized cooking at branches, but still maintained conditions and improved quality. Starting from 2015 up to 2019, I closed several branches, but it’s okay. When we’re ready, we’ll open them again. Actually, as it happened around that time, the coronavirus issue developed into a pandemic; if I hadn’t closed those branches, I would have been ruined.

At the end of 2019, I got Indonesian citizenship. Despite that, during corona, I had many problems with Banks because I didn’t own a house, didn’t own an apartment, didn’t own land. They asked if I had assets. Nothing, just a car, so I couldn’t borrow money from banks. But in the end, most things turned out fine. After the COVID era, people were ready to do business again, immediately opening many shops. Now ramen is booming again, right? Our competition has increased.

Q: Yes indeed, Ichiran Ramen and everything. There are many cheap ramen places too, although the quality is lower, but people look at the price first, right?

Daisei Takeya: There are many fake ramens too; no broth, none of the things that make ramen actually ramen. Just adding seasoning from instant noodles.

Q: Now, we want to ask about why DAISEI GROUP has chosen Blok M as its main location until now?

Daisei Takeya: Actually, business inside Little Tokyo is gone now, only around it, except for Daitokyo.

Q: Oh, it moved? Is it because the number of immigrants has decreased?

Daisei Takeya: Yes, previously the Little Tokyo community was almost 100% Japanese people; now, maybe 10%. Little Tokyo isn’t like before. Karaoke joints have closed, replaced by cafés and bars. The customers have changed, and not just because immigration has decreased. Little Tokyo customers now are young people, Indonesian drinkers, and others. All restaurants now prioritize Indonesian people.

Q: Oh, really? So where do Japanese immigrants go now, Daisei-san?

Daisei Takeya: They’re in Senopati and Sudirman. Blok M is no longer an exclusive Japanese area, although they still come here. Actually, it’s a good thing.

Q: Why do you think that’s good, Daisei-san?

Daisei Takeya: The problem with focusing only on Japanese immigrants is that it’s unstable as a business model. If there’s an issue in Japan, they have to go home, right? Business immediately becomes quiet, empty. Also, we’re in Indonesia, right? So we should prioritize Indonesian customers. I’ve been saying this from the beginning.

Why is Ennichisai like that too? Why do we keep looking for Japanese people only? The attendees come from so many backgrounds! There are Chinese, Korean, Indian, and American people, and especially Indonesians. Restaurant menus must change to adapt to local tastes. Menus use Indonesian and a little English. Add photos so there’s a visual, especially of what Indonesians like to see. Include non-pork menu options.

With all these efforts, Kira Kira Ginza now has many Indonesian customers. Other businesses don’t want to follow me, they’re satisfied with just serving Japanese people. Well, that’s their choice.

But, back to the question, why did we choose Little Tokyo? It was actually planned out. Many Japanese people coming to Indonesia only know about Little Tokyo, so when they take a taxi, they mention Little Tokyo. Once, I took a taxi at night to Blok M, and I was asked if I wanted to go to Little Tokyo.

Q: So it was selected for branding purposes?

Daisei Takeya: Yes, and all friends of Ennichisai – if they want to go to our events but aren’t fluent in Indonesian, they just tell the taxi driver, “Take me to Little Tokyo.”

Q: Speaking of which, we wanted to ask about the origins of Ennichisai.

Daisei Takeya: At first, it was really difficult. My friend’s restaurants agreed (to the idea), but there were restaurants whose owners didn’t like me. When I told them we wanted to have a Japanese festival in this area, they disagreed. They said it would disturb business. Agree or disagree, we went ahead anyway. If they wanted to become enemies, so be it.

While running Ennichisai, I often clashed with the neighborhood chief because Ennichisai often made losses, and he wanted to make it profitable, I was tired of dealing with him. In 2019, that was ten years, so we’d already held the event ten times. That year’s Ennichisai was the last. First, it was no longer safe, there were too many visitors – 300,000! So packed! If someone were to shoot off a gun, people would run, and many would die.

Q: Surely that shouldn’t be your responsibility, Daisei-san? Why is Insurance not helping?

Daisei Takeya: Of course, it’s my responsibility, but insurance wouldn’t want to cover 300,000 people. I already paid the neighborhood chief, but he wouldn’t take responsibility either. So why should I pay him? I wanted to tell him, “Don’t just pocket the money.”

Q: So, is there no plan to bring back Ennichisai?

Daisei Takeya: Yes, we’ve held it for 10 years, lots of sweet memories. That seems enough. Ennichisai wasn’t for making money or seeking attention; we did it so everyone could enjoy themselves. We held Ennichisai because we’re foreigners. So surely there are difficulties with Indonesian people, and maybe we’ve troubled them too. So we held it to thank the Indonesian people; that was the original intention.

There’s never been a Japanese immigrant or tourist visiting Indonesia who hasn’t visited Blok M and Little Tokyo. These places give them a feeling of being at home. We’re returning the gratitude.

One more thing, now there are many local cafés inside too, I don’t even know the owners.

Q: Next, how has the MRT development impacted the Little Tokyo area? From what I know, Blok M Plaza was revitalized, how about Little Tokyo?

Daisei Takeya: After the MRT opened, businesses here immediately got many customers.

Q: So it became a hit right away?

Daisei Takeya: Especially on Saturdays and Sundays, many people like to take photos. Looking for a Japanese atmosphere. They definitely eat at restaurants and go to cafés too.

Q: Yes, this area is very interesting, right? Indeed, one of the attractions is Little Tokyo’s aesthetics. According to you, Daisei-san, what’s the main difference between Japanese immigrants and local patrons?

Daisei Takeya: In my opinion, Japanese people are really picky — they demand Japan-level quality in everything. From service to taste to price. They can’t even wait 10 minutes without canceling their order. When they order wrong, or maybe we cooked the wrong dish, they refuse to pay and demand we cook it again, then end up canceling and leaving.

Well, it’s unfortunate, Japanese people’s salaries haven’t increased much in 30 years. So they’re very thrifty. They won’t even pay for cheap cookies. Indonesians, on the other hand, are used to Indonesian service levels. They understand if their food might take longer.

Q: Last week we also came here to buy food for photos, it was very “oishī,” Daisei-san! We think that’s all for the questions. Thank you for taking the time for this interview. Wishing you continued success!

Daisei Takeya: Yes, thank you too.

Sources

The Jakarta Globe. (9/7/2017.) Blok M: Jakarta’s Little Tokyo.

Silvita Agmasair, Wahyu Adityo Prodjo. (18/06/2018.) Sejarah Blok M, Dulunya Tempat Nongkrong Anak Muda Era 80-an. Kompas.

Cita Najma Zenith. (06 December 2023.) Sejarah dan Asal Usul Blok M, Tempat Nongkrong Rancangan Belanda Tahun 1980. Okezone.

Johnny TG. (24 February 2019.) Blok M: Komplet Sejak Dulu. Kompas.