Tokyo – The aroma of rendang wafted strongly from the corner of Yoyogi Park, Tokyo, where the 2025 Indonesia-Japan Friendship Festival (IJFF) was held. From a distance, it looks like a long line of visitors is snaking around waiting for their turn to taste rendang as a result of the World Marandang activity led by the Minangkabau Family Association (IKM). The line began to form at noon and continued to grow into the afternoon. A number of visitors, both Indonesians in Japan and locals, were willing to wait up to 2 hours just to have a portion of rendang cooked right at the event location. One of the visitors even uploaded the moment of the long queue on Instagram Story. The @tirasundara account wrote: “Standing in line for about 1.5 hours for racing greys” accompanied by a picture of them posing in front of the IJFF 2025 stage. Similar posts were also shared by other users such as @naufalazzaahid, showing the public’s enthusiasm for this typical Minangkabau culinary delight. Scroll TO CONTINUE CONTENT The 200 kilogram rendang was cooked by the IKM team with Chef Dian Anugrah, or known as Uda Dian Minangkabau Chef, using a giant cauldron. The cooking process takes more than eight hours, with a mixture of traditional Minang spices brought directly from Indonesia. Once cooked, the aroma of coconut milk and spices immediately spreads and attracts the attention of festival goers. Andre Rosiade, general chairman of IKM, said the enthusiasm of visitors was proof that rendang deserved to be called one of the most delicious foods in the world. “We didn’t expect the enthusiasm to be so great. Many visitors were willing to queue for a long time just to taste rendang cooked together by Minang migrants in Japan,” said Andre. Andre added that Marandang Dunia activities are not only about cooking, but also a form of promoting Indonesian culture and culinary diplomacy. “Through rendang, we introduce Indonesia in the warmest and most universal way: through food. It is also an occasion of togetherness for Indonesian people overseas,” he said. This activity also managed to set a record for the Indonesian World Records Museum (MURI) as “Most Rendang Cooked Abroad.” The award was presented directly by MURI Chief Director Aylawati Sarwono to Andre Rosiade and his wife, Nurul Anastasia, where thousands of festival visitors witnessed. Several Japanese people who tasted rendang for the first time were impressed by the Minang culinary taste. “Yummy! So rich and spicy,” said a visitor from Japan with a smile. Rendang is served directly by the committee under a tent that says Pesona Minang: Minang Japang Baralek Gadang. Each serving is served with hot rice and green chili lado, making the atmosphere even more festive in the chilly Tokyo air. The 2-day festival is a place to show Indonesian cultural and culinary pride in Japan. In addition to rendang, visitors also enjoyed traditional Minang dance performances, traditional clothing fashion shows and various Indonesian snacks prepared by the Indonesian community in Tokyo. (tor/idn)
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