How we verify a listing

For every venue, we look for evidence in roughly this order:

1. The venue's own website and social media, for any halal statement, certifier name, or certificate number.
2. Named certifier body listings, where the certifier publishes a public directory of certified venues.
3. Tabelog listing status, including the closed (閉店) flag.
4. Google Maps status, including the "permanently closed" flag.
5. Cross-references against established halal directories such as Halal Gourmet Japan, Halal Food in Japan, and Halal Navi.

We store a direct evidence URL per listing where we have one, so you can see exactly what a tier is based on. Every listing is then re-checked periodically against closure flags — if a venue has closed, it comes out of the dataset and, where the closure is confirmed, is recorded on our public delisting changelog.

We use four tiers, and we are strict about what each one means.

A generic "verified" badge does not tell you who did the verification, against what standard, or whether the result is still current. Our approach is different: every listing shows which certifier, if any, is on file — see our certifier explainer for what that means. If there is no named certifier, we say so. That is what we mean by depth over a single badge.

We would rather a venue appear in a lower tier and be honest than appear in a higher tier and mislead. If we can't corroborate a certificate, the venue drops to a lower tier with a note to confirm directly. Always confirm current certification, ingredients, and alcohol handling with the restaurant before you rely on it. This guide is a starting point, never the final word.