New Year’s Soba … ‘Chya!

If you live (or have lived) in Japan, you are no doubt familiar with toshikoshi soba (年越し蕎麦 or New Year’s soba). If not, it is Japanese tradition to eat soba on the last of the year, letting go of the hardships endured, with the buckwheat plant representing strength and resiliency. The tradition started sometime during the 250 years…

“KoenjiFes” Street Festival 2015

This past weekend (Oct 31-Nov 1) Koenji played host to its ever-growing street festival called Koenjifes. Just more to add to the towering pile of evidence that Koenjagaya is the coolest district in Tokyo. Koenjifes is a two-day street festival that began just a few years ago in 2011. Up and down the village’s many…

Event of the Year: 59th Koenji Awa-odori

Perhaps the most important festival in the country — nay the world — is upon us. The Koenji Awa-odori Festival is in full-swing. After a misty but more or less rain-free day yesterday, the festival continues today with the ren (dance groups) doing their thing from 5pm-8pm. The Koenji Awa-odori has grown to be counted…

The Koenji Rice Rice Meal Meal Project

Twenty shops, ten tickets, one stomach. And fifteen-hundred yen. The rice event of the year went down in Koenji today: The G-Meshi 88 (or Gメシ★88 or Gohan Meshi). Gohan, by the way, is Japanese for “cooked rice” or “meal”. And meshi is Japanese for “cooked rice” or “meal”. No, that’s not typo. It was our third…