This was a great way for us to get a taste of Japan's rich culture. We were able to hear typical music, see traditional dress, and taste unique foods that I had never heard of or seen in my life.
I didn't prepare my stomach before making my way over to the festival, so I left the place really stuffed. This is just a sample of what I put into my blissful belly:
Yakitori is the Japanese version of kabobs. Instead of the typical skewered meats we put on a stick, Yakitori uses all parts of a chicken (skin, liver, thighs, etc.). It has a great honey glaze on it, so it's quite different in taste than the normal kabob. Just imagine the glaze of a Honey Baked Ham on small pieces of chicken. When you walk up to a cart to order one, they're freshly made, so they're hot and delicious. The chicken is not overcooked and is extremely succulent. I personally thought the chicken skin yakitori was a little scary because I never eat chicken skin, but I'm sure it tasted excellent.
Tacoyaki was something my brother was talking about right when we discovered the carnival. It is fried squid drizzled with mayonnaise, a condiment that the Japanese are absolutely in love with (they come in huge vats and squeeze bottles there). Putting the nutrition facts behind you, this is the best mollusk I've ever had in my life. I think those who are fearful of squid would even find Tacoyaki enjoyable. The lightly fried batter and mayonnaise mask any fishy taste that you might expect.
The dessert bananas were everywhere. I passed by at least 4 different carts with it, so I couldn't resist any longer; my near-exploding belly decided that it had to make room for the chocolate-covered fruit. They offered two kinds: one covered in milk chocolate and sprinkles and the other with white chocolate and sprinkes. I opted for the milk chocolate and hate to say that I was a bit disappointed. While passing by these carts, I imagined the banana treat to be a somewhat cold treat. I reasoned this because the chocolate wasn't melting off the sticks of banana. However, the banana was room temperature and nothing better than something I could have made at home. It definitely wasn't worth the 300 yen they sold it for.
The wax lollipops were a hit with children at the festival. My mom ended up buying one, but I didn't actually taste it. It looked very much like normal lollipops that we have in the States and I didn't wanted to waste my tastebuds on something so American. The novelty of these candies were the fact that they were put in little disks made out of ice cream cones. The disks are filled with wax-looking hard candy that is liquid before it hardens and locks in the lollipop. Cute? Yes. Absolutely scrumptious? Probably not.
I think the day at the festival was probably one of the most exciting days that I had while in Japan. It was a wave of culture in a couple of hours and I got to taste, hear, and see so many things that I had never before experienced. I wish Japan were like that everyday.
