Check out our top three recommended food happenings in Tokyo this month.
UNU Farmers Night Market, RAW
Location:
In front of UN University, 5-53-70 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Date and time:
September 7th, 10:00 – 20:00
Cost:
Free
In every city in the world you can find that people are advocating local products, from hand made articles, personal hygiene products etc, but one of the most important categories is the local farmers markets, and in Tokyo you can find serveral around the city on different days of the week.
The United Nations University (UNU) Farmer’s Market is one of the oldest and best attended you can find in Tokyo, “…organic and local fare is readily available every Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm, with the farmers themselves happy to provide details about their wares”, which makes the experience much more complete.
Normally open from 10:00 – 16:00 the first weekend of September (7th) this amazing market is extending it’s opening hours until 20:00 (8PM), so for 4 extra hours you can keep on enjoying the market, getting some snacks from food trucks, and exploring. During that weekend you can enjoy “Raw Tokyo” just across from the Farmer’s Market as well; Raw Tokyo follows the politics of reusing and not wasting, here you can find second hand clothing, accessories, shoes, etc., apparel and boutiques from around the city coming here to show and sell their products as well, Surrounded by carefree vibe the market features Dj sets, gigs and talented local performers.
Also that weekend (Sept. 7th – 8th) on the same location you can enjoy Juniper Festival, as the name implies this festival is all about gin. The festival not only samples the mentioned spirit but also all the applications you can use from juniper berries like bread, other baked goods, and herbal teas.“The event is based on the four concepts of juniper berry, craft gin, tonic water and farm-to-bottle”.
This event can be enjoyed just across the street from the UNU Farmer’s Market and on your arrival you can purchase your “Starter kit (Original glass + 5 coins) after that you can get extra coins: 1 coin = ¥200.
So there you have it! There will be no better way to start September!!!
Keyaki Beer Festival
Location:
8 Shintoshin, Chuo-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama-ken
Date:
September 12th – 16th
Monday (12th): 11:30am – 7:00pm
Thursday (13th): 4:00pm – 9:30pm
Friday (14th): 11:00am – 9:30pm
Saturday (15th): 11:00am – 9:30pm
Sunday (16th): 11:00am – 9:30pm
Entrance cost:
Free
Saitama Super Arena opens its doors for beer lovers all around the world and from September 12th – 16th you will be invited to sample beers from 90 different brewers and a total of 400 different beers. Some of the shops you will find are Coedo (recommend to ask the staff, they can mix different flavours to match your own taste in beer), Hatachino, Shiga Kogen, Devilcraft, Swan Lake, Outsider, Y.Market Brewing and Kyoto Brewing Company.
This annual event not only provides the drinking but also a nice selection of Japanese traditional food pairings like yakitori, takoyaki and local versions of foods like burgers, bbq, tacos, german sausages, etc. The event has space for all the family to enjoy, but be prepared because the event gets really crowded.
Beer prices range from ¥500 – ¥600, even some breweries will go crazy and have servings for only ¥300, also you can get sets of several beer samples for between ¥1000 to ¥1200 so you cannot miss the chance to enjoy this event.
Tsukimi: autumn/harvest moon viewing
As you know, in Japan, when the spring starts and people gather around sakura trees (cherry blossom) Did you know that in September Japan goes crazy about moon viewing? Especially on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, known as 十五夜の月見 (jūgoya no tsukimi, 15th night moon viewing), people celebrate as a way to welcome the autumn, this year the full moon autumn days will be on the 13th of September and 11th of October.
“The custom of jūgoya moon viewing began in China during the Tang Dynasty (618–907) and spread to Japan thereafter. The aristocrats of the Nara (710–794) and Heian (794–1185) periods enjoyed moon-viewing parties at which they played music and composed poetry. By the Edo period (1603–1868), tsukimi had come to be a popular practice even among commoners, and was closely associated with autumn festival traditions involving thankful offerings of freshly harvested rice to the gods” (Source)
During this day people eat 15 balls of Tsukimi-dango, a rice based sweet with a round shape resembling the moon, and also you will find foods like edamame, chestnuts and pumpkins everywhere, but the food attractions you can find the most on restaurant menus are “tsukimi” hamburgers, soba, curry or ramen, they celebrate the tsukimi by pouring a raw egg over each of the dishes because the yolk resembles the full moon, in the case of the hamburger they use sunny side up eggs.
You can find Moon related events all over Japan, but if you are visiting Tokyo we recommend to check out these;
- Tokyo Tower gets lit up fully and the 600 step outer stairway that leads to the main deck is open until 22:00 hrs (only on Sept. 13th). The Coffee shop has special tsukimi dishes during this month.
- Tokyo Sky Tree holds different events during this time, including live jazz, special dishes on the viewing deck coffee shop, etc. (Sept. 1st – Oct. 4th)
- Sankeien garden in Yokohama will extend its opening time and historical buildings will be lit up, with different music and performances each day happening on the Rinshunkaku villa (Sept. 12th – 16th).
Check out the links for each place to check out the full event information.
Tokyo Tower
https://www.tokyotower.co.jp/event/attraction-event/highball-garden2019/en.html
https://www.tokyotower.co.jp/event/stairs/en.html
Tokyo Sky Tree
http://www.tokyo-skytree.jp/
Sankeien
https://www.sankeien.or.jp/en-event/14.html
It can still be rather warm and humid this time of year! Looking to cool off after a busy day of events and eating? Be sure to join our Nightlife tours to enjoy the last days of summer and starting days of autumn in Japan!
