Everything I ATE At The Japanese Festival! (and more)

Everything I ATE At The Japanese Festival! (and more)

Today I’m checking out one of Japan’s biggest summer traditions, Imati. And there’s no better way to go to a matri other than wearing a yukata. And boy, let me tell you, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Let me quickly explain what a matsuri is. Matsuri are traditional Japanese festivals. Think colorful lanterns, amazing food stalls, music, games, and a little bit of chaos in the best way possible. And if you’re going to a matzer, you’ve got to wear a yukata. It’s a traditional thing that you can wear um to just enjoy festivities, I guess. But yeah, so I’m going to wear this today and we are going to a Matsuri in Zabuai Hills, I believe. Let me show you how I’m going to wear this. Actually, it’s a lighter summer version of a kimono made of thin cotton. Super breathable. Well, kind of. It’s Tokyo summer right now, so breathable is a lie. I borrowed this one from my friend Shotro. So, thank you Chhatro if you are watching. But you might be wondering, uh, I don’t have a Yucata and I don’t have a friend that has a Yucata. Well, don’t fret. You can always rent one online. And putting this thing on is much more difficult than I thought it was. But after a series of YouTube videos and me struggling, I managed to get this thing on. I think looking pretty good. For this particular outfit, I’m going to be using these wooden shoes along with this little bag I’m going to carry. What’s great about this yukata is that there’s a little pocket space inside his sleeves so you can hide things if you like. Nice. All right. This is what a Yukata looks like. [Music] We’re heading to the Azabu Juban Norio Matsuri today and it’s one of Tokyo’s most famous summer festivals. It’s been around for a couple of decades and it’s all about celebrating community, food, and overall great vibes. Fun fact, the word norio actually means cool of the evening, which is kind of ironic because it’s literally about 32° right now and I’m basically steaming inside this yukat. We are now at the matsuri opening the entrance for this place. We are at Azabu Juban and I guess the Matsuri is just all over these small streets. So, um it’s it’s spread across everywhere and you just got to walk through the crowds. [Music] I think it’s uh way too busy here. Hey, first things first is a drink to kill this heat. Lemon sour. Good. Look at my secret pouch. I have my secret weapon in here. Contains a lot of money. I think we can all probably agree that the best part of Matsuri are the food stalls. It’s like a foodie wonderland. You’ve got your yaki tori sizzling, your khaki shaped ice happening, and of course the yaki soba grilling. We tried so many things. I basically kind of lost count. It’s so packed here. It’s really difficult to get through. I think right now our goal is to look for something to eat. But every stall has significant long lines. Well, which is expected here. Even just lining up is it’s really difficult. What is that? It looks good. We’re lining up for this. Really? What is it called? What many? Okay. Chicken. Oh, and they have yaki soba. Canada. Canada. [Music] All right. [Laughter] So many actually I don’t need this. Right after we got our yaki soba, this kurag stall caught my attention. Yeah. You want shill. Okay. Ah, got our kurag and then we’re going to get a another drink. [Music] Just got our food and now we’re going to go find somewhere to sit and eat. It’s crazy in the background. So, we got our kuragi here. We’re eating standing up because there is like literally no seats available. So, let’s try this. [Music] Love it. That’s good. It’s corog. Amazing. Oh, and it’s cheap. 800 Momo. We need a yaki soba. Okay, got a momo here and yaki soba. I love yaki sobba. I had this yesterday. [Music] Oh my god. What is this? So good. Good. Right. But I think it needs more sauce. Yeah. Hey, we can put Momo in here. What? That girl was screaming for her life. Yeah. Trying the momo now. But paragi tastes better. I love it. This is the best. Yum. Yeah. This is first time having miso. So usually soy sauce. Yeah. Yeah. [Music] Now in line for Hey, Tori. I’m just going to get two of each. Oh, yeah. Two each. What’s Oh, okay. I’ll do that. Sure. Sounds good. [Music] [Music] That’s all. [Music] This is naggy. [Music] I don’t like this. You don’t like? No. Doesn’t taste good. You have it. Aside from all the food stalls, you can also find various stalls such as these shops selling masks. There are also games for children’s to play, whatever this is, [Music] or games to test out your throwing abilities. Or maybe you just want to test out your sharpshooter skills. It’s just very lively and there’s just a lot of things happening and there’s just something for everyone here. Now, as we were walking through the festival and just enjoying ourselves, I stumbled across this store and it dawned on me. My partner was talking about it earlier. And that store was Peard. [Music] Do you know Picard? A French frozen meal. No, never heard. If you don’t know, it’s a French frozen food store that’s only sold in Europe and Japan. And it’s basically a lifesaver if you’re craving French food at home. There are no preservatives. It’s super easy to whip up like here. Yeah. Doesn’t contain like preservative. And actually, fun fact, in Japan, it’s considered kind of an upscale food market. And so it’s usually sold in fancy neighborhoods like this one that we’re in. This is like my absolute favorite chocolate. And it’s so cheap. It’s only 799 yen for six. Okay, we’re going to come back after we’re done with the matsuri to get some snacks for home because this place caught me by a surprise. It looks so good. I’m craving some sweets. We should get kaki gori today. Okay. No, I’m going to get a beer. Okay. So, we have to line up to get beer or any drinks in 71. It’s like chaotic in here for the drinks. That’s good. Okay. But the absolute highlight of the show though was the drumming show. These women had so much freaking energy. It was really impossible not to feel the energy and the rhythm and get super excited. [Music] I’m usually not someone that are into performances like this and I’ll just usually walk through. But this one caught me by the surprise. I do want to mention though at this point I already had a couple of drinks. So maybe I was also in a very good mood from that. That’s pretty fun actually. I love how like people are trying to have a meal. A quiet fancy meal in dating. Yeah. So no. Yeah. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Wow. [Music] I didn’t offer. [Music] [Applause] Okay, we’re back in uh the card. So, getting our pan of chocolate hot. Oh, yes. Yes, please. Oh, you want this? These are like candy. No, we don’t need it. Okay. Ooh, dish. Pizza. So good. Oh, pesto. You want to try? Sure. Pesto. Yeah. Oh my god. I think fridge cannot no space. Oh, my fridge is just Oh, I want to get this. Whatever the this is. Okay. Some salmon pers. I don’t know what that is, but looks good. Interesting. Let’s try this salmon something. Oh, wow. I think that’s all. Oh, they got humus. I think that’s it, right? Also, I just want to say that fruits here are so expensive. $1600 for one. That’s insane. Actually, I think it’s for two. But yeah, that’s insane for a pair. Um, like 1,000 for watermelon. This melon 3,000 yen and that’s not even the most expensive. All right, we are pooped. So, we are heading back home to rest. My feet is also hurting because I’ve been walking on this wooden board all day. And I’m just ready to be at home soaking in the AC and having some nice dessert. First matsuri, first yikata. Honestly, that was one of the best summer nights I’ve had in Tokyo. Sure, it was hot and crowded, but that’s part of the charm, actually. So, if you’re ever in Japan during the summer, you have to check out a Matsuri. Trust me, it’s an experience you’ll never forget. And if you find a card nearby, make sure you get your hands on some. As always, thank you so much for watching and I’ll see you in the next one. Peace.

What’s a Japanese summer festival REALLY like? Join me as I dive into the heart of a Tokyo matsuri—complete with colorful lanterns, epic street food, games, and music that makes crowds go wild—this is the ultimate summer vibe in Japan!

Event:
Azabu-Jūban Nōryō Matsuri, 麻布十番 納涼まつり

Chapters
0:00 intro
0:40 how to wear a yukata
2:23 going to Azabu-Jūban Nōryō Matsuri
3:35 lemon sour
4:00 let’s talk food!
7:05 eating & reviewing all the food
10:02 other things to do!
10:40 Found a PICARD?!
12:28 drumming show!
15:05 Everything we bought at PICARD
17:00 ending thoughts

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