Summer Festival Foods (Patreon)

They come in all sizes, the larger ones you'll find all along the streets near stations or on big shrine or temple grounds, or the smaller neighborhood ones you'll find in a bit of parking lot or small park: Summer Festivals.

Today let's meet the summer foods you'll most likely run into when you stop by one of these festivals.

No matter the matsuri/festival, if it has yatai/mobile food stall, it will look something like below. They usually line both sides of a street or walkway. It it's a nighttime event there will be lights or paper lanterns stung up.

I'm not sure about now, but back in the day (90s and before) a good deal of these were run by yakuza or yakuza-affiliated types. So the people making the food and taking your money and serving you looked a little rough. It's not like anyone really cared. They just came for the festivities.

My favorite story I like to tell was when I was a student, had just learned this fact, and went to one with friends. It was a bustling and loud festival and I went to grab a beer.

"One beer, please!"

The man said something, but I didn't hear how much it was (now they have signs saying the price everywhere, but this booth didn't.).

"How much?" I yell. He holds up one hand showing four fingers and yells back, "Five hundred yen!"

My mouth had to have dropped open.

So, um, yeah. He was a yakuza and was missing a pinky. My mind heard five hundred yen. My eyes saw four, so four hundred yen. I was immediately thrown into some existential crisis for a moment.

Luckily, I had a five-hundred yen coin, so I handed that over and figured, I'd get change or not. THAT would be my answer. I wasn't going to argue, Hey, you held up four fingers...dude. 

For the record, I didn't get change. And I was perfectly okay with that. Took my beer and moved along. 

Here's a night time one below.

Some foods that are almost always at the bigger events.

Kushi mono, or skewered things, meats and vegetables (usually negi/Japanese leeks). Very easy to eat while walking around with your friends enjoying the sights and sounds.

Yakitori (grilled pieces of chicken dipped in tare -- sweetened soy sauce, or sprinkled with salt) is a popular one.

Everyone loves okonomiyaki. Except for the shape, not a pancake at all. Flour batter flavored with dashi (fish powder) and mixed with shredded cabbage and some kind of meat. At festivals (as seen below) a single strip of thinly sliced pork is common. 

Mmmm. Okonomiyaki (right). Of course, covered in that sweet, brown okonomiyaki sauce and sprinkled with katsuobushi (dried and smoked shaved bonito flakes). 

Next to the okonomiyaki (on the left), there is your yakisoba (friend noodles). Very similar taste. Although if you do sit down and eat a spoonful of each sauce they're a little different. Not that I've done that or anything. 

Both are made one those big flat iron grills. It's fun to watch them be made. 

Then there's takoyaki, "octopus balls" seems to be the name given to it, but it's one of those foods that needs an explanation. It's basically the same batter as okonomiyaki with perhaps little pieces of pickled ginger mixed in. Okonomiyaki can have the ginger, too, btw.

It's poured into the hot round things below and a small piece of cooked octopus is dropped into each one. One per ball. As the batter cooks and thickens, it's turned with those icepick looking things until it's perfectly round, brown, and completely cooked on the inside. They're place in a tray (plastic or shaved wood like below) and slathered with that sweet brown sauce, a little mayonnaise, then sprinkled with nori/seaweed flakes and more katsuobushi shavings.

They end up looking like below. Takoyaki is one of the best snacks or light meal. You'll sometimes find them in the entryway of supermarkets (yakitori, too, for that matter) and it's like, you're walking out and ask, Do you feel like cooking tonight? Me? No. Okay, let's pick up some takoyaki. 

Next! Frankfurters on a stick called Franku or Jumbo Franku.

We can't forget the things I grew up calling: Corn dogs. But here they're called American Dogs. Amerikan Doggu.

Let's go sweet for a moment. Do not forget the choco bananas! They come in various colors and sprinkles. 

You'll sometimes find candied things. Like candied apples (again in different flavors and colors). They even have strawberries below. Everything on a stick for easy eating. 

Taiyaki is a joy. 

Sea bream-shaped, red bean paste-filled cakes. 

Below is how they're made. Put in cake-like batter one either side, fill with any yummy filling (chocolate and custard are really good), then flip the pan to put the two halves together and finish cooking, sealing them. 

Also, there will always be beer, it seems. Either from a keg or a big barrel full of ice water with drinks. One for cans of beer, another for teas, sodas, and stuff kids like. 

If it's hot and you have beer, you'll need some spicy, pickled cucumber on a stick, too. 

Finally, let us not forget the squid. Grilled squid braised with soy sauce. I asked Richard what he thought of when I said Summer Matsuri Food and this was on his top five list. So I guess it's not just here. 

So our neighborhood matsuri was quite low key compared to what I'm used to. All neighborhoods differ, but I'm sure corona has something to do with it, too. It's why I heard they didn't build the stage for the drums or string the paper lantern lights for a proper obon odori dance. 

Below is one shot. 

And below, Richard enjoying some yakisoba noodles and a beer. 

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. ☀️

XO,

t