August is a matusri (festival) season in Japan, with numerous Bon-odori festivals and fireworks throughout the country. Though it may seem smarter to stay in an air-conditioned room and avoid the insanely packed crowds, there is something special about being at the festivals. Strolling around, eating shaved ice under the hot summer sun, watching people going by, playing some silly games, and of course sampling the festival food from the street vendors. This is something that I cannot pass up. So I would like to introduce some of the Japanese festival foods you might like to try.
Yakitori: Grilled chicken on a bamboo stick
They are like shish kabobs but smaller. Yaki means grilled and Tori means bird, in this case chicken. Though restaurants offer a variety of yakitori like chicken livers, chicken skin, chicken gizzard, and vegetables (my favorite is chicken meatballs), there only one or two kinds at the festivals. The meat is dipped in a special sauce and grilled over hot charcoals. Once you smell the savory sweet soy sauce, you can’t resist a little nibble.
Yakisoba: Fried noodles.
Yakisoba is fried noodles with pork and veggies. It only takes 15 minutes to make yakisoba and it’s easy to prepare at home. I don’t know why, but Yakisoba somehow tastes so much better at the festivals. Maybe the street vendors use special Yakisoba sauces or garnishes, or maybe it’s just the atmosphere. People who like ramen noodles should definitely try Yakisoba.
Okonomiyaki: ‘Whatever you want’ pancake
Okonomi means whatever you want or however you like. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese-style pancake. The basic ingredients are flour, yam, water, shredded cabbage, and egg, and to this you can add whatever you like; pork, shrimp, noodles, rice cakes, vegetables, even cheese. Most anything goes in Okonomiyaki. Unfortunately, what goes into the Okonomiyaki at the festivals is pre-decided. They are still delicious nonetheless.
So when you have a chance to go to one of the Japanese festivals, leave some time to try some Japanese foods. They might seem strange at first, but once you taste them they are not so yucky after all.
A little treat for the eyes 
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