Japan has entered the heyday of gourmet food festivals. From historic events from around the world to niche festivals with unusual concepts, "food" festivals are held every weekend all over Japan. There is no shortage of topics, and for those who love to eat, we have entered an era that is irresistible.
So, which festival was the "pioneer" of this food festival culture and developed this trend? Some famous festivals come to mind, such as Oktoberfest and Meat Fest, but the one that everyone is talking about is "Thai Fest.
Under the sun, with a beer in one hand and Thai food in the other, the charm of the open-air experience at a Thai festival may be the starting point of a thriving food festival culture. The charm of the open atmosphere at the Thai festival may be the starting point for the prosperity of the food festival culture. This is why "Hui-Nam" was also held on May 12 (Sat.) and 13 (Sun.).Thai Festival 2018I have enjoyed the "Mere Old Man" half for work and half for entertainment!
We went on the 12th, the first day of the festival. It was a perfect day for a festival, and this year's Thai festival got underway under clear skies. The spicy aroma wafted through the air as we approached the event plaza in Yoyogi Park. Before we hurriedly jumped into our food, we first tried some of Thailand's premium beer, "Singha BeerI'm going to make a toast with "I'll take it in my hand.
It was still quite crowded even before noon. There were times when I could hardly walk. At any rate, I walked around the square with a beer in my mouth and looked around the stalls.
A wide variety of food stalls will surround the event plaza, including the famous "Krung Siam" restaurants in Roppongi and Jiyugaoka.
There was a huge line for this mango shaved ice. It was very popular, especially among women.
The attraction of Thai Fest is the thrill of these food stalls that are lined up everywhere! Gapao rice, Thai curry, Pad Thai, Tom Yam Kung. The rich variety is really fun. Only sausage and beer! This is different from food festivals where simplicity is the name of the game, such as "Just sausage and beer! All dishes are inexpensive, so you can enjoy a variety of dishes. And the food is just delicious! The quality of food stall meals has come this far.
On the outdoor stage next to the event plaza, Thai artists performed in turn. The Thai folk dance was quite fresh and I watched it for quite a long time. The performance of "Koisuru Fortune Cookie" by BNK48, the sister group of AKB48 from Bangkok, was also quite a valuable experience. That song is still a classic.
The venue of the Thai festival was full of energy, with couples coming together and many friends coming together. I had the impression that the number of people who didn't understand manners had decreased compared to the early days of food festivals, and I couldn't find any negative elements from start to finish. As expected of a Thai festival, it has been a few years since I first heard of it, and it has been perfected, and I am convinced of its overwhelming popularity.
To all of you who have been avoiding the festival because it has become too major. The energy of the Thai festival was still amazing. Next year's Thai festival will be the 20th, so even if you haven't been to the festival in a while, please come to the festival once again.
Photo&Text_Rei Kawahara
Thai Festival 2018
www.thaifestival.jp/jp/
