At the end of November, 2015, I found myself back in one of my favourite countries in the world: Japan. Despite having been there about 8 or 9 times now, I still love it and I think I always will!
I arrived on 24 November, and had a job scheduled for 25th-27th. I then had the weekend to myself before the final day of the job on the 30th. Based in Kimitsu, as in this post, but without a car, I was a bit stuck for something to do over the weekend. So, I chose to check out of my hotel for one night and head into Tokyo. I found a last minute room at Jalan.net in one of the many APA hotels that are scattered around Tokyo (and the rest of Japan). And so, on Saturday morning, I packed a backpack and jumped on a train into the city.
Before I'd arrived in Japan, I'd toyed with the idea of day-tripping into Tokyo, and so I had already looked up what might be happening during my visit. As luck would have it, I found I was to be there on the weekend of the annual Spanish Festival, "Fiesta de España" (sorry, the link is in Japanese only! Try here for a bit of basic info in English). It felt a little odd to be going to a Spanish Festival in the middle of Japan's metropolis, but then, it's something a bit different that only happens once a year, so why not!
After catching the Tokyo Metro over to Meiji-jingu-mae station, I wound my way to the left of the Meiji-jingu entrance and down to the south end of Yoyogi Park. I actually wasn't sure precisely where the festival was going to be (and wasn't aware of just how large Yoyogi Park actually is!). But after wandering through the park for a while, I happened to catch a glimpse of some festival tents through the trees, and so I made my way over to find the Fiesta in full swing.
The main stage here, which is just north of NHK building, and off to the east of Yoyogi National Stadium, was busy throughout the day with a full line up of acts. I didn't spend a lot of time here, but I did stop to watch one or two, like this Japanese man owning the crowd's attention with his mesmerizing Flamenco (or similar) dancing. There was a wide variety of performers to be seen, giving the onlookers a great insight into Spanish culture and entertainment. However, if you're like me, you do enjoy the culture side of things, but the best part of international festivals is the food!
The festival area was arranged in a U-shape, with lines of stalls, all selling a range of Spanish foods. The big winner was, of course, paella (or "pa-e-ria" in Japanese), with basically every second stall displaying their over-sized wok out the front. The biggest one I saw can be seen at the top of this post - and it was massive!
Lines for each stall's paella were generally 20-people long at a minimum, but the service was relatively quick. I lined up for mine, and handed over the 600 yen for my serving, snapping a quick close-up of the main dish before getting stuck in...
...and it was delicious! The rice was beautifully sticky, golden with saffron (or maybe imitation saffron!); the flavours of the seafood had spread beautifully throughout. The only downside for me was the prawn, still in its shell. I guess it does look nicer to have a full prawn in dishes, but I've never been a big fan of it - I'd rather just get on with enjoying the dish, not have to stop and pull apart some of it before it can be eaten! But hey, that's just me!
Once I'd finished off the paella, I found a refreshing cup of sangria with which to wash it down - this was also available at many stalls. They did a good job of it, too. Deliciously fruity and just a little bit sour, and of course, a healthy kick of alcohol! While sipping away at that, I stopped to watch the two guys above from Sur De Wave doing a soccer-ball-control demonstration. Somewhat in time with their music, they moved the balls around, catching and stopping them in various locations on their bodies, holding for a few seconds and then moving to the next spot. Plenty of concentration on their faces, as you can see!
I browsed around the stalls for a while longer, and sampled a few more bits and pieces. I tried a sausage on a stick (called a "fu-ran-ku", or Frank); that was amazingly juicy and very delicious. However, for 300 yen, probably a little bit over-priced! I also had a small taco-bowl, which was rice, cabbage, and a bit of salsa and cheese. A little disappointing, to be honest. From the same stall, I got a mojito, which was also a bit poor. It just tasted like rum and soda water... but, you can't win them all!!
After I had seen and tasted my fill, I wandered back across the footbridge into Yoyogi Park; I wanted to see a bit more and take some photos. The grass was littered with yellow leaves below a field of trees; fountains and street performers; people enjoying a picnic... it really is a peaceful and beautiful setting.
So, if you find yourself in Tokyo towards the end of November one year, definitely check out the Fiesta de España. It was extremely popular this year, with a crowd of several thousand shuffling from stall to stall. But if you can't get to the Fiesta, you should definitely check out Yoyogi Park; bring your family or partner and enjoy a picnic in the shade; take in the gorgeous trees; one guy was even walking along with his cat on his shoulder! Whatever takes your fancy for an afternoon activity, Yoyogi Park is a beautiful place to do it!
No comments:
Post a Comment