Out & About #927 | Japan Festival 2023

Japan Festival is a summer highlight event for the city, as well as myself personally. Besides the two years where majority of community gatherings has ceased in response to the pandemic, I proudly declare attendance in every annual occurrence.

It's been particularly pleasant to observe the advancement in scale over the years. From just one row of food vendors and a painfully scorching wait, the celebration of Japanese culture has expanded to include thrice as many retailers and two days of stage performances.

Overall organization of the event has also undoubtedly improved. Signs indicating order and pickup zones were introduced even in the early years of the event, while end-of-queue line markers - usually young volunteers - assisted in relieving confusion. However, queue lengths were noticed to diminish rather quickly (compared to past years), drawing attention to the efficient operations of the vendor team.

​The sleepy polar bear was grateful for cooler climate, as was I, for the previous year's sweltering conditions had us both irritable. Of course, being on the receiving end of hangriness and observing failure in locating parking quickly had amounted to yet another degree of annoyance. I offered to drive this time around, partially as I was running behind on errands and primarily to save my sanity.
Instead of having to grit and bear through the sluggishness of weekend drivers from the passenger seat, I merely honked when the situation deemed necessary. After all, through lanes and access corridors are meant for continued movement, not stalling while "in search of parking".

We arrived on Celebration Square grounds around 1 PM.

Nippon Express was found near the Duke of York Blvd entrance yet again. Instead of a spin-the-wheel contraption, brewed cups of green tea were being offered in exchange for social media engagement. I passed the fluid and complimentary Hi-Chew candies to the sleepy polar bear, yet voiced intent on retaining the reusable cup for in-office usage.

Alas, the cup was dragged along for most of the visit, until the sleepy polar bear sheepishly admitted that there was no fondness for the drink. "Then dump it out!" I responded, impatiently. Why wouldn't you dump it, put the cup away, and free your hands to help me with my things?!  I thought to myself in a cloud of fury.

​Many familiar vendors made an appearance, and even assumed a similar booth location to the previous year. Instax offered polaroid keepsakes, though phased out the tablet-based digital decoration option. Dixie Outlet Mall, Subaru, Canon, and Denso offered spin-the-wheel freebies, but switched up the prizes and redemption format slightly.

​Answering to the sleepy polar bear's consistently poor, hanger-induced attitude, we began to browse for sustenance. Positioned parallel to Duke of York Blvd were longtime occupants of Kinka/Guu, Kinton Ramen, Ryu's Noodle Bar, and EDO Japan. Located towards the Living Arts Drive segment of the square were newer vendors, mostly Chinese-operated offering trendy, fusion spinoffs of Japanese classics.

​Mochi French Toast caught my eye immediately. The item had made recurring appearances at the Richmond Night Market, yet hadn't exactly made its way over to the Central-East region of the nation. Leading the way, I pointed towards the menu and proposed one Sweet and one Savoury option. The minimum order was two blocks of French Toast; mix-and-match capabilities would be permitted only with orders of four pieces of more and were restricted to either Sweet or Savoury profiles.
Instead of blatant rejection, the sleepy polar bear remained silent. "Let's just get one order of Okonomiyaki?" I suggested, capitalizing on my sponsor's fondness for the grilled pancake.
"Alright." came the confirmation, as anticipated.

Following payment, we were directed to one of two lines: "Sweet" was marked with blue chalk, while "Savoury" in red. An order slip was presented to us. While I had presumed this to be our receipt for pickup, the staff member handling the transactions had failed to inform us that the slip was to be provided to a member of staff for order fulfillment.
Eventually, we caught on and informed the girl behind the "Savoury" counter of our order. Thankfully, we were the only patrons in line.

View the full album HERE !

​The Mochi French Toast was warm and adequately crispy, yet utterly lacking in mochi. A side of shredded cabbage and toppings of okonomiyaki sauce, Kewpie mayo, and bonito flakes were indeed reminiscent of the okonomiyaki experience. Alas, the squares exuded greasy odours without considerable flavour payoff.

​We took minimal interest in the nearby assortment of pecan pie ice cream egg waffles, mochi donuts, dessert takoyaki, and costly twenty-five dollar (!) squid and octopus skewers.

As we maneuvered towards the stage, my eyes fell upon K-Sweets Tea, a vendor that had piqued my curiosity since their appearance at Taste of Vietnam (and my social media feed). Immediately intrigued by the sight of skewers and exotic fruit smoothies, I proposed our next quest.
Grimacing and griping as sleepy polar bears do, I was informed of the unwarranted "disapproval" towards my uncustomarily Japanese picks. Needless to say, I defended my choice: Japanese street food was easily accessible near my workplace. Furthermore, takoyaki, onigiri, and okonomiyaki had never assumed articles of personal preference.

"You can go line up for what you want." I declared, unwilling to deal with the childish attitude any further. Of course, this also induced difficulty for me in handling the food orders along with my three bags and one weighty camera.

Three puny skewers of Skewer Beef with Mixed Veggies had rang in at ten dollars. The beef was tender, albeit unreasonably small in portion size; fiery, storebought kimchi constituted the "mixed veggies" component.

Upon witnessing constant production of the Grilled Eggs with Mixed Toppings, I too appended one to my order. A dedicated slotted tray would be used to create the nine-dollar appetizer. Crispy bottoms, fully-cooked yolks, fresh scallions, and sliced mini sausages would characterize the dish. Mayonnaise was drizzled on top; hot sauce was optional.

​I stabbed at a few of the scrumptious rounds before requesting a lid for storage. Then, I'd find the sleepy polar bear queuing for fifteen-dollar Onigiriyaki and bestow the final skewer before giddily continuing my exploration of the festival grounds.

Momo Tea was present again, yet I merely sauntered past the booth due to my recent inventory restock of Matsu.

Source: Japan Festival Canada website | https://japanfestivalcanada.com/

Of greater interest to me were the natsu matsuri games - activities that had always been witnessed secondhand in visual mediums such as anime or dramas. This year's Japan Festival had introduced Super Ball Scooping and Water Balloon Yoyo for $5 per play. Character masks were also retailed (between the prices of fifteen to thirty) to complete the matsuri experience.

The sleepy polar bear did not see success in the Water Balloon Yoyo game, though was given the option to pluck a balloon from the pool anyway. On the other hand, I managed at least 5 bouncy balls in Super Ball Scooping before the paddle covering tore away.

Festival fashion was another noteworthy element. Many attendees had fitted themselves in yukata for the occasion. A handful delved into Japanese street fashion: Punk, Lolita, and Decora too!

​My decision to don a thin cotton dress and wide-brim straw hat had been a splendid one. The hat, working in conjunction with my neck fan, served to keep me cool and shaded, protecting the face from harsh UV rays while the rest of my body adopted a noticeable tan.

During my solo perusal, two packs of liquer-infused plums and a six-pack of alcohol-free Yuzushu/Umeshu were procured. These purchases were immediately brought back to the car and placed in the portable cooler for preservation. Events at Celebration Square are honestly ideal, for parking is free and abundant, and indoor plumbing is never too far away.

My return to surface level coincided with the sleepy polar bear's long-awaited granting of sustenance. Given that I had scrunched my nose in response to Zakkushi's sodium-laden Scallop Skewer, my expectations towards the other picks were also relatively low.
Ten-dollar takoyaki from Saiko Tako was deemed mediocre, while Tuna-filled Onigiriyaki was no more than a glazed chunk of rice topped with toasted black sesame seeds. "I expected that." came my knowing reaction.

Frankly, I was surprised that the one who had spoken so ill of my gustatory choices just moments earlier had resorted to evidently inauthentic retailers for takoyaki. Ryu's Noodle Bar's rendition - as well as their Cha-shu Yakisoba - was much more appealing in comparison.

Appetites adequately quenched, we proceeded into the retail zone briefly.

Colourful artwork, pouches, traditional yukatas, and adorable plushies were typical of the spread, though seasonings and specialty foods were recent additions. Montréal-based Tokusen held various tastings throughout the afternoon, providing samples of the boutique's premium shoyu and dashi to those interested. Admittedly, soy sauce shots were difficult to repeatedly engage in. Dried yuzu finished the tasting off on a refreshing, zingy note.
Amusingly, there were also kiosks dedicated to green tea and potted plants outside of the Jubilee Garden - not entirely relevant to the festival, but decently popular.

The Beer Garden was always a must-visit destination for me. Being located in the shaded patio area adjacent to the Hazel McCallion Library, it was a wonderful spot to relax with friends under the shade while admiring the various exhibits taking place on the main stage.

​In the early years of Japan Festival, I could only recall Sapporo and Kirin being present for beer purchases. However, exclusive sakes steadily began appearing, one by one, and were soon accompanied by umeshu (plum wine) as well.

​I sought out my beloved Yuzu Choya. A 3 oz. portion set be back eight dollars - quite reasonable, given the inflation of street market pricing. Next to the coveted shimmering, white-and-pale yellow bottle was the Kokuto edition in revamped packaging.
While the bottles wouldn't be regularly stocked at LCBO, I was informed that cases of six (for the Yuzu) were available for purchase from Ozawa's headquarters. For the standard consumer single-unit investment though, inventory was dependent on LCBO's intermittent approval periods.

Nearing the Asahi booth, a Stainless steel bucket of sky blue packaging caught my eye. It was Hitachino Nest!!

​The White Ale was amongst my favourite beers, though the Red Rice Ale less so. I was about to request a bottle, then spotted the adjacent Kuronama Black Lager. Known not a fan of dark beers or stouts, I regarded the promotional images with hesitation. The man behind the counter noted that the ten-dollar cans were a new collaboration with Godspeed Brewery, the same brewery affiliated with Musoshin Ramen, and was being launched exclusively at Japan Festival prior to retail sale.

​Equipped with the knowledge that Hitachino Nest was now stocked at Ronin Izakaya on Baldwin, I bit the bullet and took to Kuronama. It was more affordable too, for the renowned owl beer rang in two dollars pricier at twelve dollars per bottle.

In contrast to its presumed profile, the charcoal-coloured concoction tasted surprisingly light. It remained true to its classification of a lager, offering an invigorating, light-tasting profile. That said, the formula was grounded: it evoked a sense of seriousness, unlike the characteristically bubbly qualities of lager. The Kuronama Black Lager was enjoyed thoroughly, proving itself a swell choice.

Beyond sake, beer, and umeshu, the Beer Garden also offered non-alcoholic beverages, such as bottled Japanese tea, and beer snacks of pretzels at certain stalls.

Claw machines have been a popular attraction since the early summer months. As such, both OHYO and Lucky Gift Claw Machines assumed spots on the North and South Square respectively.

I persuaded the sleepy polar bear into a twenty(-five)-token purchase with my eyes set on Lapras. Each attempt set us back four tokens. By the third try though, it was clear that the Pokémon would not be caught with a flimsy, tri-arm contraption.

Ring Toss would set us back another ten dollars. Of course, we weren't even close to summoning Sulley into our possession.

Tokyo Shojo's sakura-embroidered wool beret had drew me towards their delicate pink stall. At seeing its fifty-dollar price tag, I was ready to move on. Alas, the more we gandered, the more we grew inclined to the dazzling, multi-toned merchandise.

Two pins, one sticker, and an acrylic enmusubi set would come to a grand total of fifty-five. The substantial expense earned us a plastic pink pan bearing the shop's name, a cartoon rendition of Tokyo Tower, and the Kanji for "matsuri" (aka "festival").
A follow-up purchase of a chubby, camera-wielding polar bear was made at a neighbouring stall, for obvious reasons.​

Prior to departure, the sleepy polar bear insisted on a Matcha Latte. Opting for Daigyo this time instead of NEO, an Organic O-Matcha Latte was procured for a whopping $8.50. The cup's contents were tasty, but filled atrociously with ice. Without a doubt, a near-identical solution could be recreated at home at one-quarter of its price - and without the needless addition of sweetener.

In spite of the steep price points, Japan Festival had been a fun time. I relished in the addition of matsuri games, exclusive alcohol selection, and continuous addition of new attractions. Best of all, weather conditions were forgiving. The evening hours saw receding of sunlight and even shortened lineups around the square.

​The day's activities were concluded with errands at T&T. It was an intentional decision, for the typically tumultuous asphalt lot was tranquil as could be.