Brochettes, brochettes, brochettes!

I finally went to watch the Shimada Obi Festival today where I took literally hundred of pictures and have to divide this report on of the strangest/unusual festivals in Japan into many parts!
This report is about the food the Japanese take for granted at a Japanese Festival or such events! It becomes nothing less than a giant BBQ!

Like any city worth its salt in Japan and furthermore staging a major festival or event a very large space will be made available for visitors to refresh and feed themselves (as well as relieve themselves).
This space in Shimada City is either used for open-air events, festivals or as a supplementary car park.
As cars are prohibited form entering the town center during the the 3-day festival, the space is just ideal.
The sign reads: “”One of the Three Unusual Festivals in Japan. Welcome. 107th Shimada Big Festival/Obi Festival”!

Not only the city provides the space for the food stands to be erected along its perimeter but it also provides the tents, chairs, tables and plastic white table cloths for visitors to eat and drink comfortably under the searing sun in day time or eventual rain!

They also install large trash boxes regularly emptied and cleaned all day long by city workers!
The trash boxes are divided for “Bottles (glass) & Cans”, “Burnable Trash”, “Trash to be Incinerated (heavier than the former)” and “Plastic Pet Bottles (soda, etc,)”!

OK, let’s go around the food stands!

Charcoal-grilled “ayame” trouts!

Naturally sausages are a must!

It is also a good time to sample specialties from all over Japan: Oita (Kyushu) style stir-fried chicken!

Hiroshima-style noodles, pasta, Yaki, Okonmiyaki!

Yakitori!

Fujinomiya City has made Shizuoka famous all over the country for its Yakisoba/Stir-fried noodles!

These disappear within a blink of the eye!

Plenty of draft beer available!

Tai Yaki (seabream-shaped pancakes containing anko/sweet meat beans) for the kids and sweet teeth!

Giant nikuman/large dumplings made of steamed bread and pork. I had the bottom one made with Shizuoka tea!

Fried sweet potato and potato sticks!

Whirly sausages!

Spicy stir-fried chicken!

I also had one of these Osaka-style takoyaki/dumplings containing octopus!

More pork kushiyaki/brochettes!

Cotton candy!
In France we call them “daddy’s beard”!

Not a food stand actually, but a soft drinks and kids game stand!

Another BBQ staple: deep-fried potato brochette, broiled corn and deep-fried sweet potato sticks!

This particular charcoal-grilles sausages and pork brochetttes stand had a constant 20-people queue stretching in front of it!

Chorizo sausage pizzas!

Giant crepes! Sweeeeeeeeeet!

Oden! A shizuoka specialty!

Karaage/Deep-fried chicken!

Baked sweet potato cakes!

Drinks! Including Shizuoka sake! Shimada city is famous all over Japan for its “Onna Nakase/Make a Woman Cry” sake brand!

Mexican sausage and potato tortilla!

Kawane green tea!
Shizuoka produces more than 45% of all green tea in Japan!

These two ladies were having a ball selling miso mochi!
Just another proof that sexiness is ageless!

We will go back to the action in Part 6: “The Clash Of The Chariots”!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Shop with Intent by Debbie
BULA KANA in Fiji
Kraemer’s Culinary blog by Frank Kraemer in New York,Tokyo Food File by Robbie Swinnerton, Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento, Hapabento, Kitchen Cow, Lunch In A Box, Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in Kansai by Nevitt Reagan!
-Whisky: Nonjatta: All about whisky in Japan by Stefan Van Eycken
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City