All Street Fairs Are Not Created Equal

A young girl in a kimono, the traditional Japanese attire. (Wen Zhong/The Epoch Times)

NEW YORK—On a sweltering afternoon in the East Village, sizzling grills could be heard long before food stalls came in sight. Wafts of smoke filled the air and raised the temperature a few degrees. But these sounds and smells were not from ordinary sausages and peppers on the grill. Instead, they emanated the JapanTown Festival, where an eclectic platter of Japanese street food, provided by East Village restaurants and shops, were already local favorites.

The Right Place for Authentic Food

Take Otafuku, for example, a beloved hole-in-the-wall joint whose famous takoyaki and okonomiyaki drew long lines of customers. The takoyaki, which are ball-shaped fritters filled with octopus, scallions, and ginger, were in such high demand that the vendors informed us we would have to wait 30 minutes for our orders to be ready.

The okonomiyaki are fried pancakes made with a batter of flour, cabbage, and ginger, and topped with a sweet, tangy sauce (named after the pancakes), Japanese mayo, and thin katsuobushi flakes, or dried bonito fish shavings. When the pancakes are just made, the rising steam causes the bonito flake toppings to dance, and at first glance, appears as if it’s moving. But have no fear; the quirky dish is well-cooked.

Another crowd-pleaser was the grilled Tonton pork, provided by a small, but popular restaurant in West Village, Hakata Tonton. Betty Tan, the public relations director for the festival, explained that Hakata Tonton specializes in serving “Japanese soul food,” using cooking methods from the island of Kyushu, located in the southern region of the country. The restaurant features a wide variety of pork dishes, from their signature pigs’ feet, to a hot pot with Berkshire pork.

Of course, a Japanese food festival would not be complete without Japanese curry, one of the nation’s most popular dishes. The Japanese’s take on curry is sweeter and thicker in consistency than the Indian variety that we usually associate with the sauce, but first-timers should have their taste buds excited nonetheless. Curry-Ya and Go! Go! Curry! were there to provide customers with their curry fix.

Suzuki Farm was also at the festival to sell its crop of Japanese vegetables. Grown on their farm in Delaware, with organic pesticides made from plants, their offerings included goya, a type of bitter melon from Okinawa (good for those with diabetes), and kamonasu, eggplants that are excellent for grilling, explained Kohei, who works for the farm.

A Look Into Japan’s Rich Culture

In addition to the presentation of Japan’s modern culture through its cuisine, JapanTown also offers a glimpse into ancient Japanese traditions. On display was a miniature of the mikoshi, a portable Shinto shrine that the Japanese frequently carry onto the streets during their various festivals, or matsuri.

Shibui Japanese Antiques displayed some of the objects in their collection, which mostly date back to the 19th to early 20th centuries and include objects owned by ordinary townspeople and those by the samurai class, explained Natsuko Yamamoto, owner of Shibui. Shibui’s collection is mostly comprised of tansu, or Japanese chests. The chests are deeply connected to Japanese history and its designs depict various folk legends, Yamamoto said. Many of the pieces belonged to the merchants of port cities like Osaka and Kyoto, including one which was a wooden portable writing box for the merchant to write receipts, with the ink and brush pen still inside.

Kaneko Seikou, a teacher of “shodou,” or Japanese calligraphy, with the highest level of mastery (the ranking of “hachidan”), was at the festival to write the names of patrons in Japanese characters using brush and ink. Seikou holds classes on the Upper West Side to teach shodou to students of all levels. Shodou, or the way of the brush, has its roots in Chinese calligraphy, but with the invention of hiragana and katakana (components of Japanese syllabary and writing system), shodou has since developed distinct styles that look quite different from its the style of its ancestor, Chinese calligraphy. Most students learn three styles: kaisho (regular or square script), gyousho (semi-cursive script), and sousho (cursive script).

Equipped with the paper, brush pen, ink, and inkstone, known as the “four treasures of study,” a student of shodou not only learns the art form, but also begins a philosophical journey. Seikou’s information pamphlet explains, “Japanese calligraphy has often been linked to Zen thought. Perhaps that is because when creating a work, the calligrapher has but one chance for each sheet of paper. The brush strokes cannot be corrected. [Thus,] each work is a reflection of the writer’s state of mind at a moment in time.”

Kohfu, who also works at Seikou’s shodou classes, explains that depending on how you want to write your characters, you use different brush sizes and select brushes made from different animal hair. For example, the hair of a horse absorbs liquid well, while the feathers of a goose does not. Thus, selecting the right brush is extremely important to the completion of one’s work.

Growing Appreciation

Betty Tan, the festival’s public relations director, said that the event was a wonderful opportunity to encourage more people to explore Japanese culture, while also bringing Japanese businesses together. She herself also enjoys learning about the language, food, and particular behaviors of the Japanese. She commented that their culture is “very varied and original” and that the Japanese are “a creative group of people.”

Chikako Ichihara, JapanTown’s founder and organizer, expressed that she always wanted to introduce more people to Japanese food and culture. “I want people to know that Japanese food is not only sushi,” she said. She wanted to introduce other great dishes from her native country to New Yorkers, and thought a street fair was the best option. With no admission tickets necessary, it was the easiest way to reach a broader audience craving authentic Japanese cuisine. Best of all, Ichihara thought of incorporating aspects of Japanese traditional and modern pop culture into the festival to expose more people to Japan’s fascinating and ever-evolving society.

“All street fairs are usually the same, just hot dogs and barbecue … I wanted to bring some flavor to street fairs,” Ichihara said.

She also saw the festival as a great opportunity to get the Japanese community together. Though the number of Japanese New Yorkers is relatively small, as many are only on business or are studying here and return to Japan after several years, she hopes to build a strong community. “Japan is the second biggest economy [in the world], but why is there no Japan Town?” That was her motivation for creating the JapanTown Festival.

Fred Sabo, a chef at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Trustees Dining Room, was working his Genji Grill at the festival, grilling chicken wings to perfection. Sabo, who incidentally is also Ichihara’s husband, first fell in love with Japanese cuisine and culture 20 years ago when he traveled to Japan to teach English. He finds umami particularly fascinating, the unique flavor commonly found in Japanese food that has been called the “sixth basic taste.”

Sabo also said that when sushi first debuted in New York, he was able to try the then-unknown dish, and it was love at first bite. Since then, he has grown to love the fresh ingredients and unique flavors in Japanese cuisine.

Now, he is marinating and grilling meats using Ichihara’s secret family recipe and hopes to one day open up a Japanese restaurant.

This year is JapanTown’s second run. After debuting to enormous success last year, attracting up to 80,000 visitors, this year’s festival will be divided into a three-part series. The Cool Japan Festival just concluded in July; the Healthy Food & Green Festival and Soul Food Festival will take place on August 22 and September 26 in Midtown and the Upper East Side.

For more information about JapanTown, visit www.nyjapantown.org.