New York City is hosting the largest Japanese food and culture festival, JAPAN Fes, which runs from March 28 to Oct. 25 this year. The festival features a variety of stands serving authentic Japanese food for New Yorkers to enjoy.
I attended the JAPAN Fes on the first day in the East Village, where I had the pleasure of enjoying Japanese drinks, food and desserts, along with the opportunity to immerse myself in Japanese culture.
Having arrived at the festival, I was thirsty and excited for the JAPAN Fes festivities. My first stop was Matcha n’ More, which stood out amongst the sea of booths with its large, bold banner, reading “Matcha Soft Serve and Ceremonial Grade Matcha Drinks.” Matcha is a high-grade green tea ground into a fine powder that dates back to the Tang Dynasty in China. At the booth, I was able to order right away and waited about 10 minutes for my drink. The matcha was on the pricier side, with the cheapest option being $9, but the iced drink was excellent in quality and perfectly balanced the tea’s sweetness and bitterness. The color of the matcha was also a vibrant, lovely green.
The next booth I tried was Sama. This stand immediately caught my attention with a banner spanning the entire stand featuring pictures of each tanghulu, as well as the colorful array of tanghulu covering the tables at the booth. For those unfamiliar with tanghulu, it is a Chinese delicacy consisting of fruit skewers coated in hot, melted sugar. Tanghulu originated in the Song Dynasty as a medicinal cure for a concubine’s illness. Today, the dessert has gained popularity as a street dessert and has trended on TikTok. Here, I tried a strawberry skewer, which not only looked delicious with the large, bright red strawberries, shiny from the sugar, but tasted just as divine. The strawberries were sweet and fresh and the sugar coating added a delectable crunch that enhanced the texture of the dessert.
Having started with dessert first, I figured it was time to move on to a savory meal. I chose to eat at Yokote Yakisoba, a booth that sold Yokote-style yakisoba as a meal or sampler. This dish is a Japanese stir-fried noodle dish with an egg on top. The prices were reasonable for the amount of food, with the sampler being $5 and the full bowl costing $15. The wait for this booth was exceptionally long, as I waited to order and get my food for around 45 minutes. But the wait was worth it for the delicious meal. All the components of the dish went together very nicely, with the sauce being on the sweeter side and the egg cutting that sweetness. The noodles were also cooked well and mostly coated with the sauce, though in a couple of spots, they were clumped together.
Full but thirsty from my previous dish, I headed over to Cozy Tea for a refreshment. The setup for this booth was very appealing and colorful, with a large menu showcasing the drinks they sell. The line for this stand was also extensive, about 30 minutes, and although the drink was expensive ($11), its large volume made up for it. I ordered the Strawberry Yuzu Lemonade with popping boba. The drink itself was vibrant and fun, with bright red coloring. The taste was sweet and refreshing, and the popping boba was an exciting addition.
The last place I went to was Taiwanese Wheel Cake. Wheel cakes originated in Japan and appeared in Taiwan during Japanese colonial rule. The dessert was then adapted to appeal to the Taiwanese, and its name, “wheel cake,” comes from its rounded shape. This cake is a popular street food in Taiwan. At this stand, the workers made the cakes fresh by cooking the batter and adding the fillings. I tried the matcha custard chocolate cake for $6.50. The dessert resembles thick pancakes with a surprise filling of matcha and chocolate custard. Unlike anything I’d had before, the light, pancake-like consistency combined with the pudding-like texture of the matcha and chocolate created a delicious delicacy.
The JAPAN Fes was a wonderful experience full of delicious dishes and I would recommend visiting at some point while in New York City!
