Every prefecture in Japan is famous for its specialties. But if you live in Tokyo Prefecture it doesn’t mean that you have to take a long trip to try authentic food or sake from other regions. Just come to the Tohoku Festival in Marunouchi and experience Tohokou's many prefectures at once! Tohoku Festivals run until Wednesday September 23rd, as part of a wider, month-long Tohoku campaign celebrating the best East Japan has to offer.
On the first floor of Marunouchi Building's MaruCube event space, you can see and try hoisting up miniature kanto from the Akita Kanto Lantern Festival by yourself. Kanto refers to the traditional bamboo pole hoist decorated with lanterns – here at MaruCube you can witness one of the largest varieties, Owaka, which weighs 50kg and holds a commanding presence at 12 metres high!
You can wear authentic robes and hold the smaller kanto by yourself. The longer you can hold them on your palm, the healthier you are. I must confess it was very difficult to hold it more than 10-15 seconds! But everybody cheers for you and applauses. Also visitors can enjoy a big stand of Akita Kanto lanterns and take lots of photos.
Nearby they even have a 1/10 scale version of one of Japan's most famous tanabata lanterns, "The Nightless Skycity". The original is Japan's largest tanabata lanterns at 24 metres tall, and is a regular fixture at Akita's Noshiro Tanabata. According to literature the origin of this colorful, lantern was a castle-shaped lantern that originally mimicked Nagoya Castle.
The second area showcasing different prefectures is Tohoku Fair. Smiling girls offer many kinds of products to visitors, from Fukushima, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata. You can find some kinds of special items such as sweets and Nihonshu (Japanese alcohol), Tohoku curry, ramen and Tohoku characters. For some of the stores, it’s only their first time to showcase their products in Tokyo so it’s definitely worth checking out.
Nearby at Marunouchi's Ozao, south of Tokyo Station, the second part of Tohoku Festival is taking place. Here the Tohoku focus is on Miyagi prefecture, with a special Sendai Tanabata Festival being held on the ground floor through passage. On the first floor there are dozens of colourful tanabata streamers hoisted up on display. The beautifully decorated hall with the streamers make you feel like you are walking through a fairytale hall!
If you're a Tohoku fan, or even never had the chance to venture far north of Tokyo, the Tohoku Festivals on display at Marunouchi Building and Marunouchi's Oazo are definitely worth checking out until Wednesday 23rd.
