One annual event that my wife and I always went to was the Tokyo University of Agriculture's Harvest Festival. Other universities have their Cultural Festivals but because this is an agricultural university, they call their festival the Harvest Festival. The festival is held every year around the beginning of November.
東京で毎年行うイベントの一つが東京農業大学（通称農大）の収穫祭。普通の大学なら学園祭や文化祭になるけど、やはりメインが農業なので、収穫祭になってる。農大の収穫祭は毎年の１１月で開催される。
The entrance to Tokyo University of Agriculture. There is a new design every year which is always fun to check out.
東京農業大学の入り口。毎年のデザインを見るのも一つの楽しみ。
Here we are walking around on campus.
キャンパス内に歩いてます。
Of course the reason why we go every year is to eat the foods made by various international students.
もちろん私たちが毎年来る理由を簡単に説明すると、食べれる料理ですよ。農大に外国からの留学生が多いため、収穫祭の時、自分の国の料理を提供してる。
This year's program design.
今年のプログラム。
Our first taste of international cuisine will be some momo from Nepal. It's a Nepal-style steamed gyoza.
一番最初に試食するのはネパール風蒸し餃子のモーモ。
This booth was selling some Indonesian style chicken skewers called satay which are topped with a peanut sauce.
こちの屋台はインドネシア風やきとり、サテイを売ってます。やきとりにかけてるピーナッツソースが最高。
Nepal style gyoza, momo.
ネパール風蒸し餃子のモーモ。
Indonesian-style satay, chicken skewers topped with peanut sauce.
インドネシア風のやきとり、サテイ。ピーナッツソースかけ。
University student in the spirit of the festivities.
大根の格好をしてる学生と遭遇。
Another fun thing to check out at the festival are the variety of handmade mikoshi or portable shrines.
はかの楽しみは学生の手作り神輿。
Physeter catadon? I had to look it up. It's the scientific name for the sperm whale.
フィゼター・カタドン？調べたら、マッコウクジラの学名でした。
Frog king?
蛙の王様？
Saiyuki, the Monkey King.
西遊記だ。
The dragon motif is always popular.
龍のモチーフはいつも人気ありますね。
Another dragon.
別の龍。
I thought this one was pretty cute.
この昭和ぽいの乗り物の神輿可愛いと想った。
Tengu / 天狗
Votives / 絵馬
Kabuki gorilla?
歌舞伎のゴリラ？
The Beckoning Cat / 招き猫
A portable shrine that looks like a portable shrine.
神社の神輿や。
This one is very impressive too.
これも本格的だ。
Back in line for more food. We are going to try something called hirayachi. It's an Okinawan dish best described as an Okinawa-style okonomiyaki (pancake) but I think it more closely resembles the Korean chijimi.
また食べ物に戻った。これからヒラヤーチーというものを食べようとしてる。これが沖縄名物で沖縄風お好み焼きと言っても良いと想う。ですが、お好み焼きより韓国料理のチヂミのほう似てると想う。
I found a kyoudo ryouri (local cuisine) website that defines hirayachi as a: thin savor pan cake with chinese chive, leeks, tuna in flour and water mix and is eaten with Worcester sauce. It is very popular and easy to make at home. In the past, when Okinawa was hit by the Typhoon, people used to make this at home with whatever the ingredients they had at home and still this day, there are some area that people eat Hirayachi on the typhoon days. The name Hirayachi comes from “Hirayaki (flat pan cake) but with Okinawan dialect.
On the same weekend as Tokyo Nodai's Harvest Festival, at the Setagaya station on the Setagaya line, a different festival was being held, the Rakuichi Rakuza. It's also a festival featuring food, fun, and games.
東京農大の収穫祭で同じ週末に世田谷線、世田谷駅前に楽市楽座が開催しておりました。これも食べ物、ゲームといろいろあるような祭りです。
It's more like a farmer's market than a festival though.
祭りというよりファーマーズ・マーケットみたいな感じです。
Craft beer from Ishikawa Prefecture. Hakusan Waku Waku Beer.
石川県の地ビール、白山わくわくビールを販売してました。
Small size okonomiyaki. One for me and one for my wife.
小さめなお好み焼き。
The Setagaya Line / 世田谷線
My last snack of the day. I think it's a sata andagi from Okinawa.
今日最後のスナックは沖縄名物のサータアンダーギ。
Of course this would be the last year we would enjoy the Tokyo University of Agriculture Harvest Festival and the Rakuichi Rakuten as we would move to Aomori City the following year in November.
もちろんこれが最後に行った農大収穫祭と楽市楽座。来年この時期に東京から青森市に引っ越すことになるからなね。
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