Mitsuwa Japanese Summer Festival

Mitsuwafest was not all I had hoped it would be. Tons of people walking around like they think it’s Comicon and others in kimonos — it was quite an interesting group of attendees at this festival. I do have to say I was jealous of the Hello Kitty masks people had. But $ 6 for a flimsy Halloween style plastic mask I’ll never wear again ain’t happening!
There were only about 5 stands for food items — octopus balls, ramen, chicken on skewers. I was lucky enough to have my Japanese friend with me so she was able to translate the food signs. Had she not been there, we wouldn’t have been completely certain of what we were getting as signs were not in English. Everything I had was good but I definitely expected there to be more food options. I may venture to say that the food in their regular marketplace is better, as well. We went inside during the fest to get some green tea soft serve… sad.
The place was completely packed with not enough activities or performances to fill the time. It was mostly just standing around… waiting in longggg lines for food. The festival was completely packed to the brims but it was nice to not have the usual drunk, rude festival goers that you see at other city fests.
I did enjoy the drum show but hate to admit that my friends and I rolled out after about 10 minutes watching the drums.
The good about the festival is that it’s free! It’s in the suburbs and will give you a little somethin’ somethin’ to do that’s not the norm. I do suggest coming early to get a parking spot as the later it gets, the harder parking is to find. Now this wasn’t my first time going to the fest, but those of you who haven’t gone before, hopefully you can be well prepared for next year!

I would love to write a great review talking about how great this festival is… but unfortunately I can’t. Heres why:
I arrived at 6 to catch the drum show and the place was super packed. I got in line for food and by the time it got near me they ran out…
at 6 pm they ran out of Takoyaki
at 6:30 they ran out Yakitori
oh yeah and at 6 they ran out of RICE for curry. Christ how do you run out of rice?!
The drum show was interesting at first but after about 5 minutes you realize they are just going to beat on the same drums with the same sounds so you lose interest.
I managed to get a Yakisoba (fried noodles 4.00) which were pretty bland and dry as well as a Yakitori (grilled chicken 5.00) which was also very bland and very dry. They used huge chunks of breast meat which tend to dry out fast.
Overall I’d say the food was mediocre at best but pretty reasonably priced. Lots of people, and kids everywhere but they were all pretty polite which was nice. I just wish the food was better and that there was more of it for me to actually try.
Oh well, I’ll come earlier next year and re-​review.

A whole circus-​like festival full of little-​ass kids and they’re almost unanimously better behaved than every adult I know. Imagine that.
Asian people: Please show the gringos how it’s done, because them white kids… they don’t act right.
I can’t even go to a regular grocery store on a weekday, let alone a loosely supervised non-​English speaking festival, without some little sh*t throwing a tantrum by the cakes or running me down in those damn mini carts, but somehow you’ve taught your kids how to show respect and follow your good guidance so they know better than to be a little d*ckhead and mouth off or run amok like the demon spawn at Mariano’s in AH.
By boo spent a month in Japan this past April and he said that’s how all the kids were over there. How do you do guys it? Is it Ultimate Ninja Warrior? Do you unleash the dragon? I NEED to know so I can pass it along to my child-​bearing friends, neighbors, local news stations and maybe even practice keeping the bf in line every once in a while.
Beyond the absolutely breathtaking sight of hoards of children behaving, I was really impressed with this fest. I saw them setting up the Friday before when I drove the the p-​lot (It’s almost entirely outdoors) and I worried as the storms rolled in about mid-​fest while we were getting ready to head out and Mitsuwa it up, but luckily the monsoon and near-​tornado weather subsided and show was able to go on.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the list of activities and vendors on their website, but I did make a special point to find out what the game «fish-​scooping» was. Results: It is as it sounds. There’s two kiddie pools filled with guppy sized goldfish and kids are given a small circular screen (kind of look like a magnifying glass ala Sherlock Holmes) to hold steady in the water with their hand and then swiftly remove when they see a fish swim over, catching them in the screen. Then the fish gets carted off to a plastic baggy for the kid and family to take with them, and, I assume, watch it go belly up before they even get the mini van back home. I can’t lie, I really wanted to do it, and it appeared to be free, but it did seem a bit cruel (though again, the kids were all quiet, patient and well behaved while waited to scoop the fish… not a single splash like you just know you’d see if there were white kids here) and also because I knew my bf wouldn’t let me take a fish home.
I was thinking there would be more food tents but what I had, a salmon ball… which was actually a triangle, was really good. I would’ve like to try more things but the super cute pictures of little fun colored animals holding other colored animals or food didn’t well enough explain what I would actually be eating… so, having someone who can read Japanese and translate will be on my list of things to bring for next year. My boo also noted that the fest did feel a lot like being back in Japan and the crazy market scene and how they yell out some kind of ‘thank you’ in Japanese (NOT domo arigato) when you buy something from their tent.
In addition to all the above and regularly extra-​ordinary sights of Mitsuwa Marketplace, they had a stage set up where you could learn some Japanese dances from geisha looking women. It was super fun and there were literally hundreds of people who joined in the circle to learn along (me included!).
Though it wasn’t a festival where you’d have enough stuff to do for an entire day, it was a fun activity for an hour or two and I would totally come back for next years fest, salmon/​rice balls (triangles) and that heaven sent shaved ice.