Saturday 12 October 2013

Matsuri 2013


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A couple of weeks ago, I posted a blog about my visit to the Speciality and Fine Food Fair, where I got an invite to this year's Japan Matsuri from the Wagashi Japanese Bakery which was scheduled to take place on Saturday 5th October, 2013 at London Trafalgar Square.
Prior to this, I had never heard of this event before.  And as I later found out, following some research on my part, the Matsuri is a celebration of Japanese culture which brings people together to enjoy a spectacular variety of entertainments and foods. And this is the second consecutive year that the Matsuri took place at the Trafalgar Square. Previous years' venues have included the Old Spitalfields Market and the County Hall (behind the London Eye).
On the D-day, I set off without any idea of what to expect although I was sure I was in for a fantastic time.
And I was not disappointed!
The atmosphere at the venue was nothing short of electric, especially as I arrived during the performance of Thames Taiko on the main stage. That certainly got my attention for starters.
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Thames Taiko
There was so much to see that I regretted not arriving earlier, so to make up for lost time, I spent my time manic-shuffling between the food stalls and the main stage performances.

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Hiroko Tanaka Nihon Buyo

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SOAS-Minyo

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Jetsam:Disruption

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British Suzuki Institute
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SIRO-A

I tried to taste as much as of the foods as I possibly could - and there was an endless supply of sushis, yaki udons, teas. So I decided to be sensible as much as was humanly possible and just indulged in the foods I had never really tried before.
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Octopus Balls

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Octopus Balls


Savoury - The Octopus balls were very interesting to taste. I thought they would be an acquired taste, but I was so wrong. Delicious little snack bites and were provided by Tazaki Foods Ltd
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Wagashi Bakery Ice Creams

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Matcha Ice Cream


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Dorayaki - Wagashi Bakery
Sweets - The sweets and desserts were on full display. I tried a few and then met up with the folks at Wagashi Bakery for a nice catch up. They had more on display than they did at the Speciality and Fair Food Fair. And by that I mean their ice creams - my favourite form of dessert! Their Matcha ice cream just epitomises delicious. But they have an interesting variety of ice cream flavours on offer - 9 if I counted correctly.
And of course I indulged in their dorayaki - all 10 flavours! Verdict is that I am completely sold on their green tea mascarpone flavour.
Just as my day began with the captivating performance of Thames Taiko, so it ended with a breathtaking one by Siro-A. One word I can only use to describe them is INCREDIBLE. Fortunately, they will be performing at the Leicester Square Theatre until the 2nd of November, 2013. I definitely would not mind another opportunity to watch them again.
After an exhilarating day, I know that I will definitely be attending again next year. With better planning on my side.




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