The Tokyo Ramen Festa

Oct 31, 2024

The Tokyo Ramen Festa

I will open this with a confession: This article was painful to write. Not in the sense of finding the prose to convey the message nor in the sense that the subject matter was utterly devoid of inspiration to help its transition to the written word, but rather…well…just look at this page and tell me you didn’t just feel a little rumble in your stomach. A little growl for chow. A howl for the world famous noodley goodness that is ramen.

Go ahead, click on that link and have another look. Did you scroll down to the bottom really fast? Or did you take it in, nice and slow, while noodles danced in your heart and mind? Spicy ramen. Greasy ramen. Relatively (for the dish) clean ramen. Ramen with mountains of negi (green onions). Ramen with meat practically covering the bowl. A ramen for all seasons, a bowl to fit each and every individual.

There are few tasks I could think that required more discipline than sitting in front of this keyboard while writing out this article knowing that such delights are but a simple sojourn away. And yet I have perservered in bringing this message to you, my equally brave audience. Perhaps I ought to provide details rather than waxing on past two hundred words.

What on Earth are you talking about?

This event showcases one of Japan’s most beloved noodles and features both industry legends and up-and-coming restaurants each out there to innovate and deliver upon you the greatest offerings their hands can create.

Food tickets will be necessary and can be purchased from 7-11 stores for the entirety of October. The event itself is actually already underway at the time of writing – the 2024 festival kicked off back in October 24th, but the showstopper dishes are planned to be rolled out from November 1st until Monday the 4th. While this means you may have missed some great dishes by time you read this article, it also means you can immediately rectify that problem.

Tell me how to get some noodly goodness

Of course! The first step will be to buy some tickets as noted above. Whether or not you buy from 7-11 or at the event itself, you will need them in order to exchange for any of the dishes. Refer to this part of the website and use machine translation if necessary. Once you arrive at the venue, the next step will be to let your stomach and heart guide you. To enjoy the food, though, you will need to actually get to the event. Getting to Komazawa Olympic Park is fairly straightforward and the park’s site provides an English page to help you.

“Wait. Is an event based on gorging youself on delicious ramen really being held inside of a place originally built for the pinnacle of  athletics?” Yes. There will be no further elaboration.

Anything else I ought to be aware of?

I personally would not wear anything white or difficult to clean.

Aside from that, please be aware of a few things – The popular spots can be very popular and have long queues. The food stands also may simply run out of materials before last orders. If that happens, the stand will simply close early. To avoid the worst case scenario of lining up for a while only to have the stand run out of ingredients before you get a chance, it is recommended to get there early and queue while you are still not quite so hungry.

If you went to the event before or want to give us feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below!

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Image courtesy of the official Tokyo Ramen Festa site.