Nebuta Matsuri, Aomori

It seems like so long ago where a group of 8 of us packed up into D & A's car and drove down to Hakkodate ... it was here we boarded a ferry bound for Aomori. Aomori is just at the top of Japan's mainland, and each year holds Japan's largest lantern festival, the Nebuta Matsuri.

We arrive at Aomori pier and make our way over to the said camp site. There are about 300 bikes parked on the grass, everything from scooters to Triumphs and Harley's. We stake a nice little spot of grass and proceed to set up our tents. The chief bikie comes over just to check on us ... he mainly wants to warn us that if we decide to stay there, it's going to be noisy as they will be partying well into the night. No problem here, we'll just join in.



After we are all set up, and freshened up, it's into town we go. We are lucky enough to see the procession of bikes making their way in, so just stop for a while to admire. But then once we make it to the main part of town, some snacks are in order. First up, apple pie. Aomori is famous for apples, garlic and beef, and this apple pie shoes why. Sweet apple still with a little bite encased in a delicious, warm, buttery pastry. We also try the pumpkin variety.



Then a delicious little cup of Korean pancake. It's a crisp batter with all bits of spring onion and splashed with a vinegar like sauce. Yum !!



And perhaps one of the greatest festival foods, ever, meat on a stick! We first try a bacon kushi;

followed by a gyu steak kushi. Chunks of delicious tender Aomori beef nicely salted and grilled, with a blush pink centre.

It's not long until the taiko drums and lanterns start ... the whole main part of town is blocked off for the parade, which lasts for about 3 hours, and goes every night for a whole week. The drumming is hypnotizing, and plays for the opening 15 minutes before the procession of floats start rolling down the streets.



and the lanterns, wow, the lanterns. They barely scrape under the traffic lights, and span the entire width of the main streets. The intricate detail and amazing colour makes for an out-of-this-world display.




After all the festivities we are ready for some food !! and beer ...



as well as a few fresh grapefruit chu-hi's.



First thing to hit the table, torched miso. A smear of top quality local miso is on a wooden spoon, which get's torched right before our eyes...



There was a beautiful tofu salad,

as well as a local apple salad, with a sweet apple dressing, sausages, pork with tofu, hormone and many more. We finish off with a little tub of complimentary apple jelly. Yum!

A fun day was had by all !!



We awake ready for another day of matsuri madness. First some wandering around the town, stumbling across things like little Japancakes filled with cabbage, pork, octopus, tonkatsu sauce and egg. mmmm



We head off to the other side of town, to hunt out this little food street. It's like early afternoon tapa's ... along with loads of rice wine that was poured from a hollowed out piece of bamboo,



We enjoyed fried onions, kari kari cheese-u and a deliciously aromatic saute of mushroom, sausage and garlic.



Then it's back on the road, where Kim stubles across a sausage-pop. Yup, a coil of sausage on a stick that looks like a giant candy pop. mmmmm



While I feast away on a cup of ice-cream with warm caramel sauce.



Before the lanterns and taiko drumming starts again, we make a quick stop for a caffeine fix. Kim goes for an espresso,



while I try a delicious spice tea. Like a chai, but packed with even more spice, in a warm, creamy milk. With the caffeine kicking in, we're ready to soldier on .... we find that observing the lanterns in all their beauty for the second time around (and not being to worried about getting photos, as we did that last night) we really appretiated and enjoyed it so much more! Taking in all the detail and beauty of each lantern. There was a lot more dancing on our part this time around, which meant bells were getting thrown at us from all directions ... a sae da a sae da a sae da sa da sa da ............





All pumped and full of energy, we make a quick stop at McDonalds, and all stock up on a Japanese version of the McGang Bang. A cheeseburger with a piece of black pepper shaka shaka chicken. A mighty combo, we're now ready to board our midnigh ferry and start the 7 hour journey back to Hirafu.



Incredible weekend, we hope to be back next year !!

Here piggy, piggy, piggy ...

A festival, but not any festival. A festival dedicated to pork, but not any pork - Makkari herb pork. Yah, a Makkari herb pork festival. Be still my racing heart, and someone get me a napkin for my drool. No Seriously. Makkari herb pork is made by feeding the pigs a diet of herbs and spice in the last few months of their glorious lives, giving a delicate herb flavor to the flesh.
To celebrate this wonderful product once a year people gather to sit around drink and snack on different forms of the herb pork. We had heard in everyones disscussion of the festival "don't miss the katsu sando" over and over. So when we turned up it was straight off to find that sando stand only to be told the Katsu stall only sets up at 6 o'clock so we we forced to sit and eat and drink various other forms of deliciousness until the katsu stall was up and running. Tough!

We started off with a few succelent slices of herb pork draped over salad vegetables with an almond dressing. The pork soft and juicy, the veg fresh, yum.



Next we had a a treat from our favourite local bakery, Jin (who has kindly asked us not not to blog the bakery as they are already to busy so this peek at the festival food is all you'll get), two thick slices of pork chunky pate baked into a rich buttery pastry sided with slices of the fantstic Jin baked bread and pickled purple cauliflower. So TASTY!!! And that's all we'll not say about Boulangerie Jin.





By now we were a good way through a bottle of Rica Kerner (a Hokkaido white wine) and feeling pretty good, so we headed back into the fray to pick up a bowl of pork miso soup and a plate of grilled pork.



The Miso soup with two kinds of pork, one long simmered and one just cooked lets me use the not oft used word untuous, nice.



The grilled pork also two types, one with salt and pepper the other marinated, along with a mound of grated diakon to smooth it all down is all smokey and delicious.



Still killing time waiting for the katsu sando we pick up a bowl of pork shabu shabu. Quickly blanched in stock and topped with toasted sesame seeds it's a nice snack.



By now we notice the whole crowd seems to be on edge, furtive glances re being thrown in the direction of the katsu stand where activity is finally being seen. It seems everyone here is waiting for the katsu .. Kat and Michi nochalanty wander over to see how long before the sando will be ready, and this is all it takes to tip an avalanche of people piling towards the stand. There's no woman and children first here, it was thrown chairs, pushing and shoving all the way. Sweet delicious food driven rioting.!

After the dust had settled there's Kat and Michi standing at the head of a several hundred person queue.





Madness. We wander and once you pay your monies your given a small card with a picture of a pig being propelled by a gaseous stomach, you then hand the card over at the sando construction site to recieve your much coverted prize. There is even a one sandwich per person limit ....



The sando consists of two slices of brown bread lighty toasted and filled with shredded cabbage the katsu and the most delicious japanese bbq sauce with a hint of miso. The katsu in question is a one thick slice of juicy pork crumbed and fried. This is the king of all katsu sandos, all others shall fall before it's mighty mightyness.



As we sat back in a food induced eyes glazed state, we see the line of hopefulls shuffle forward one by one untill, thats it, no more - sold out till next year, better luck next time. And just like that the stand is packed up and gone. Magic.

Having experienced the mayhem first hand I'll be sharpening up my elbows and practicing my "slip between the crowd" technique for next year.