Tokyo Harvest Event

The Tokyo Harvest event will be held on November 8th and 9th in Roppongi Hills Arena to express gratitude to farmers and fishermen.

Tokyo Harvest was launched last November, attracting about 30,000 people. This year, Tokyo Harvest will take place not only in Roppongi Hills Arena but in various special sites in Tokyo.

Background: Let’s say thank you to producers

The city of gourmet, Tokyo is always full of tasty foods, but we don’t have a good chance to thank producers. The Tokyo Harvest Committee was set up for that purpose. Japanese have eaten seasonally since olden days because the foods that are in season are tasty and healthy. Join Tokyo Harvest this year to thank producers and enjoy seasonal autumn tastes.

10 original experiences

1. Cropping experience in Roppongi Hills A farm will appear for two days in the forest of high-rise buildings in Roppongi. This cropping experience in the heart of Tokyo is not available elsewhere. How about getting muddy and cropping lotus?

2. Tokyo 2020 Minolympics You can learn about food through the sports festival, “Minolympics.” "Minoli" means "harvest" in Japanese. This is a small sports festival to enjoy games based on the idea of agriculture. We will have two games, “Rice planting competition” to learn about rice as a Japanese staple diet food and “Just the grams you want” to learn the quantity of vegetables we need for one day. We will have Kumamon as a special cheerleader.

3. Thanks to producers As you know, one of the most famous Japanese foods is sushi. The unique culture of eating raw fish is built up by a traditional fish industry. Well-designed Big-Catch Banners to hearten fishermen are a Japanese unique art. We will hold art workshops to design and make big-catch banners with cheers and thanks for fishermen. Think out of the box and create your own design.

4. Feel Japanese autumn in farm market booths In autumn, the harvest season, leaves begin to turn red and yellow. Autumn is full of tasty foods and at the farmer’s market, you can try this year’s new rice, root vegetables, and sweet potatoes to make Japanese seasonal tradition “Yakiimo” and sweet fruits. Bon appetite!

5. Taste Japanese cuisine “umami” “Washoku” (Japanese cuisine) has been named to the UNESCO world heritage list. More people in the world are paying attention to “washoku.” One of the most important elements is the Japanese traditional broth, “dashi.” It has many different ingredients and recipes. For example, bonito, seaweed, dried sardine and first soup, by using different broth and seasonings such as salt, soy sauce and miso for each menu, Japanese cooks create “umami.”

At Tokyo Harvest, we will prepare workshops and kitchen cars for you to taste and cook “dashi.” You will taste “umami,” made by a collaboration between Yoshihiro Murata, one of the most famous “washoku” cooks, and Ninben, a special dried bonito shop in Kyobashi, Tokyo, since 1700. Don’t miss this opportunity.

6. In winter, families gather in the living room and eat Japanese pot cooking, “nabe” All over Japan, family members chat and share one pot. They smile and feel happy. Of course, every family has their original recipe. In the “nabe” recipe competition, you will eat three kinds of “nabe,” which are based on three families’ original recipes.

7. Looking at scarecrows In Japan, there are 47 prefectures. Each of the 47 scarecrows represents 47 prefectures. They have information about special products in each prefecture. The display of 47 scarecrows is spectral. Have your photo taken with your favorite scarecrow.

8. Music as a common language “Aki Matsuri” means “Autumn Festival” and has important meanings that include prayers for a bumper crop, or expression of gratitude after crop harvest. “Matsuri” is always with music. Tokyo Harvest will hold live music performances to celebrate the harvest season.

9. Pounding on a rice cake Have you ever eaten freshly pounded rice cakes? Try fresh rice cakes with their elastic texture and incomparably good taste. Japanese used to believe that a rabbit was living and making rice cakes on the moon because the light and shade on the moon surface made it look like a rabbit pounding on a rice cake with a mallet. There will be full moon one day before Tokyo Harvest. You might see a rabbit pounding rice cakes by some chance!

10. Do you really know about what you eat? It is precious to know what we eat, so Tokyo Harvest will hold a “Harvest quiz rally” to help enlighten you about Japanese food and entertainment. Walk around Roppongi Hills Arena and answer five quizzes to get stamps. You can get delicious vegetable juice when you complete the stamps. Dates and times

November 8th (Sat) 11:00~19:00 November 9th (Sun) 11:00~18:00